Michael Rubenstein

Adtech M&A is certainly heating up. Last week Digiday reported that Teads is exploring various sale options. This kind of news piques our Quo Vadis curiosity. So we did our best to puzzle together a fundamental valuation model. As imperfect as it may be, our model tells us that $2.2 billion is close to the magic number. Get the details and see how we get there: https://lnkd.in/ee6wEyXM Subscribe to Quo Vadis to follow this very interesting adtech valuation story! #adtech #programmatic #radicaltransparency

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Looking for data-driven insights on the risks of cutting advertising? This article by Megan Poinski and contributor Matt Voda delivers exactly that—with compelling research and a real customer story to back it up. Reducing advertising spend is a short-term fix with long-term repercussions. For B2B SaaS companies, consistent brand presence is crucial. Pulling back now could mean playing catch-up later, at a higher cost. The research in this piece underscores why staying the course is essential to long-term growth. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gDV727m3 #B2BMarketing #SaaS #BrandStrategy"

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Transparency Under the Microscope (Source: Digiday) Retail media networks are expanding to off-site channels, but marketers question ROI and performance transparency. RMNs are expected to capture $140 billion in ad spend this year, yet 55% of marketers cite lack of standardization as a key challenge. Concerns are rising over brand safety with made-for-advertising sites included in some offerings. Calls for greater transparency in the RMN negotiation process, CPM value, and retailer kickbacks continue to grow. Source Digiday: https://lnkd.in/gHQ3hf_H 🌎To learn more join the AdTechGod Slack Community: https://lnkd.in/g-XzVDkX ✉️Sign up for The Refresh newsletter: https://lnkd.in/g-gjn7GU

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Episode 60 of The AdTechGod(™) Pod Sam Bloom, Head of Partnerships at PMG, shares his extensive journey in the advertising industry, discussing the importance of transparency, the impact of family legacy, and the CTV industry. Thank you to DanAds for sponsoring this episode.

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Some good points are made by PubMatic’s Andrew Baron in AdExchanger’s latest Data-Driven Thinking column. Ironically, cookies were never that big of a problem in the first place—your humble, anonymous cookie is far less personal than a hashed email (which, as the FTC recently reminded us, is in fact still PII). But to the writer’s point, years of worrying about their impending deprecation have led to some very positive changes. First- and carefully curated and enhanced second- and third-party data will always yield better results, assuming you can protect the privacy of the consumers who produced it. And yes, whatever more personally identifiable data you’re working with—whether it’s sell-side targeting, modeled audiences, or contextual signals—alternative IDs have shown great promise in creating a layer of privacy protection. However, the real challenge arises when these identifiers traverse the bidstream and are shared with third parties. No matter how secure your encryption, once data leaves your control, it’s vulnerable to exploitation or reverse engineering. Anything can happen. The signals aren’t the problem—it’s the way we’re sharing them. We built Symitri to solve these inherent privacy challenges in adtech infrastructure. By ensuring that personally identifiable data never leaves the control of its owner, Symitri offers truly deterministic targeting without sacrificing privacy. With Symitri, you can achieve precision, performance, and privacy—no compromises necessary. #Symitri #Privacy #DataProtection #Trust #TRUSTX https://lnkd.in/eS9Aem8B

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The recently released IAB Digital Out of Home (DOOH) & In-Store Retail Media Playbook offers an in-depth look at how brands and retailers are collaborating to deliver an omnichannel consumer experience and implement closed-loop measurement. See the playbook to learn about: - Merchandising and In-Store Shopper Marketing - Consumer-Centric Strategies in Retail Media Advanced Measurement and Optimization - In-Store Venues and Zones Download the playbook now: https://bit.ly/3yZDH7O

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Google 🍪 announcement + Oracle 💰 settlement signal a shift to Consumer-centric advertising. The recent #adtech developments at #Google and #Oracle may seem disconnected at first, but they signify a significant shift towards consumer-centric advertising. Alongside Apple, these tech giants are embracing privacy concerns and strategically repositioning themselves by prioritizing consumers. This move aims to reduce risks and drive growth by empowering consumers, advocates, and next-gen companies to innovate new approaches in place of legacy adtech. The ripple effect is evident, with companies like Amazon and Meta expected to follow suit to mitigate the legal and financial risks highlighted in the coverage of Oracle's recent settlement. I transitioned from retail and ecommerce to adtech two decades ago with a vision to revolutionize advertising by attacking the inefficiencies of offline methods adopted in the digital realm. Seemed like an easy fix but it turned out to be a long slog. I also saw the inherent risk from cookies that hold adtech together to this day. Now it seems the consumer is finally getting a seat at the advertising table, and they don't like cookies or spam. For advertising and publishing businesses, the time is ripe to pivot towards alternative strategies in alignment with this evolving landscape. Seeking expert guidance to navigate these transformations could be the key to staying ahead in this dynamic environment. DM me for a chat or simply to chew the fat :) Google announcement - https://lnkd.in/gu9a-wba Oracle coverage- https://lnkd.in/gA9H-Fey My take from 2013 - https://lnkd.in/gB8QCjF

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Another interesting viewpoint on the impact of AI on search. What makes the open web so interesting is the richness and complexity of it. But what’s the impact when Google “does the Googling for you? Tech research firm Gartner predicts traffic to the web from search engines will fall 25 percent by 2026. That’s a massive impact for indy publishers and many smaller companies who’ll find it harder to compete. It has the potential to improve the search experience for the consumer, it has become more than a bit messy over the last decade. But for smaller brands the fight to cut through will be that much harder. Quality of content and user experience will be key. https://lnkd.in/eZ7SituW

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Relevant non-endemic ads perfectly compliments retail media. Learn 4 ways to unlock the benefits of non-endemic advertising with Rokt. Well said, Jason Sigalos!

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At B2B Summit this year, my colleague Hannibal Scipio led a panel discussion with real talk from partner ecosystem leaders. Some key observations -- "Suppliers must prioritize and communicate the value of all ecosystem partners within their organization, not just through sales numbers, marketing narratives, and slide decks. It is essential to demonstrate a commitment to ecosystem-centric GTM success through actions, behaviors, and core principles – active listening, competence, trust, and leadership." Check out more in Hannibal's blog: https://lnkd.in/dUC4Us78 #partnerecosystems #partnermarketing #B2B

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I think "local at scale" #marketing is the future of brand marketing. Where-to-buy-nearby coupled with real-time #local inventory and #clickandcollect will surely delight online shoppers.

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What role does contextual AI play in shaping the future of advertising? As end-users and technology companies increasingly prioritize privacy, contextual AI is poised to emerge as the primary tool for advertisers as it focuses on aligning the right messaging with the right context, making it essential for brands' future success. Kartal Goksel, CTO at Seedtag, believes that context reigns supreme when it comes to effective advertising. While the industry has typically depended on keywords and phrases to gauge context, he argues that a more nuanced, human understanding of context is crucial as this approach considers the broader meaning of words within the context of an article. Watch now: https://lnkd.in/e3aBPiYQ #ContextualAI #ConsumerPrivacy #ContextualAdvertising

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My latest article on CMSWire asks CMOs, CEOs, and hiring agencies if industry experience is necessary or overrated. The deeper question I'm getting at here is: are too many great CMO candidates not even getting interviewed because they lack prior industry knowledge? Share your thoughts! Thanks to Sue Keith, Club CMO, Eric Pairitz, James (JD) Dillon, Doug Zarkin and Gaurav Bhatia for being a source! #cmo #marketing #humanresources

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Are we talking about this enough? We have not seen an anti-trust ruling like this in decades, perhaps you recall the case against Microsoft in the 90s? It had a huge impact on Microsoft. What impact do we think this will have on Google? For Microsoft, it inspired/forced product innovation. https://lnkd.in/e9BCnQ2a #letstalkaboutgoogle #adtech #google #digital

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A compelling argument for the importance of experiments and the use of Bayesian modeling. The objection/notion of isolated, walled garden experiments is slowly becoming obsolete. As advertisers increasingly leverage open-source or proprietary geo/user-based experimentation on their own internal metrics, the need for incrementality testing as the gold standard for establishing media causality becomes undeniable. Incorporating experimental data into a Bayesian framework should enable more accurate and actionable insights in this regard.

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New Open Market episode featuring Jay Friedman, CEO of Goodway Group. This one’s packed with insights for anyone in ad tech, agencies, or media. Key Highlights: -Why Jay believes marketing belongs at the top of the boardroom agenda. -Goodway Group's incredible 95-year history and evolution. -How Jay’s perspective on remote work has shifted. -The critical role of incrementality in proving marketing’s value. -Smart advice for ad tech CEOs on how to effectively sell to agencies. As always, expertly guided by Joe Zappa. Check it out—link in comments.

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FROM COOKIES TO CLARITY - The Israelites' golden calf story mirrors digital advertising's misplaced trust in third-party cookies. - Early ad tech fraud exposure showed addressable targeting's unreliability and data manipulation. - Google and Meta now use AI targeting, recognizing hyper-specific targeting's flaws. - Studies show 1:1 addressable data is inaccurate; broader targeting strategies may be better. - The ad industry should shift to AI-driven broad targeting, focusing on fundamental marketing principles and real outcomes. 📖 Article by AdExchanger : https://lnkd.in/gZms44JV 🌎To learn more join the AdTechGod Slack Community: https://lnkd.in/g-XzVDkX ✉️Sign up for the Marketecture Media newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gm85yuaf

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