RTB Corner: February 15, 2018

RTB Corner for February 15, 2018 - The latest news and views for the Supply-Side and DSP Community.

Google's Chrome begins to block undesirable ads, critics wary

Google today began using its Chrome browser to block ads that it deems annoying or otherwise detrimental to users. However, some in the industry are skeptical of its motivations. (The Washington Post)

Fight against ad fraud: How RTB companies are securing their inventory

Calls to secure the digital advertising supply chain have contributed to a growing trend of advertising tech companies making big moves to fight ad fraud and provide more transparency. From the supply- to the demand-side of the chain, here's a full-stack look at how the industry is fighting ad fraud and working to provide advertisers with a better programmatic experience. (Fraudlogix)

Programmatic comprises over a quarter of digital media spend – The industry reacts

Programmatic budgets are expected to rise by 11%, to make up 28% of total digital media investment in 2017/18, according to a new report published by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). ExchangeWire gathered thoughts from the industry about the latest report, including OpenX, The Exchange Lab, Ligatus, Taptica, and Taboola. (ExchangeWire)

Brandzooka breaks up with Newsweek

Brandzooka, a self-serve DSP, announced last week that it was pulling Newsweek Media Group's sites from its platform after the publisher was caught in an ad fraud scheme. In a statement, the DSP denounced the publisher, writing, "You lied, you cheated, and you destroyed the trust that your organization held in all of our eyes. Worse yet, your actions dragged everyone else into the mud with you. Shame on you." (Ad Age)

Unilever pledges to cut ties with 'platforms that create division'

Unilever's marketing chief, Keith Weed took the stage at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting to urge the digital media landscape to clean up its content, concerned over brand safety and fake news. P&G last year took to the same stage to call for more transparency and a cleaner supply chain. (The Drum)

IAB to launch training course for programmatic

The IAB announced the launch of a training course for digital media buyers and sellers seeking expertise in programmatic advertising technology. The intensive educational course, Programmatic 360: Automation Decoded, will be taught in person and online by industry executives at LiveRamp, CBS Interactive, and Pandora. (MediaPost)

Ericsson Emodo acquires Placecast

Ericsson is keen on ad tech - the Swedish networking and telecom company announced its acquisition of Placecast, a combo data management and DSP for location data. Placecast is now part of Emodo, Ericsson's programmatic mobile ad platform. (AdExchanger)

Programmatic pick up lines to impress your Valentine

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Amnet (Dentsu Aegis Network's programmatic group) published some programmatic pick up (and break up) lines. Our favorite: "You've been ghosting me so much I had to use Third Party Verification to check if you were even human." Happy be-lated Valentine's Day! (Marketing Interactive)

Articles and Research