Early on in my tenure reporting on the digital advertising space, I was fascinated by the concept of audience futures—enabling publishers to guarantee sales of audience segments that could be transacted programmatically. This seemed to be an evolution of both digital direct guaranteed sales and TV-buying, but unfortunately the market hasn't…
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I'm used to the eye rolls whenever I ask ad tech veterans their feelings on the potential of blockchain. I'll be the first to admit the term is sullied following an audacious hype cycle (even for ad tech!) and some scam-tastic initial coin offerings (ICOs). But the technology does seem…
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Privacy regulations, cookieless web, identity resolution, the value of first-party data, better personalization—are just some of the many data trends shaping publishers' strategies today. The road ahead is being paved as much by user and governmental concerns as it is by the duopoly and other significant players in the ad…
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The road to Cannes is paved with many changes this year. You can certainly expect to see and hear a fair amount from companies developing next-generation media, marketing, and advertising solutions underpinned with blockchain and cryptography. Solutions are scaling; we are past the point of test and learn. Another change…
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The explosion in the blockchain-based marketing landscape over the past 18 months has brought an interesting dynamic to the already complex world of digital advertising. There has been a lot of hype, a lot of hot air, a lot of learning, and a few solutions showing early promise around this…
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We talk to an awful lot of publishers at our Publisher Forums and other events. And in those conversations, we get deep into the weeds with them about their frustrations—like ad fraud, ad impression discrepancies, and ad quality. But we also speak with them about all the things that work…
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For digital media and advertising 2018 has been a really exciting, but often bumpy, roller coaster ride. As far as ad operations is concerned, blockchain, artificial intelligence, location services, and mobile-first everything are offering promising monetization alternatives and other opportunities that bring publishers and brands closer to audiences in more…
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Were you worried that blockchain was all hat and no cattle? Look again—the decentralized ledger is disrupting the payments landscape while also overhauling reconciliation. At the same time, Senior Editor Lynne d Johnson points out a huge (but surmountable) challenge: speed.
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The other day I published an interview with Kind Ads adviser Neil Patel on the workings of a decentralized ad network leveraging a blockchain. When I tried to boost my Facebook post of the story, the platform denied me, stating that it does not run ads related to cryptocurrencies. I pleaded…
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We caught up with Kind Ads advisor Neil Patel—cofounder of well-known brands Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics—to find out the thinking behind a decentralized ad network, as well as just how it leverages blockchain to cut out intermediaries, offer enhanced data security for pubs and advertisers, and deliver non-irritating ads.
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