These were your favorite ad tech news stories, as told and dissected by the AdMosnters staff in 2023.
In 2020, AdMonsters launched the Wrapper Newsletter. Our aim: To summarize exciting news items that catch our eyes and link them to wider developments in digital media and advertising. And we also point you in the direction of great podcasts and compelling industry voices to follow on social media.
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Now on to the the list. (This list is a compilation of readers’ favorite stories from 2023.)
The Top Digital Media and Ad Tech News of 2023
U.S. AD SPEND PROJECTED TO INCREASE IN Q4 AND 2024
Ad recession where? At the start of 2023, the ad tech industry was filled with fear-mongering rhetoric that an ad recession was bound to sweep the ecosystem. As the year progresses into Q4, ad spend predictions are much more optimistic. (Read more)
THE TRADE DESK WANTS TO CONTROL RETAIL MEDIA
The Trade Desk’s CEO, Jeff Green, told investors he has his eyes set on the $500 million retail media market. Green is confident he can take a large chunk of that $500 billion pie. The Trade Desk plans to leverage the fact that they are a significant source of demand for ad sellers to capture the opportunities in e-commerce advertising.
“I think over time most of that will be available to The Trade Desk — even things like sponsored listings where it’s optimal for those [placements] to get as much demand as possible,” said Green. “There’s more supply than there is demand.” (Read more)
BOT FRAUD ON THE RISE, DOUBLING YOY
People are spending 28% less time online this year than they did in 2022, yet traffic, as many network administrators will tell you, is up. What’s going on?
According to HUMAN Security, a company specializing in fraud prevention, bot traffic is rising, more than doubling YOY. As a percentage of overall traffic, bad bots are rising faster than legitimate users. (Read more)
GOOGLE’S GLOBAL LEGAL TROUBLES; GOOGLE ANNOUNCES DEADLINE FOR COOKIE DEPRECATION
Google’s Global Legal Troubles
Antitrust season is year-round for big tech in 2023.
The tech titan Google has found itself in another antitrust debacle. The EU dropped a bombshell, charging them with violating EU antitrust laws. Google’s dominance in online advertising has led them down a slippery slope, undercutting their competitors left and right. (Read more)
Google Announces Deadline for Cookie Deprecation, for Real This Time
Google has extended the deadline for turning off third-party cookies in Chrome several times, raising doubt around the ad tech community that the cookie would ever crumble.
Joey Trotz, Director of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, eased all industry suspicion at AdMonsters Ops NY conference in a session about why publishers should start testing Google’s Privacy Sandbox now.
“One hundred percent, we are deprecating the third-party cookie in the second half of 2024 – full stop,” said Trotz. (Read more)
THE DOJ SUES GOOGLE (AGAIN). PUBLISHERS RESPOND; STATE OF DATA 2023
The DOJ Sues Google (Again). Publishers Respond
It’s deja vu for Alphabet’s legal team, as the Justice Department once again filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company. This time, the DOJ, joined by eight states, accused the tech behemoth of absolute dominance over the digital ad tech space. (Read more)
Everything You Need to Know About IAB’s State of Data 2023
We will see five new state-level data privacy regulations coming to life in 2023, with a few already brought to life this month. So, it’s perfect timing that the IAB unveiled their sixth annual State of Data initiative, IAB State of Data 2023: Data Clean Rooms and the Democratization of Data in the Privacy-Centric Ecosystem this past Tuesday at IAB ALM ’23 (and it was one for the books). (Read more)
TRIOPOLY AGREES TO AI SAFEGUARDS; AD TECH SCRUBS MFA SITES; OREGON PRIVACY ACT SIGNED
7 AI Companies Agree to Safeguards; the Triopoly Among Them
The Biden Administration is pretty uneasy with AI for numerous reasons and has wrangled voluntary commitments from seven AI companies to put safeguards around the risks posed by generative AI, including algorithmic discrimination and disinformation.
“Companies developing these emerging technologies are responsible for ensuring their products are safe. To make the most of AI’s potential, the Biden-Harris Administration is encouraging this industry to uphold the highest standards to ensure that innovation doesn’t come at the expense of Americans’ rights and safety,” the White House said. (Read more)
ANA Study Leads Ad Tech Vendors to Scrub MFA Sites
Made-for-advertising sites flew under the radar for some time, but thanks to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) study, MFAs are getting a much-needed crackdown.
Companies like Magnite, Sharethrough, and PubMatic are blocking MFA sites to keep them from profiting from alleged deceptive practices. MFAs thrived in the supply chain for years. However, that changed when the ANA launched an investigation and found sites riddled with disruptive user experiences, tactics that compromised content value, and security risks. (Read more)
Oregon Governor Signs Opt-Out Privacy Laws
In a groundbreaking move, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed a privacy bill, granting state residents the power to regain control over their online advertising fate. The law allows state residents to opt out of ad targeting based on their online activity.
The Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (SB 619) ensures that consumers have the right to know what personal information brands collect about them and who receives it. In addition, the language around personal data is relatively broad, covering identifiers such as cookies. (Read more)