Articles & Podcast Episodes

Adtech’s Lemon Market: Why We Keep Buying Sour Fruit and Calling It Progress

Adtech is starting to feel like a carnival funhouse—flashy, disorienting, and filled with surprises that make you question your life choices. Take The Trade Desk’s (TTD) latest “innovation,” for example. They’ve slapped a shiny new name, “Prism,” onto their old “Audience Excluder” feature and decided to charge a 10% fee for it. That’s on top … Read more

Disney Gets Dirty: Playing in Programmatic’s Muddy Waters

Once upon a time, Disney stood as the epitome of wholesome family entertainment. But now, the House of Mouse has ventured into the chaotic, fraud-prone world of programmatic advertising. With their latest partnership with Viant Technology, they’ve essentially said, “Let’s roll up our sleeves and see what all this fuss is about.” The goal? Democratizing … Read more

From Big Ideas to Tiny Banners: How #Adtech Shrinks the Dream

When I resurrected this newsletter from the ashes of my previous endeavor—dusted it off like some overambitious Frankenstein experiment—I wasn’t entirely sure where it was going. I envisioned a space to unite adtech, marketing, media, and agencies under one roof. A bold concept, or so I thought. Reactions ranged from “You’re nuts” to “You’re mildly … Read more

The Ad Tech Racket: How The Trade Desk is Taxing Your Campaigns Into Oblivion

Let’s talk about The Trade Desk (TTD) and their latest contribution to the world of advertising—what can only be described as a budgetary black hole. In their infinite wisdom, TTD has rebranded their “Audience Excluder” feature into something fancier-sounding, “Prism,” and slapped on a shiny new price tag that’s nearly three times the original cost. … Read more

The AdTech Wizard of Odds: Gareth Holmes on Streaming Ads, Helicopters, and Unleashing Sweden’s Secret Sauce 

Adtech is often described as a wild west, but Gareth Holmes makes it sound more like Cirque du Soleil—complete with flaming chainsaws, gravity-defying stunts, and a standing-room-only audience.  As VP of Strategy Media at SeenThis, Gareth isn’t just navigating the chaos; he’s orchestrating it with the flair of a conductor leading a symphony of algorithms. … Read more

Zeta Global: AI Hype, Data Breaches, and Damage Control

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA), the self-proclaimed “AI-Powered Marketing Cloud,” has been spinning like a politician in a scandal. Accusations of shady practices, a public data breach, and a stock price in freefall have the company in full-on damage control mode. To top it off, they’re now sparring with short-seller Culper Research over claims that could … Read more

Catalina Salazar: The #martech Dynamo Turning Wolt Into a Retail Media Juggernaut

If retail media were a chess game, Catalina Salazar would be the queen—commanding the board, making bold moves, and turning every play into a checkmate. As the Global Head of Wolt Ads, she’s not just playing the game; she’s rewriting the rules, and frankly, the competition doesn’t stand a chance. Wolt started as a Finnish … Read more

AdMonsters Publishers Forum: Publishers’ Group Therapy, With Coffee and Cookie Anxiety

The AdMonsters Publishers Forum has officially kicked off, and it’s already a whirlwind of grievances, guarded optimism, and, of course, endless caffeine refills. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when publishers get together to discuss the digital ad ecosystem under Chatham House Rules, let me paint a picture. Imagine a therapy session where everyone agrees … Read more

Can Innovid Turn Its Adtech Aspirations Into Actual Profits, or Is It Just Playing in the Sandbox?

Innovid Corp. is stuck in adtech purgatory—a company brimming with potential but weighed down by enough challenges to keep a boardroom sweating. On paper, the numbers look promising: a 10% revenue boost in Q2 2024, climbing to $38 million. But that shiny achievement comes with a $10.5 million net loss that looms like a storm … Read more

Adsterra: The Ad Network That’s Like a Bad Tinder Date—Too Good to Be True, Then Totally Sketchy

Adsterra, the self-proclaimed “premium” ad network, hails from the illustrious island of Cyprus—where offshore business thrives, and reputations go to die. It’s a place where secrecy isn’t just a business model; it’s a lifestyle. And Adsterra fits right in. If you’ve stumbled across Adsterra’s name in your hunt for a Google AdSense alternative, you might … Read more