March 2024 in MarTech and AdTech

Looking back at key AdTech and MarTech events in March, we feel like there’s been a lot. From Reddit’s IPO to regulators tightening their grip on publishers, this month gave the community a lot to discuss and wrap their heads around.

To recap key news and noteworthy discussions, we are releasing a new edition of the Xenoss MarTech Insider. Here are the top stories of the month:

🔸 The Walt Disney Company goes direct with DRAX Direct

🔸 Reddit, Inc. IPO has a promising start

🔸 American and European regulators are pressuring Big Tech

🔸 Criteo is finding a way to help AdTech transition to Google Privacy Sandbox

🔸And more

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Disney went direct with DRAX Direct

Disney, previously an avid SSP partner, is now pushing to own its supply-side tech with DRAX Direct, a proprietary ad exchange released on March 21. With DRAX+, advertisers get direct access to Disney+ and Hulu inventory.

For advertisers, there’s the benefit of transparency and higher audience match rates.

DSPs will also be able to integrate with Disney+: the company is building ties with market frontrunners ( The Trade Desk and DV360) and smaller platforms designed to support buyers with smaller budgets. At the moment, there are over 30 DSPs in Disney’s network.

The losing side of the move is obvious: SSPs. In a comment for AdExchanger, Jamie Power , SVP of addressable sales at The Walt Disney Company Advertising, tried to sweeten the bitter pill by saying that “SSPs are not going anywhere.” He stated that the company views DRAX+ as a way to remove tech barriers (not as a way to backstab SSPs, as it might seem).

In case you are wondering, the AdTech community on X was having none of it. They quickly pointed out the dichotomy between Disney’s public reassuring statements and actions, which are one more push for SSP cannibalization.

Yet, some believe that big publishers owning their own tech is the new normal. As for SSPs, they either have to zero in on differentiation or accept being sidelined and eventually pushed out of AdTech.

Reddit shares surged to 48% after the first day of trading (Reuters)

Since its launch in 2005, Reddit, Inc. has never turned a profit. Yet, for a financially bleeding company, Reddit stocks performed extraordinarily well when the Internet’s favorite forum went public in March. The reason? AI. Reddit’s data is highly valuable for training LLMs and other models, and investors want to take advantage of this opportunity.

Big Tech under regulatory scrutiny: US sued Apple (The Verge), EU to investigate Big Tech under DMA (Al Jazeera)

March was stressful for Big Tech and full of lawsuits. DOJ started looking into Apple for limiting access to the iPhone for developers, creators, and even its own customers. EU also decided to prove it takes its own laws seriously and committed to investigating Big Tech on compliance with The Digital Markets Act.

Hulu launches on Disney+ (Disney+)

It’s been a while since the Hulu and Disney deal was announced. Yet, Disney took the time to integrate Hulu offerings into its advertising platform. Well, it looks like the move is finally complete, as the Disney and Hulu+ bundle is now available to US subscribers. For advertisers, both inventories are available via The Trade Desk and DV360.

Criteo is exploring a Services Layer for Google Privacy Sandbox

Source: Digiday March 12, 2024

There’s hardly any doubt left that adapting to Google Privacy Sandbox will be stressful for AdTech vendors. Digiday estimates required expenses at $7 million, which is the money any post-recession AdTech company would rather keep.

In this landscape, Criteo’s ambition to build a service layer that would help AdTech adjust to the Sandbox is welcome. Yet, such a project is no easy fit. We already know that the company allocated 50 engineers to the task. Even that is hardly enough to match the effectiveness of cookieless advertising to the level everyone is used to.

There are several open-ended questions we are interested in exploring. Number one: how will Google Privacy Sandbox react to Criteo’s plans? Criteo stated they were working with the search giant, but the extent of Google’s involvement and enthusiasm has not been specified.

Number two: what will other AdTech players do? Will they concede ground to Criteo and mind their business or draft a similar agenda for building a Privacy Sandbox infrastructure?

That said, if all goes smoothly, Criteo’s new infrastructure can pay off big time, as many actors should be desperate for it.

Microsoft debuts Ad Selection for Edge

Google Chrome is by far and away the leader of web browsers, which makes Privacy Sandbox a big deal. But Microsoft stepped in to remind us they have a browser, too, and are ready to show their take on privacy-first APIs. In March, the company debuted one of these APIs—Ad Selection—that introduced Trusted Executed Environments: areas of the computer or ad server where sensitive PII cannot be tampered with.

AppsFlyer unveils a Salesforce integration

AppsFlyer launched its Salesforce to Applflyer Audience Integration platform to help Salesforce users create effective audiences and activate their data. Through this solution, marketers can enrich their data, create custom audience segments, and track campaign performance across multiple channels.

Mediaocean and Magnite strike a collaboration to streamline CTV media planning, execution, and reporting

In a new partnership, Magnite allows Mediaocean’s Prisma buyers to access premium video inventory through Magnite ClearLine. Magnite’s CTV inventory will now be available in the Mediaocean ad infrastructure.

In March, the AdTech and MarTech community…

🔸 Celebrated women in AdTech

In March, we had an excellent opportunity to highlight the contributions of female leaders to the industry’s growth and development. Here are a few touching write-ups from the community.

🔸 Discussed the impact of sports on premium streaming

Sports were a life-saver for streaming. Paramount+ won big from its involvement in the Super Bowl. Peacock saw a huge subscriber surge after getting an exclusive right to stream NFL playoffs.

The AdTech community experts are optimistic but wondering: will sports be the only thing “carrying” streaming?

🔸Explored how brands leverage retail media

In the latest episode of The Current Laura Jones, the CMO of Instacart, explained the company’s dedication to retail media. At the moment, Instacart has a 7 million monthly order volume, making it a lucrative space for advertisers.

🔸Debated if YouTube was social or TV?

In March, we attended New Video Frontiers by VideoWeek . The event sparked a discussion about whether YouTube should be considered social or video.

🔸Discussed the impact of generative AI

Now that we have gained some perspective on what generative AI is capable of, one cannot help but wonder what role it will play in automating advertising and marketing operations.

In an interview for The Washington Post with Geoffrey Fowler, Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe commented:

“Generative AI allows to democratize technology. It is going to be disruptive if you don’t embrace it and use it to build better projects, but I am convince it will going to be an accelerator rather than just a disruption.”

“By now, most people understand that marketing professionals will highly benefit from using AI tools. However, the impact of machine learning is still debated. While some believe that human creativity and planning cannot be fully substituted, others see the future of AI in marketing as highly far-reaching”.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI is on the AI positivist end of the spectrum. He stated that AI automation can streamline nearly 95% of marketing operations:

According to Chief Martec , an average SMB has 162 SaaS apps. Mid-market companies (500 to 2,500 employees) have 245. Large enterprises use over 650 SaaS tools.

Finally, we’d like to share some big Xenoss news with you.

We are excited to announce that Jon Walsh, a driving force behind The Adtech Chat Community and JobsInAdtech.com, is a Xenossє brand ambassador.

We are enthusiastic about joining our forces in sharing technical AdTech expertise and creating meaningful discussions in the industry.

We are thrilled to share that Xenoss will attend #Possible2024 on April 15-17 in Miami. We look forward to connecting with industry leaders and hearing their perspectives on the market’s challenges and opportunities in 2024. Drop Dmitry Sverdlik Sverdlik, Xenoss CEO, or Maria Novikova, Xenoss CRO, a line to catch up with them in person.

This was Xenoss’s March AdTech and MarTech news round-up. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter on LinkedIn to stay updated on breaking news, the latest releases, expert takes, and hot discussions in the industry.