Adweek's Catherine Perloff on the biggest ad tech stories of 2023 - and what she's watching in 2024

Next in Media

Next in Media spoke with Catherine Perloff, platforms reporter at Adweek, about the biggest stories of 2023 in media and advertising, why programmatic can't seem to shake its reputation for opacity, and whether brands are truly ready for all of the big changes on the horizon in 2024.

Takeaways

• Transparency remains a significant issue in ad tech, particularly with the rise of AI media buying tools.
• Ad tech consolidation is happening, with SSPs moving to the buy side and DSPs moving to the sell side.
• Google has faced scandals and pushback regarding transparency and quality issues.
• The use of AI in media buying is slowly changing the industry, but there are concerns about relinquishing control.
• TikTok has become a major platform for marketing, especially in social commerce.
• The ad tech industry is experiencing inefficiency, with only a small percentage of bid requests resulting in monetization.
• The future of ad tech is uncertain due to cookie deprecation and the expansion of retail media and ad networks.
• Advertiser perception of Twitter is mixed, with some brands staying and others potentially reducing their spending.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:35 Transparency in Ad Tech

02:01 Ad Tech Consolidation

03:18 Challenges with Transparency and Quality

05:29 Google's Scandals and Pushback

08:13 The Rise of AI in Media Buying

10:09 The Comeback of Meta (formerly Facebook)

12:39 The Success and Impact of TikTok

17:56 Consolidation in the Ad Tech Industry

20:20 Inefficiency in the Ad Tech System

23:51 The Future of Ad Tech and Cookie Deprecation

26:17 The Expansion of Retail Media and Ad Networks

28:11 Advertiser Perception of Twitter

29:47 Conclusion

Guest: Catherine Perloff

Host: Mike Shields

In Partnership with: Comcast Advertising

Produced by: Fresh Take