First-Party Pod

AI in Ad Tech: Workflow Automation, Decisioning, and the Ethics of Walled Gardens

The pace of change in advertising has never been faster—or more uncomfortable. As AI transitions from hype to practical implementation, media buyers, creative teams, and tech platforms are under increasing pressure to adapt. While automation promises efficiency, the rise of AI-driven decisioning is sparking fundamental questions about trust, transparency, and the future role of agencies and platforms. In this episode of First-Party Pod, Gloria and Rio sit down with Ed Dinichert, Chief Revenue Officer at TripleLift, to discuss how AI is reshaping every layer of ad tech—from daily workflows and campaign optimization to the broader power dynamics between DSPs, SSPs, and the open web. With two decades of experience at WPP, Amazon, and now TripleLift, Ed offers a grounded yet provocative look at what this transformation really means for the industry. They also dig into the resistance to AI decisioning, the ethical pitfalls facing walled gardens, and the challenges of creative attribution in an AI-native ecosystem. Plus, Ed shares insights into TripleLift's approach to creative automation, component-based CTV ads, and why publishers who prioritize quality may come out on top in an increasingly AI-dominated landscape.

Sell-side decisioning and the rise of demand path optimization

The shift from third-party cookies, increasing demand for transparency, and the commoditization of SSPs have triggered a new phase in digital advertising—one that repositions publishers at the helm of media decisioning. In this episode of First-Party Pod, Gloria and Rio sit down with Scott Messer, founder of Messer Media and long-time sell-side advocate, to unpack the growing momentum behind Sell-Side Decisioning (SSD), the reimagining of curation, and what it means for SSPs, DSPs, and agencies alike. They explore how SSD empowers publishers to attach deal IDs and activate data in the crucial milliseconds after a bid request, reshaping how algorithms and curators influence the path to purchase. Scott explains why agencies and SSPs are embracing curation 2.0—powered by first-party data and probabilistic IDs—while DSPs face existential questions about their future role in media buying. Plus, a look at buy-side opacity, the reality of bid duplication, seller-defined audiences, and and why the future of digital advertising hinges on trust, interoperability, and a new era of publisher innovation.

Rethinking Curation: How Publishers and Agencies Can Reclaim the Open Web

The deprecation of third-party cookies and rise of privacy regulations have reshaped digital advertising—and publishers are feeling the pressure. While curation was once hailed as a fix, its first wave prioritized intermediaries over true innovation. Today, a new model is emerging: one that puts publishers back in control and redefines how agencies access high-quality, trusted supply. In this episode of First-Party Pod, Gloria and Rio sit down with Joe Root, CEO and co-founder of Permutive, to unpack the evolution from Curation 1.0 to 2.0—and what it means for publishers, agencies, and the open web. They explore how legacy data arbitrage models gave rise to opaque, unsustainable practices, and why the next wave of curation must be powered by publisher-owned signals and agency-led deal construction. They also dive into the promise of probabilistic clean rooms, the shifting economics of deal-based media buying, and why deterministic identity is holding the open internet back. Joe shares how Permutive is enabling real-time, privacy-safe activation of publisher data, why AI is transforming campaign optimization, and how clean room and curation innovations can finally deliver scalable, addressable advertising. Plus, they discuss how publishers are monetizing previously unbiddable signals, how agencies can regain control of media quality, and why the future of ad tech will be won on trust, speed, and collaboration.

An insider look at Amazon Marketing Cloud and why trust is the central currency in data partnerships

The pressure to drive measurable outcomes while protecting consumer data has never been higher. Clean rooms are emerging as the go-to solution, but making them work across teams, platforms, and priorities is still a work in progress. For Amazon, establishing trust—across underlying tech, legal, and business dimensions—is foundational to successful clean room adoption and broader collaboration within Amazon Marketing Cloud. In this episode of First-Party Pod, Gloria and Rio are joined by Alan Lewis, Director of AMC at Amazon Ads, to explore how Amazon is investing in tools that make secure, scalable data partnerships possible. From the rise of interoperable data environments and evolving advertiser expectations to data collaboration via AMC on AWS Clean Rooms, they unpack how Amazon is designing for trust, transparency, and long-term collaboration. They also discuss how brands are using AMC through new innovations like Brand+ and Performance+, why path to purchase reports often lack actionability, and how aggregation thresholds shape what advertisers can and can't measure. Plus, Alan shares thoughts on agency complexity, third-party partnerships, and the overlooked opportunity in frequency optimization.

The true meaning of incrementality and the rise of AI in MMMs

Incrementality is often misunderstood—with many misusing the term, relying on attribution reports instead of true controlled experiments. So how can brands ensure that they are running an incrementality test correctly? In the latest episode of First-Party Pod, Gloria and Rio break down the differences between incrementality, MMMs, and attribution and how the three can work together to prove the effectiveness of advertising. They also explore the downfall of last-click attribution, the rise of clean rooms, and how first-party data collaboration improves measurement accuracy. With cookies disappearing, they discuss what all these changes mean for the future of advertising and whether AI-driven measurement tools can truly replace traditional analytics. Plus, a look at The Trade Desk's stock plunge, outcomes vs quality, High Touch's latest investment, and the future of AppLovin'. Tune in for the First-Party takes!