The Great Ad Tech Squeeze: Platforms dominate tech, kickbacks and consolidation

AI, Agility & Growth: The new agency playbook

Most agencies remain constrained by legacy structures, short-term KPIs, and slow-moving processes. But a new generation of independent agencies is proving there's another way. In this episode, we speak with Ali Reed, Chief Growth Officer at Brainlabs, about why the future of marketing belongs to bold, agile, AI-powered businesses. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Ali explains her move from traditional agency networks to Brainlabs and discusses how independent agencies are using AI to accelerate innovation, deepen client relationships, and drive sustainable growth. Topics include: * Why legacy agency models are under pressure * How AI is transforming creativity, operations, and growth * The advantages independent agencies have over large holding groups * Building a culture of experimentation and collaboration * The real challenges facing agencies, from commoditization to platform dominance * Why long-term client value matters more than ever A candid conversation about the future of agencies, marketing, and the role AI will play in shaping the next generation of industry leaders.

How industry incentives, trading and measurement shape media quality and why it matters

This episode features a discussion with Erez Levin, a prominent speaker and writer in the advertising industry,focusing on the concept of quality media. The conversation explores the challenges of defining and valuing quality in a landscape dominated by major platforms and unlimited impressions. Erez introduces the "quality trifecta," which includes media quality, creative quality, and audience/data quality, emphasizing the importance of assessing these dimensions to drive effective advertising outcomes. The discussion also touches on the industry's shift from deterministic models to more probabilistic approaches, highlighting the need for advertisers to prioritize long-term brand value over short-term metrics with the role quality media plays into that. Erez just put completed a large paper on this topic and it's available from our website to download.

The Great Ad Tech Squeeze: Platforms dominate tech, kickbacks and consolidation

This episode explores the fundamental shift from efficiency to dominance in digital advertising. Ian shares why the traditional ad tech model is at a crossroads, with many players facing margin squeeze or consolidation, while a few with true differentiation may thrive. You’ll discover how the biggest platforms - from Google to Amazon - are the real gatekeepers not only selling vast quantities of media but also controlling the pipes. We also debate: * The real drivers behind the market’s skepticism with ad-tech stocks, referencing TTD * How AI could overturn ad tech economics and bring true efficiency back to media buying * The risks of consolidation, with parallels to the Standard Oil case and the implications for publishers and brands * Why agencies’ opaque rebates and kickbacks threaten the integrity of ad buying and how transparency and proprietary solutions are the future * What premium publishers must do to protect their value amidst a landscape where power consolidates in the hands of the few

The Great Ad Spend Shift: Why Meta, Amazon & programmatic are reshaping media

Justin Lebbon is joined by Guideline’s Chief Insights & Analytics Officer, Sean Wright, for a deep dive into where advertising money is really flowing and why the biggest platforms continue to dominate despite mounting scandals and industry criticism. Using Guideline’s unique data tracking major agency and brand spend, they explore Meta’s resilience, the rise of Amazon in the DSP wars, the collapse in streaming CPMs, and why traditional TV companies may be undermining themselves through aggressive programmatic strategies and cost-cutting. The conversation also examines whether broadcasters can regain control of pricing, measurement, and premium positioning before ad tech commoditizes the entire ecosystem.

Meta, Google, Amazon all post Q1 results - Analysis and market reaction

An in-depth analysis of the latest quarterly results from Google, Meta, and Amazon, exploring their growth, AI investments, and implications for the advertising and media industry.