As we turn the calendar to 2025, let’s think about the topics that resonated with thought leaders in the advertising industry this year.
The columns below were the most popular articles penned by AdExchanger guest contributors in 2024. They offer a snapshot of an industry in flux – an industry made cynical by repeated promises of unrealized change.
All the major storylines are here: from analysis of the industry’s top players to attempts to grapple with digital advertising’s most complex technical challenges and thorny ethical conundrums.
There has been a lot of discussion about the headwinds that publishers face. And more than a few emotional appeals to advertisers to abandon outdated practices.
Ignoring third-party cookies in Chrome has generated a lot of interest, as has Google’s cookie alternative, Privacy Sandbox. The frustration with all things Google was evident even before it revised its cookie plans again, pulling the rug out from under the industry for the third time in five years.
Likewise, Google’s changing priorities in its search business – which was officially described as a monopoly by the US government this year – has also drawn attention to the tech giant’s influence on the online ecosystem.
Here’s a look at the year in ad tech. Let’s see which of these topics we’re still talking about this time next year.
1. Why does Publicis win?
Written by Terrence Kawaja, LUMA Partners
Kawaja’s study of stock market valuations of major agency holding companies was released just before Omnicom announced its acquisition of IPG in December — and it quickly rose ahead of every other entry on this list. His previous predictions about agency mergers and acquisitions priorities have proven correct. But whether he endorses Publicis as the go-to company remains to be seen given the resurgence of agency consolidation.
2. CAPI is not an aid for deprecating cookies. It’s a basic solution
By Ib Adiri, Jellyfish
Conversion APIs are often overlooked in any discussion of alternatives to third-party cookies. But as Jellyfish’s social media expert points out, they’re essential for connecting to the walled gardens where users spend their time online.
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3. What do we tell Emily? The human cost of misusing advertising data
Written by Ariel Garcia Check out my ads
Publicis’ $350 million settlement for marketing opioids to doctors on behalf of Purdue Pharma has brought into sharp focus the immorality of modern digital advertising. Emily Deschamps, a Publicis employee, then shared the ethical quandary she faced as someone who lost loved ones to opioid addiction. That prompted Garcia, the former head of privacy and liability at UM Worldwide, to challenge the industry to rediscover its sense of shame.
4. Don’t get distracted by cookie drama. Google search changes are the real existential threat
Written by Eric Hochberger, Mediavine
In a year marked by Google Chrome’s do-or-die relationship with third-party cookies, senior executives at Mediavine pointed to bigger threats: ongoing changes to Google’s algorithms, the dawn of AI-generated search platforms and the potential for it to lose… Publishers drive more traffic to Big Tech’s walled gardens.
5. The Brink: Publishers and ad tech face a tough 2024
Written by Scott Messer, Messer Media
Speaking of the headwinds publishers face, monetization consultant Scott Messer kicked off the year with a list of looming threats and trends that media owners should pay attention to. Man, was he right: From the rise of transactional regulation and interest-based targeting to the panic over identity blocking, Messer has been ahead of the curve.
6. Privacy Sandbox’s latency issues will cost publishers
Written by Amanda Martin, Mediavine
Six important business challenges that the Privacy Shield Initiative must address
Written by Shaili Singh, IAB Technical Laboratory
Google’s privacy sandbox isn’t as bad as critics claim
Written by Bosko Milicic, Optable
The first two of these three columns took Google to task for its Privacy Sandbox’s shortcomings. They were part of a steady stream of sandbox grievances from regulators and industry experts that will likely help quash Google’s plans to kill cookies. Meanwhile, Bosko Milicic’s point gave props to Google for at least trying to create an alternative before shutting down the valuable audience signal — which can’t be said for other platforms.
7. CPMs are the wrong metrics to prioritize in CTV advertising
By Dan Larkman, Keynes Digital
You knew there had to be at least one column about CTV. This topic raised another recurring theme this year: the need for marketers to abandon old strategies when facing new challenges in new media channels.
8. Publishers can boost their value on the open exchange – without cookies
Written by Emery Downinghall, Unwind Media
The automated revenue expert at Unwind has mapped out a roadmap for monetization after cookies. This primer has plenty of tips for integrating alternate IDs, cutting out unnecessary SSP, sending smarter RFQs and taking advantage of deal structuring. Share it with your more cynical publisher friend.
9. Prepare for the worst, but don’t expect cookies to last
Written by Jason Behr, ADSTRA
Here’s an outlook that’s as old as fine wine: Adstra’s head of privacy read the tea leaves back in February and predicted that Google would not, in fact, turn off cookies as planned — months before Google announced it was reversing course again. But he advised the industry not to follow Google’s lead and go ahead with planning for the post-cookie phase anyway. After all, omnichannel addressability is good for business.
10. Marketing managers: It’s time to end the era of BS
Written by Chris Jaddick, AdQuick
Digital advertising is full of waste, but marketing managers haven’t heard the wake-up call. Gadek BS calls out a host of flawed marketing practices in this fiery call to action. It calls on the industry to take advantage of the fresh start provided by signal loss and the global push for data privacy.
Honorable mentions
These columns fell near the top spots, but are worth highlighting nonetheless.
The magic cookie, which has long helped enable ad technology, has died at the age of 30
Written by Martin Kane, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
In hindsight, Kane’s sarcastic eulogy may have been a bit premature. But it’s still a great history lesson about the much-maligned cookie.
The end of GARM is a reset, not a setback
Written by Ariel Garcia Check out my ads
Garcia makes her second appearance on this list by taking on Elon Musk, who has filed a lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. She says the end of GARM is an opportunity to rewrite misguided brand safety standards — if advertisers are up to the task.
Shopping has transformed. It’s time for the marketing funnel to catch up
Written by Nancy Hall, Mindshire
No list of the best of 2024 would be complete without mentioning some retail media. Hall explains how a narrow focus on the bottom of the funnel and an overly cautious data strategy can limit the potential of retail media.
9 measurement questions every marketer should ask their retail media partners
Written by Keshav Parthasarathy, Retail Media Insights
And in case the last column made you rethink your approach, here are some tips for choosing the right partners amid the explosion of retail media networks.
