The Big Story

The business practices of both Facebook and Google came to light in unflattering ways

over the past week. We go over highlights from The Facebook Papers and the recently released unredacted antitrust complaint against Google released. Plus: A recap of AdExchanger’s Programmatic IO conference in NYC.

Even though Apple is putting stress on the app advertising ecosystem, mobile ad tech companies are consolidating at breakneck speed and with eye-popping valuations. Guess it’s finally the “year of mobile” as an increased focus on privacy triggers an uptick in M&A.

If Facebook chose profits over safety, as the Facebook whistleblower alleges, what does that mean for advertisers? Plus: potential marketing repercussions from Facebook’s outage.

We discuss the rise of CDPs and the decline of two other marketing stalwarts: last-click attribution and Nielsen as the currency for linear TV buys. In all three areas, opportunity is knocking, as new tech and new companies seek to replace aging tech and measurement standards.

Instacart, Uber, Affirm and GoPuff are getting into advertising – and there’s a common thread driving their pursuit of profitability through ad businesses. Two biggies: killer attribution and access to young, digitally native audiences.

Explore the logic behind TransUnion’s $3.1 billion acquisition of Neustar, an identity resolution company with caller ID roots – and why it would catch the eye of a credit reporting agency. Plus, Apple’s victory in the Epic Games lawsuit and what marketers need to know about the privacy features in iOS 15.

Amazon TVs could lead to better attribution, more scale and intensify the already white-hot competition in the CTV space. Plus: Sen. Elizabeth Warren urges the antitrust investigation against Google onward with a focus on the “Jedi Blue” deal between Facebook and Google.

China’s new privacy law, PIPL, might look similar to GDPR – but it’s got a few twists global marketers will need to pay attention to. Plus: Why Mediaocean switched private equity owners, and unpacking Freestar’s acquisition of Sortable.

To untangle all the M&A, IPOs and SPACs in ad tech, banker and COO of Progress Partners Domenic Venuto shares his perspective, including why Trade Desk is a “golden child” for investors and the trick to evaluating a promising SPAC.