Cleanup On The Platform Aisle

We talk with Lizzie Chapman, VP of Technology Platforms & Channel Sales at AdRoll, on a number of topics, but principally: why the hell is everything a digital media buying platform now? Murder Kroger has a DSP, Bomb Kroger has a DSP, other grocery stores that are not notorious nicknamed Atlanta area Kroger location presumably also have ad buying platforms. It's madness!

 

Earlier examples of other platforms hat built media in modern times are discussed, and that those that succeeded did so more so on content suitable for ad adjacency, and a content engaged audience, versus adjacency to a commercial operation, is noted. Sure, Reddit doesn't have a grocery store, but Safeway can't build you an Incel Fathers audience segment or offer you "Body Pillow Waifu Selfies" as a contextual targeting option. (Ed. note: Lee does not use Reddit, he just reads about it on Twitter, sorry, this is just all he "knows.")

 

What's next, r/cerealaislebets?!?!?! (Ed. note: Sorry, cutting all the rest of his Reddit jokes after this.)

 

Everyone declares a grocery store allegiance in terms of which they would help build their offering. Market Basket, Vons, Publix...the choices are very telling re: the regionality of grocery store chains, which is a major factor in this ecosystem from a marketing standpoint.

 

The coming issues major platforms will have with creating and running vast ad impression marketplaces may factor into this, as may heightened awareness brands are developing around impression quality. Managing several more point solutions for media is more appealing when the dream of vast de-duplicated and digitally targeted campaigns has lost some its luster in the current tech + privacy environment.

 

It's also noted that online environments in which people have already come to shop, or with shopping adjacent intent, have actually always been premium real estate.

 

Everyone wonders who will do well helping brands manage this, and worries that certain groups and class of organization may not be able to get away from the only thing they know: creating and exaggerating complexity so they can bill a lot of hours helping people solve it.

 

It turns our David has a second podcast about nautical matters, which we learn when he slips up and starts talking sextants. The need to measure everything is choking better ideas than "we need to measure everything" and warps incentives versus clarifying them. The whole lots of us need to go to some sort of first party data rehab facility.