Tag: adtech

Singapore – As the global commerce industry undergoes a transformation driven by AI, collaboration, and the demand for more meaningful consumer experiences, advertising technology firm Criteo is repositioning itself to lead the charge. The company announced a refreshed brand identity and strategic vision aimed at redefining the future of commerce media.

The Paris-based firm, known for its AI-powered advertising solutions, has introduced a new tagline—“For the love of commerce”—as part of its broader push to inspire richer, more connected shopping experiences. The rebranding marks a shift from its previous slogan, “The Future is Wide Open,” signaling an evolution in its mission and ambitions.

Brendan McCarthy, chief marketing officer at Criteo, emphasised the growing influence of AI in shaping how consumers interact with commerce. “Over the past 20 years, Criteo has played a central role in building the commerce ecosystem,” McCarthy said. “We recognise that we have a tremendous responsibility to shape and improve the AI-driven commerce experience for the future.”

The rebrand comes at a time when many shoppers are feeling underwhelmed by online shopping. According to a recent Criteo study, 76% of consumers describe the digital retail experience as uninspiring or purely functional. The company aims to change that by enhancing its data-driven advertising offerings and deepening its integrations across the commerce ecosystem.

Criteo, which connects brands, retailers, and media owners with consumers, believes the future of commerce lies in creating more emotionally engaging experiences. With its global reach and access to valuable commerce data, the company is positioning itself as a pioneer in the next phase of AI-enhanced retail.

As part of the brand launch, Criteo is rolling out a global campaign beginning at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Highlights include a heart-shaped orange hot air balloon emblazoned with the phrase “Putting heart back in the cart”, as well as surprise giveaways in local shops and cafés. The campaign will extend through 2025 with activations in key cities like London, New York, and Tokyo.

In tandem with these efforts, Criteo is launching a multi-phase influencer campaign featuring both internal and external voices to drive conversation around the evolving nature of commerce.

The rebranding initiative was developed in collaboration with The Marketing Practice and reflects Criteo’s core values of being open, collaborative, and impactful. As McCarthy explained, “This new identity captures the passion that drives us to connect the ecosystem, innovate, and support our partners’ growth.”

Singapore – PubMatic has announced a partnership with Overtone, a contextual intelligence partner, which aims to bring smarter media alignment to drive ROI for advertisers while supporting quality journalism, culture and consumer trust.

The partnership sets a new standard for how digital advertising can deliver performance, relevance and responsibility – ensuring that advertising not only drives ROI but also fuels the open internet, professional journalism and the stories that shape our culture.

Overtone’s proprietary AI technology identifies the narrative context of digital content at the page and paragraph level in real time – going far beyond the capabilities of traditional brand safety filters.

In this partnership, Overtone’s technology is applied across the open internet inventory available via PubMatic’s platform. Inventory can be segmented to create brand-resonant contextual audiences, enabling advertisers to run campaigns in relevant, high-quality environments, including previously excluded inventory like trusted news content, while maintaining brand suitability.

As the industry progresses towards a cookieless future, brands and publishers are in urgent need of scalable, privacy-first alternatives to audience targeting that don’t rely on third-party data. This collaboration directly addresses three of the most pressing challenges faced by digital advertisers today:

  • Blunt brand safety tools often conflate risk with relevance. Overtone’s paragraph-level narrative analysis, against a range of dimensions, unlocks safe, brand-aligned, resonant media environments.
  • Overused off-the-shelf audience segments often lack freshness. Overtone identifies and maps contextually engaged communities in real time.
  • Cultural opportunities that help build brand value are frequently missed. Overtone enables real-time activation during live moments—across news, sports, entertainment, and industry events.

This partnership enhances PubMatic’s efforts to deliver transparent, high-performance solutions while reinforcing the company’s #fundedbyadvertising mission: to support the content, journalism, and storytelling that keep the open internet vibrant and accessible.

Jason Barnes, chief revenue officer for APAC at PubMatic, said, “At PubMatic, we believe digital advertising is the lifeline of the open internet – supporting professional journalism, cultural storytelling, and the content that connects communities. This partnership with Overtone enables us to help brands show up in meaningful, contextually relevant environments that were previously out of reach due to blunt brand safety tools. By applying nuance and intelligence to inventory curation, we’re unlocking new value for advertisers while reinforcing our commitment to funding a diverse, accessible, and sustainable digital content ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, Philip Allin, CEO at Overtone, commented, “Advertisers are now demanding more than just performance and safety – they want meaningful connections with customers at scale. Together with PubMatic, we’re excited to meet that demand by introducing contextual resonance infrastructure directly into the global programmatic supply path. Narrative matters, and this partnership enables advertisers to identify environments that are not only brand safe and suitable, but also contextually aligned and emotionally resonant with their target audiences.”

Singapore – Global adtech company Nexxen has announced the launch of ‘nexAI’, a suite of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools integrated across its core platform. ‘nexAI’ is designed to support various stages of the advertising process, including planning, activation, optimization, and monetization, with a focus on transparency and ongoing improvement.

Nexxen’s platform combines a demand-side platform (DSP), supply-side platform (SSP), the Nexxen Data Platform, and an in-house creative studio, Nexxen Studio, to enable communication across its components. The addition of nexAI incorporates machine learning and generative AI technologies to enhance capabilities for advertisers, agencies, and publishers throughout the campaign process.

‘nexAI’ uses Nexxen’s proprietary data to introduce improvements across four main areas. In planning, AI-powered tools support audience planning, forecasting, and strategic recommendations to provide clearer insights. 

For activation, AI-driven automation is used to simplify campaign setup and management. In the optimization phase, nexAI applies machine learning to monitor and adjust campaigns in real time, aiming to enhance performance and return on investment through algorithms that evolve and improve over time. 

Meanwhile, for monetisation, publishers are supported through AI-based yield optimization and increased transparency to help maximize revenue. The first generative AI feature, an in-platform assistant integrated into the Nexxen DSP, is intended to streamline workflows and enhance campaign performance while maintaining transparency and user control. Initially, the nexAI DSP assistant will offer users easier access to campaign insights, helping advertisers save time and resources. 

Future updates are expected to expand the assistant’s capabilities, including direct optimisation recommendations aimed at improving return on ad spend, with additional developments planned throughout the year.

Karim Rayes, chief product officer at Nexxen, said, “Our clients are continuing to lean into data and technology to navigate the fragmented media landscape, and nexAI meets this evolving need. By integrating AI across our unified platform – and leveraging our existing data to inform these capabilities – we’re not just adding features; we’re fundamentally transforming the way campaigns are run and inventory is monetised.”

Meanwhile, Jamie Snider, director of digital strategy at Assembly Global, commented, “Sifting through campaign data to uncover meaningful insights can take hours, but nexAI puts that power at our fingertips in an instant. By streamlining reporting and optimisation, it lets us spend less time digging and more time driving real results for clients.”

Lastly, Brian Binder, senior innovation and growth director, TV, audio & display at Tinuiti, stated, “By automating data and insight collection, nexAI will streamline our team’s workflow, allowing us to shift focus to higher-value strategic initiatives and discovering new growth opportunities for our clients.”

Australia – Multi-channel advertising platform StackAdapt and unified retail media platform Zitcha have announced a global partnership to empower brands of all sizes—particularly mid-market companies—to leverage retail media opportunities traditionally limited to top-tier enterprises.

By integrating Zitcha’s platform with StackAdapt’s advanced programmatic capabilities, brands can now easily access, scale, and optimize their retail media campaigns across key regions including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Through this partnership, retailers and brands of all sizes can now access a fully integrated retail media solution that removes technical barriers and enhances campaign efficiency. Moreover, the partnership between StackAdapt and Zitcha provides an easy-to-implement system that enables retailers to engage mid-market brands with less effort and higher returns.

Meanwhile, through StackAdapt’s API integration, brands can leverage crucial insights, inventory, and measurement tools to run personalized campaigns across multiple channels, including display, video, and connected TV (CTV). The platform’s transparent reporting and secure environments help boost return on ad spend (ROAS), increase yield for retailers, and deliver personalized customer experiences.

Renee Caceres, head of retail media at StackAdapt, said, “We are excited to partner with Zitcha to unlock greater retail media opportunities for brands and retailers worldwide. This partnership allows brands to tap into the full potential of retail media networks, eliminating typical barriers and making it easier for SMBs to access the data, measurement, and inventory needed for success.”

Meanwhile, Troy Townsend, CEO and co-founder at Zitcha, commented, “Retail Media isn’t just the future – it’s the now. By joining forces with StackAdapt, we’re removing the friction that has kept brands from fully embracing it. This integration ensures that every retailer, no matter their size, can unlock new revenue streams, and every brand can deliver smarter, high-performing campaigns.”

He added, “With this integration, brands can now plan, activate, and measure retail media campaigns with the same efficiency and precision as traditional programmatic advertising. Whether it’s engaging shoppers on retailer websites, reaching audiences across the open web, or driving in-store sales, this partnership ensures every advertising dollar works harder.” 

Zitcha is the first retail media platform to integrate StackAdapt’s programmatic advertising capabilities, ensuring brands can reach new customers through advanced targeting and personalization while maximizing return on investment. By leveraging StackAdapt’s global presence, Zitcha is bolstering its expansion into the US, alongside its presence in key markets including UK, EMEA, and APAC, supporting brands to scale their efforts effectively and efficiently.

Japan – Nexxen, a global advertising technology platform with deep expertise in data and advanced TV, has appointed Masatsune Shironishi as its new vice president, country manager for Japan.

With over 30 years of experience in marketing, sales, and advertising, Shironishi brings deep expertise in linear TV, in-stream video, over-the-top (OTT) and connected TV (CTV), digital media, ad tech, and branding solutions to Nexxen. Based in the company’s Tokyo office, he will play a key role in driving Nexxen’s growth in the Japanese market.

Before joining Nexxen, Shironishi spent nearly three years at Microsoft Advertising as regional vice president, marketplace development. During his tenure, he successfully led the launch of Netflix Ads in Japan—where Microsoft served as the tech partner—and played a key role in advancing programmatic business strategies across Microsoft-owned platforms.

Shironishi also held leadership roles at leading ad tech firms, including Xandr, Amobee, and Videology. His career also includes senior sales positions at OpenTable, Elsevier, and I&S BBDO, further showcasing his expertise in driving growth across digital media and advertising.

Commenting on his appointment, Shironishi said, “I am thrilled to join Nexxen as its new VP, Country Manager for Japan. Given Nexxen’s strengths as a platform – particularly in data, CTV and creative solutions – I’m confident we’ll be able to help to transform advertising strategies throughout the Japanese market, and I’m eager to leverage my industry experience to drive this growth.”

“We are delighted to welcome Masatsune Shironishi as our new VP, Country Manager for Japan. His extensive knowledge and skill set will be instrumental to innovating within Japan’s digital advertising ecosystem, and we look forward to working with him as Nexxen continues to expand its presence across Asia,” said Josif Zanich, managing director for JAPAC at Nexxen.

United States – Global advertising platform Blis is set to be acquired by T-Mobile for $175m in cash, following the recent completion of T-Mobile’s acquisition of Vistar Media. Said strategic acquisitions reinforce the company’s commitment to transforming advertising through its T-Mobile Advertising Solutions (T-Ads) business by creating comprehensive solutions that unlock better and more relevant ad experiences for consumers, greater value for marketers, and meaningful growth for the business.

Through the acquisition, Blis will bolster the Un-carrier’s ability to deliver more addressable omnichannel advertising with future-proof, cookie-less technology and targeting capabilities, enhancing T-Mobile’s own marketing efforts and offering a comprehensive, privacy-centric solution for other brands. 

Moreover, by directly connecting advertisers to ad inventory across any screen, the Blis platform complements T-Mobile’s end-to-end capabilities, making the company’s campaigns more efficient and empowering advertisers to reach more consumers in a fragmented advertising landscape, especially as traditional signals like cookies continue to diminish.

As part of its strategic framework for growing new businesses, the Un-carrier leverages its unique assets – embedded customer relationships, broad distribution, strong brand affinity and the most advanced 5G network – to unlock opportunities that meet clear customer needs in new areas. 

In the advertising space, the company has successfully evolved internal innovations into distinctive solutions that generate over $1b in annual revenue. These acquisitions further expand and accelerate the growth of this business and are expected to contribute approximately $250m in revenue, $75 million in EBITDA, and $50m in free cash flow this year, representing additional upside to the company’s financial guidance.

JP Colaco, SVP and chief T-Ads officer at T-Mobile, said, “Acquiring Vistar Media and Blis marks a significant step forward in T-Mobile’s strategy to create truly transformative advertising solutions that are built by marketers for marketers. Advertising is at its best when it cultivates deeper, authentic connections between brands and consumers. With the addition of Vistar and Blis, T-Mobile has an incredible opportunity to deliver this experience along the customer journey with privacy-centric solutions that drive targeted, measurable outcomes.”

Meanwhile, Greg Isbister, CEO at Blis, commented, “Joining T-Mobile marks an exciting new chapter for Blis and a significant step forward in our mission to reshape advertising with privacy-first, future-proof technology. With Blis’ advanced omnichannel targeting capabilities alongside T-Mobile’s scale and rich dataset, we’re even better positioned to directly connect advertisers to premium inventory across all screens. As traditional signals reduce, we’re proud to be at the forefront of innovation, ensuring advertisers can continue to reach and engage audiences effectively.”

Lastly, Vinayak Hegde, consumer chief marketing officer at T-Mobile, said, “As one of the largest advertisers in the U.S., T-Mobile manages complex campaigns across multiple business units and products. That means we need ad solutions that are both consumer-friendly and capable of delivering results at scale. Our early pilots with Blis showed us the power of its addressability, especially on mobile devices where standard identifiers fall short. It’s a key addition to our broader suite of ad tech partners and we’re excited about its potential—not just for T-Mobile’s own campaigns, but for other marketers as well.”

Sydney, Australia – Adtech startup Cake.Shop has announced a partnership with adtech firm Aditude to offer its header bidding wrapper across the APAC region.

The partnership introduces Aditude’s proprietary wrapper technology, part of a broader product suite designed to empower publishers with tools to maximise revenue, streamline operations, and maintain greater control over ad monetisation. The wrapper integrates with multiple demand sources, enhancing competition and driving increased CPMs for publishers in the region.

Cake.Shop’s header bidding wrapper integrates seamlessly into the existing infrastructure of the publisher, regardless of the complexities of the current systems or set up. This will allow publishers to efficiently adapt and adopt advanced technologies without the need for additional resources, and with a level of flexibility and control they haven’t had before.

Luke Hills, founder of Cake.Shop, said, “Cake.Shop Publisher Technology powered by Aditude provides publishers with dynamic pricing, low latency, and unparalleled transparency, all within a customisable and scalable framework. We’re excited to bring this solution to APAC publishers and provide the tools they need to unlock new revenue opportunities while staying competitive in an evolving market.”

Hills also added that the partnership reflects Cake.Shop’s mission to address inefficiencies in the current ad tech landscape by offering solutions that prioritise sustainability, transparency, and control.

“Our collaboration with Aditude is a natural fit because we share a common vision of empowering publishers through innovative technology and unparalleled support. This partnership is a big step forward in ensuring publishers in the APAC market have the solutions they need to thrive in a privacy-first, efficiency-driven ecosystem,” he said.

Meanwhile, Momtchil Donev, business development director at Aditude, commented, “Aditude is thrilled to partner with Cake.Shop to extend the reach of our technology to the APAC region. This collaboration aligns with our mission to provide publishers with solutions that deliver value through enhanced monetisation, operational efficiency, and transparency. Together, we’re empowering publishers to achieve their goals in a highly competitive landscape.”

Manila, Philippines – AdSpark has acquired DeepSea and Secret Menu, cementing its status as a leading adtech platform by offering a more unified and seamless client experience.

The merger integrates DeepSea’s programmatic advertising capabilities–catering to agencies, independent advertisers, and publishers–and Secret Menu’s expertise in branded content production; including commercials and music videos, diversifying AdSpark’s adtech ecosystem to offer businesses an efficient way to engage audiences while providing creative content that resonates.

AdSpark also introduced their new service: ‘SparkTech,’ a suite of AI-powered tools designed to help businesses improve performance, increase operational agility, and enhance customer experience. 

One of these tools is ‘Generative Response Ads,’ the first of its kind in the world that was launched in partnership with GMS, an AI and adtech expert.

These AI-driven ads allow consumers to engage in real-time conversations within advertisements, providing tailored responses that match the brand’s voice and messaging. This feature streamlines the customer journey and reduces the number of clicks required for conversion.

With the addition of DeepSea and Secret Menu and the launch of SparkTech, AdSpark is well-positioned to lead the way in delivering integrated advertising solutions for today’s dynamic digital environment.

JL Erestain, chief operating officer at AdSpark, said, “We are excited to bring DeepSea and Secret Menu into the AdSpark family. By integrating their strengths, we can offer clients a more comprehensive solution for both programmatic and creative advertising needs, all within one platform.”

Meanwhile, Raf Del Rosario, chief commercial officer at AdSpark, commented, “SparkTech is a breakthrough for the adtech industry. By utilising generative AI, SparkTech allows businesses to provide personalized experiences for customers, ultimately driving results and improving the effectiveness of campaigns.”

Lastly, Mell Yazon-Tolentino, general manager at Secret Menu, expressed, “Becoming part of AdSpark offers us a unique opportunity to leverage data-driven insights to create bespoke creative solutions that address our clients’ challenges and needs. We are confident that this partnership will elevate our capabilities, enabling us to generate fresh, innovative ideas that cater to a broader range of clients and industries.”

Sydney, Australia – Adform has announced that it is strengthening the leadership team in APAC to support continued growth in the region. Amy Jansen-Flynn has been promoted to vice president for APAC, while Juozas Petravicius and Finley Matheson step into the roles of director of technical solutions and regional account director respectively.

With these strategic appointments, Adform marks the next phase of its growth in APAC, reinforcing its position as a trusted partner for regional brands, agencies, retailers and publishers eager to scale performance.

Petravicius will lead Adform’s technical consulting for APAC, delivering the design and implementation of tailored solutions, ensuring growth and success for Adform customers. He brings extensive experience in technical consulting and solutions architecture across the full programmatic supply chain, along with a deep understanding of the Adform platform. His expertise in identity ecosystems and significant experience working with customers across APAC will be invaluable to Adform’s growth in the region. 

Meanwhile, Matheson will lead strategic growth of Adform’s key accounts in the region and strengthen relationships with global agency holding groups. Prior to Adform, he spent nearly four years at MediaMath, where he led agency development across Europe. His expertise in digital strategy and business development will be instrumental in expanding Adform’s market share and fostering long-term client success in APAC.

Speaking on the appointed, Jansen-Flynn, commented, “I’m excited to take on the role of VP and continue driving Adform’s success in APAC. I couldn’t be happier to have Finley and JP stepping into their new roles, it’s a privilege to have such impressive talent in the team. I’m looking forward to continuing our great work with clients in the region and delivering ongoing growth for Adform.”

She added, “This year will be a big one with some game-changing releases, a focussed effort on retail media solutions, and our ongoing delivery of the world’s most powerful and safe media buying platform.”

Meanwhile, Bartosz Malinowski, regional president, CEE, MEA & APAC, commented, “Adform remains committed to recognising and nurturing outstanding talent within the organisation. Amy’s promotion is a testament to her significant contributions and strategic vision, as well as her ongoing commitment to innovation. Her leadership, combined with Juozas and Finley’s technical and commercial expertise, will be pivotal as we continue to accelerate growth in the APAC region and support clients to optimise their advertising in a post-cookie world.”

Singapore – Global adtech company The Trade Desk has fell short of its expectations for the fourth quarter of 2024, following a recent reorganisation in the company to accelerate opportunities across CTV, retail media, identity, supply chain optimisation, and audio advertising.

In the company’s latest report for its fiscal year 2024, it reported $2.4b in revenue for 2024, reflecting 26% year-over-year growth, and a record $12b in ad spend on its platform. Despite strong overall performance, the company acknowledged falling short of its own expectations in Q4.

“At the same time, we achieved significant profitability and cash flow. While we are proud of these accomplishments, we are disappointed that we fell short of our own expectations in the fourth quarter,” said Jeff Green, founder and CEO of The Trade Desk.

Jeff also noted that as advertisers move toward premium, scalable channels over user-generated content, the company sees significant opportunities ahead. Looking to 2025 and beyond, The Trade Desk aims to help clients leverage data-driven advertising to boost growth and brand loyalty.

Throughout the year, The Trade Desk continued to expand its market share, and advanced industry-wide adoption of Unified ID 2.0, securing partnerships with iHeartMedia and major supply-side platforms like FreeWheel, Index Exchange, Magnite, and PubMatic to enhance ad targeting while prioritizing user privacy. 

Additionally, The Trade Desk introduced ‘Ventura,’ a new streaming TV operating system, designed to improve user experience, ad efficiency, and content accessibility. To further strengthen its platform, the company also announced the acquisition of Sincera, a digital advertising data company, which is expected to close in Q1 2025. 

Looking ahead, The Trade Desk remains focused on CTV, retail media, identity solutions, and supply chain optimisation, alongside innovations like Kokai and the Ventura OS, to help advertisers maximise the benefits of data-driven advertising on premium digital channels.

Following this, law firm Block & Leviton is investigating The Trade Desk for potential securities law violations after the company’s stock dropped over 30% following its Q4 and full-year 2024 financial results. The firm is exploring whether legal action can be taken to recover losses for investors who purchased The Trade Desk stock and saw its value decline.

Moreover, investors who have lost money are encouraged to contact Block & Leviton to learn about potential recovery options. Additionally, the firm is seeking whistleblowers with non-public information about The Trade Desk who may qualify for SEC whistleblower rewards.