Ruben Schreurs' guest column in AdExchanger is worth the read. He is one of the leading consultants in the ad tech business and someone who is unafraid of calling out the culprits. Ruben asks the $64 billion question: With all the waste in programmatic, why isn't it being stopped? He says the solution has been available for years. If that's true, then who is the culprit? One could make the case that he who controls the purse strings controls how to best preserve their money. To borrow from the comic strip, Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Hopefully, the demands for transparency in digital that have been rising for the last few years and that hit a crescendo with the July release of the Association of National Advertisers' First Look report, will bring real change. Only time will tell. Ad Tech leaders like Ruben are speaking out and more need to do so. It's time to listen.
| less than a minute read
It's Time to Listen
I consider large parts of the ad tech ecosystem to be similar to sewers, with a lot of crap passing through them. The reason for this is not related to any technical complexities, as filters are readily available and have been for years. Money. It’s all about money. Capitalism creates perverse incentives for corporations and individuals to look the other way if there’s money to be made.