VP of ad technology and programmatic revenue, Advance Local

Grant Whitmore

As some sports gain traction outside of their main markets, streamers could benefit from identifying those that are spiking in popularity around the world.

How sports could be a global gold mine for streamers and advertisers

Retail media shines in 2023’s digital ad revenue surge despite industry concerns, according to IAB’s 2023 Internet Advertising Revenue Report. 

Retail media ad revenue hit $43.7 billion in 2023, surging 16.3%

Ford’s Chief Futurist joins The Current Podcast to discuss how preparing for the future is imperative for marketing.

Ford’s Chief Futurist imagines how AI could grow the relationship between drivers and their cars

The industry innovator is leading the market again, shifting its focus to the metrics that matter

Doubt Netflix at your own peril 

Universal measurement standards for carbon emissions are set to be released by GARM and Ad Net Zero this year at Cannes Lions.

Sustainability could get a boost when universal standards come out at Cannes Lions

The former LA Times journalist breaks down the future of journalism after Google removed news links from search results in response to the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA).

5 minutes with journalist Matt Pearce

If journalism isn't around, how will generative A.I. models feed new information?

Why it makes business sense for A.I. models to keep journalism around

Starting next year, Netflix plans to no longer report quarterly subscriber numbers; experts say the path forward lies in ad revenue over subscriber growth.

Netflix’s latest move shows how streaming TV is tipping toward ads

New data suggests an opportunity for streaming services to focus their attention on winning back those who canceled, at a time when the metrics of success are shifting.

32% of U.S. streaming cancellations are ‘won back’ after 6 months

Streaming’s premium environment lifts brand impact and outperforms social media across all points along the purchase decision journey, according to a new report by Magnite.

71% of TV viewers in Southeast Asia watch ad-supported streaming

Viewers are increasingly turning to smaller streamers to satisfy their appetite for original programming.

Smaller streamers’ share of global demand for originals increased 36% in a year

A new report surveying 150 U.S. agency and brand leaders reveals the industry is tipping further toward connected TV (CTV).

63% of U.S. advertisers are prioritizing CTV at least as much as linear TV during upfronts

Over-the-top (OTT) users in India are up 13.5% as of the end of 2023; however, the rate of growth seen during the pandemic has since subsided.

Post-pandemic, 34% of people in India — 481 million consumers — are now streaming content

Connected TV (CTV) and other digital platforms are poised to take 28 percent, or approximately $3.5 billion, of U.S. political ad spending in 2024.

U.S. political ad spend on digital projected to jump 156 percent over last presidential election year

The biggest reason people share personal information with brands and retailers is for access to deals and exclusive perks, according to a new study.

74 percent of U.S. consumers are willing to share personal information with brands and retailers

Political media buyers need to think beyond microtargeting that simply matches the voter file and embrace a more layered approach to programmatic to reach new voters.

How political media buyers misuse programmatic

Political advertising experts say there’s a lot that brands across sectors can learn from how political campaigns operate.

Taking a page out of the political playbook: What marketers can learn from 2024 presidential campaigns

Bully Pulpit Interactive's Mike Schneider shares his take on where innovation throughout this election cycle will be focused.

A brand marketer’s guide to victory in a U.S. presidential election year

Publishers and ad-tech platforms are making it easier for political ad buyers to reach audiences wherever they’re watching.

For political campaigns, candidates opt for an increasingly digital campaign trail

Tracing back the evolution of political advertising, from Eisenhower to Biden. Political campaigns have swung from radio ads to big data and connected TV.

For Context: The Evolution of Political Media

As political ad spending hits record highs in the U.S. for the 2022 midterm election, a new study by The Trade Desk and Morning Consult shows the impact of targeted steaming ads in battleground states.

How a surge in targeted political ads during the midterms impacted battleground states

Of the record $9 billion being spent on political ads for the midterm election, roughly $1 billion is being directed toward connected TV.

From sea to streaming sea: CTV to reach 17 percent of U.S. midterm ad spend

What’s at stake? Only the future of European media.

European broadcasters are reinventing themselves for the future of TV

NBCUniversal and the Olympics are evolving with viewers. Advertisers are responding with $1.2 billion in ad commitments and counting.

The Olympics’ role in culture is evolving, and advertisers are moving with it

Record March Madness ratings is putting women’s basketball in the spotlight, and advertisers are taking notice by increasing their media spend.

March Madness just proved the power and scale of women’s sports. Advertisers are watching.

DRAX Direct streamlines access to Disney’s streaming advertising business with The Trade Desk, as advertisers increasingly lean into connected TV (CTV).

Disney streamlines access for advertisers, aiming to automate 75% of ad revenue

NBCUniversal is opening up Peacock ads to be purchased programmatically for all streamed 329 Olympic events this year.

The ‘crème de la crème’: 2024 Paris Olympics goes programmatic on Peacock

A recent survey suggests many sports fans in the U.S. care more about their favorite sport than anything else on TV, even in the offseason.

How streamers are keeping sports fans satisfied even in the offseason

Welcome to the first Olympics in the live sports era of the streaming wars.

French advertisers eye the opportunity of a century in Paris 2024

During the Green Media Summit in New York last week, ad industry professionals expressed that a more sustainable future may require regulation and peer pressure.

The ad industry grapples with going green

B2B brands are becoming more consumer-like and leaning on live sports to reach their audiences.

Why are so many B2B firms sponsoring the Olympics?

More than 14,000 people attended the inaugural Web Summit Qatar in February 2024 to hear about the Middle East’s digital transformation.

The AI revolution is coming for advertising: Top takeaways from Web Summit Qatar 

In today’s marketplace, women are still very much underrepresented in ads, despite holding the majority of spending power.

What brands can learn from Stanley and the buying power of women

To engage with fans during the 2024 Super Bowl, brands innovate across channels as viewers turn to new ways to watch the game.

For the 2024 Big Game, brands go omnichannel and fans stream

A slate of augmented and mixed-reality devices could bring disruptive innovation to the smartphone and the advertising ecosystem it supports.

Mixed reality is the next shiny thing for marketers, but some remain cautious

We rounded up leaders from across the industry to break down some of the most pressing issues for marketers.

The Current Report Special Edition: Connecting streaming, retail data and live sports

Marlow Nickell, co-founder and CEO of Grocery TV, joins Asking for a friend to discuss in-store lift.

Asking for a friend: What is in-store lift?

President and CEO of Volta, Brandt Hastings, joins Asking for a friend to explain place-based media.

Asking for a friend: What is place-based media?

Unilever Head of U.S. Media Investment and Partnerships, Aaron Sobol explains green media and what the industry can do to increase sustainability efforts.

Asking for a friend: What is green media?

McDonalds' Alison Ciccione joins The Current's Asking for a friend to explain the magic behind leveraging first-party data

Asking for a friend: How do I activate first-party data?

Mark Jablonowski, CTO and president of politics and public affairs at Optimal, explains the basics of geofencing and how it allows for specific measurement.

Asking for a friend: What is geofencing?

Scott Ensign, chief strategy officer at Butler/Till, discusses building a digital-first strategy and the advantages to digital media.

Asking for a friend: What is digital-first strategy?

Ander Lopez Ochoa, EMEA head of Kenvue, breaks down supply path optimization (SPO) and its importance for marketers.

Asking for a friend: What is SPO?

Big tech is battling journalism over proposed legislation in California that would force companies like Google to pay to carry links to news articles.

Big Tech and journalism battle over proposed legislation in California

Advertisers felt ‘March Madness’ after the intense demand for women’s basketball. We're breaking down why the game is breaking through.

Advertisers are taking notice of the power and scale of women’s sports after March Madness

Advertisers take notice of the power and scale of women’s sports after March Madness

On this edition of The Current Report, we're joined by Brian Mandelbaum, CEO of Attain, to discuss how Attain is harnessing commerce data.

How quality commerce data is changing the landscape for advertisers

As 2023 marked a year of brands hitting the big screen, brands are seeing the value in streaming partnerships that subvert traditional advertising

Why brand-funded shows are getting bigger on streaming

In this edition of The Current Report, we dive into another way AI is changing our world.

How AI can help combat streaming indecision

Goodway Group's Mike Wolk, VP of growth and partnerships, breaks down how the media agency is building its strategy around the biggest screen in the house - the TV.

Advertisers build their strategy around the TV screen

How marketers are adapting their strategies to societal shifts and industry trends.

Culture

Everything digital marketers need to know to make their jobs easier.

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The most critical innovations in advertising are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place.

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Senior Director, European Identity, The Trade Desk

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In this election year, discover the latest topics and trends in political marketing as a new era of digital-first advertising is emerging.

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You’ve reached the end of the open internet! <br/> (Or at least the end of our search results.)

As Generative AI rises and Google deprecates third-party cookies, digital news outlets have an opportunity to create more direct relationships with readers.

With AI looming as a threat to news sites, publishers push back

A wave of retail data is sweeping Europe, with advertisers increasingly relying on it amid cookie deprecation and an evolving regulatory landscape.

Retail data has taken over Europe. Now what?

During this year’s Forward ’24 event, advertisers shared how they are leveraging live sports as it moves into streaming.

How streaming is changing the game for live sports and advertisers

The electronics giant saw a major improvement in online to offline sales attribution after implementing a custom solution leveraging Unified ID 2.0 (UID2).

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