33Across Blog | Programmatic News & Trends

What was the buzz around the office last week? Local mobile ads are taking off in 2018, data delivery needs to happen faster, and what advertisers and publishers can look forward to with Google's upcoming ad-blocker.  

1. Local mobile ads will hit $19 billion in spend  

Get ready for local ads on your mobile devices to increase this year. According to a recent forecast pure-play mobile ad spend will hit $19 billion. Due to the ability to capture audiences of all types, mobile is becoming the preferred method of demographic targeting. MediaPost explains how Facebook and Instagram are expected to account for the bulk of the spend. 

What was the buzz around the office last week? Google wants to control your creative, redefining the definition of programmatic, and big programmatic plans for Netflix.  

1. Google offers to control ad creative  

Publishers can now give Google the power to control the creative direction of their online ads. In an effort to create ad units that perform on any given page, Google AdSense will scan web pages for the best placements. The technology even suggests the best font and style according to the feed. This is just another change from AdSense, MediaPost offers more of what we can expect from the platform in 2018.

What was the buzz around the office last week? The benefits and possibilities of header bidding, how first-price auctions work, and how independent agencies keep programmatic advertising going.  

1. What the future holds for header bidding  

Header bidding has revolutionized the way that programmatic advertising functions. Before the technology, only certain buyers had access to inventory while having no idea of what they were buying. With header bidding, transparency has been given within the ad tech ecosystem, allowing publishers to offer all of their inventory to buyers. eMarketer sat down with eBay’s director of product management to get his insights on the future of header bidding.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Improving the quality of private marketplaces, The New York Times creates custom flex units, and what will happen with net neutrality.  

1. The future of private marketplaces  

Private marketplaces (PMPs) have had a place in programmatic advertising for quite some time. Both advertisers and publishers enjoy PMPs because of their custom benefits and transparency opportunities. As ad tech evolves, PMPs need to evolve as well. Automating the share of information between supply-side platforms and DSPs could improve the quality of PMPs, AdExchanger explains more.

What was the buzz around the office last week? How publishers can serve quality inventory, Snapchat takes a big hit, and Facebook allows publishers to monetize.  

1. How publishers can win with low supply  

With publishers moving towards private marketplaces, there is a shortage of quality supply within ad tech. To create better inventory, there are a number of things publishers can do to self-regulate. First, publishers can adhere to ads.txt get rid of bad actors and domain spoofing. Publishers can also react to video inventory, while it’s low in supply it’s what users want to consume. AdExchanger explains how striking the right balance between time and platform is the best interest of both publishers and advertisers.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Adblock Plus strengthens on Facebook, Pandora invests more in programmatic, and Rubicon Project eliminates fees.  

1. New moves by Adblock Plus  

Adblock Plus is making strides once again on Facebook. Since September, the ad-blocking software company has been able to keep sponsored posts and even commercials from appearing for users who take advantage of the technology. As of right now. Adblock Plus only works on desktop which is good news for Facebook, AdAge explains more.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Legislators are cracking down on paid political ads on social platforms, Google makes TVs smarter, and survival tips for the Q4 shopping season.  

1. Political ads on social media face regulation  

Political ads on social media may soon have to adhere to the same disclosure requirements as traditional political ads. The Honest Ads Act will require disclosure of paid political ads by online platforms with 50 million views or more per month. AdExchanger details how legislators believe that people deserve to know where their ads come and how this new act is a step towards better transparency.

What was the buzz around the office last week? MoPub gets more measurement tools, Buzzfeed opens their site up to display advertising, and the new ad-blocking Chrome. 

1. Measurement tools coming to Twitter-owned MoPub  

Twitter-owned MoPub has recently updated their software, allowing publishers to provide better measurement to advertisers. With advertisers under intense pressure to measure performance, MoPub has integrated with Integral Ad Science as well as Moat to provide specifications. With viewability being a top metric, The Drum details how ad tech is shifting towards more measurement standards.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Google issues refunds from fake ad traffic, the FTC tells Amazon and Whole Foods to move forward, and mobile programmatic's expected rise. 

1. Google refunds advertisers for fraudulent ad traffic  

As Google works towards offering marketers more transparency, they are issuing refunds for ads that  ran on websites with fake traffic. These ads were brought using Google’s DoubleClick Bid Manager. Google has also offered to reimburse its “platform fee,” which typically accounts for up to 10% of a total ad buying purchase. While this may seem like a honorable move by Google, The Wall Street Journal details how some advertising advertising are unsatisfied with the gesture.

Ever wonder what it's like to be an engineer at growing ad tech company? Of course you have! In this edition of Friday Fives we're featuring Amey Bordikar, our VP of Engineering. From ad tech challenges to recruitment efforts, Amey gives us the deets on all things engineering, and Netflix binge-watching.