Ad Tech Vets Help Sharpen Ad Tech Regs; New Antitrust Bills Are Up In Congress

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Feed The Hand That Bites You
Advertising insiders have develop into skilled witnesses, so to talk, in antitrust battles with Big Tech.
There’s Tom Chavez, who co-founded and offered advert tech startups to Microsoft and Salesforce. He now operates a enterprise fund that invests in Big Tech opponents and lobbies in opposition to tech giants.
“I’m getting invited to fewer events than I used to,” Chavez admits to Fast Company. “But I’ll additionally let you know that so many individuals are privately urging me on.”
Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s one-time adverts chief, launched an ad-free search engine and considers Google’s mannequin basically damaged.
Adam Heimlich, co-founder and CEO of Chalice Custom Algorithms, spoke earlier than a Senate committee in 2020 relating to Google’s advert practices – a uncommon C-SPAN second for programmatic as Senators probed header bidding. The Trade Desk is an investor in Chalice.
And Stephanie Layser, an outspoken platform critic who’s shot up News Corp’s advert tech ranks, exhibits a eager edge when antitrust specialists search firsthand practitioner information.
The information analytics tech CrowdTangle, which Facebook acquired in 2016, turned a thorn in Facebook’s aspect as a result of it confirmed how right-wing or incendiary tales usually had far more engagement than respectable information. CrowdTangle co-founder and former CEO Brandon Silverman, who led the group inside Facebook, resigned final October and now consults on platform laws.

The Anticompetish Commish
Speaking of Big Tech regs, the Senate Judiciary Committee is deliberating two antitrust payments.
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act would prohibit tech platforms from giving their very own services a bonus. If handed, the legislation would have a big effect on Google, Amazon and Apple, which all personal app shops, cellular gadgets and working techniques, in addition to net browsers, streaming providers and different platforms the place owned-and-operated media or merchandise compete in opposition to exterior firms.
The Senate Judiciary Committee additionally marked up the Open App Markets Act, which targets firms that run app shops, CNBC reviews. If handed, the legislation would stop platforms from boosting their very own merchandise above a competitor’s in proprietary app shops or serps.
Big Tech is lobbying exhausting in opposition to each payments – however so are different know-how firms that always foyer in opposition to Big Tech. Vocal critics of Big Tech, together with Yelp, Sonos and Tripadvisor, want net platform site visitors however battle to maintain present platform revenue margins, and they also’re pushing again, too.
The White House has but to weigh in, however representatives did meet with critics on Wednesday to listen to anticompetition issues.
Will CTV Move MNTNs?
If advert tech M&A have been a consuming sport, then … a lot for dry January.
On Thursday, the video content material administration and ad-buying platform QuickFrame was acquired by MNTN for an undisclosed worth.
MNTN, previously MetalHouse, is a efficiency advertising and marketing firm that now focuses on CTV. It sits at a bizarre intersection of TV branding and user-level focusing on. Movie star Ryan Reynolds is an investor and MNTN’s chief inventive officer. (How about that for weirdness?)
QuickFrame sits on the identical intersection. It makes a speciality of video manufacturing, usually quick-to-make on-line or Stories posts, nevertheless it’s additionally bought advert tech for distribution throughout channels like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, TikTok and extra baked into its platform. Even B2B is a CTV alternative. QuickFrame creates The Trade Desk’s academic video content material, amongst different B2B companies on its consumer roster.
Companies like MNTN and QuickFrame notice that agency-style manufacturing shouldn’t be separate from marketing campaign administration. Content administration tech wants to know the place and the right way to ship movies at a second’s discover – and artistic manufacturing works finest when knowledgeable by advert analytics.
But Wait, There’s More!
What Instagram’s transfer into subscriptions means for TikTok – and for Patreon. [The Information]
Have advertisers like Unilever “misplaced the plot” over function? [Campaign]
Habu broadcasts a clear room starter package deal for CPG firms. [release]
Comcast Technology Solutions group launches VideoAI, a managed service video advert product based mostly on inside instruments and capabilities. [TV Tech]
Data Axle introduces a cross-channel donor acquisition answer for nonprofits. [release]
What the metaverse has to do with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. [WSJ]
You’re Hired!
Digital advertising and marketing and knowledge consultancy Artefact provides Wayne Campbell as a accomplice. [LinkedIn]