Ep. 103 Legacy Brands, Digital Futures: Brittany Scott on Brand Safety & AI in Advertising

In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, host AdTechGod speaks with Brittany Scott, VP of Brand Partnerships at Zefr. Brittany shares her unique journey from working at major brands like Kellogg and SC Johnson to transitioning into the ad tech space at Meta and now Zefr. The conversation delves into the importance of brand safety and suitability in advertising, the impact of legacy brands on current strategies, and the challenges of navigating brand reputation in a digital landscape. Brittany also discusses the cultural shifts she experienced moving from brand to ad tech, and her excitement about the future of AI in advertising.

Takeaways

• Brittany's journey into advertising was unplanned but rewarding.
• Working at legacy brands shaped Brittany's understanding of brand safety.
• Brand safety is crucial for maintaining brand reputation.
• Crisis management is a key aspect of brand partnerships.
• Cultural differences exist between brand and ad tech environments.
• AI presents both challenges and opportunities for advertising.
• Brands need to adapt their strategies to the evolving digital landscape.
• Building strong partnerships is essential for success in ad tech.
• Understanding regulatory components is vital for brand safety.
• Innovation and speed are critical in the ad tech industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Brittany Scott and Zefr

01:23 Brittany's Journey in Advertising

05:48 Understanding Brand Safety and Zefr Role

08:29 The Importance of Brand Legacy

11:25 Navigating Brand Reputation in Crisis

14:58 Cultural Shifts from Brand to Ad Tech

22:29 The Future of AI in Advertising

AdTech’s New Frontier: OpenAds, AdCP, and the Streaming Power Duo

This week’s episode of The Refresh dives into three major developments reshaping the advertising landscape. The Trade Desk takes center stage with its new OpenAds and PubDesk tools, aiming to clean up the programmatic supply chain while stirring industry debate. Meanwhile, the debut of Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) marks a potential turning point for agentic AI in digital media, proposing a standardized framework for AI-driven ad transactions. Finally, Netflix and Spotify join forces to expand video podcast distribution, signaling a shift in how audiences consume and advertisers monetize cross-platform content.

5 Key Highlights:

• The Trade Desk’s OpenAds and PubDesk Launch: Introduced at the Prebid Summit, these tools aim to bring transparency and auditability to programmatic auctions. OpenAds introduces auction verification features, while PubDesk provides publishers with detailed auction and market insights.
• Industry Controversy Around OpenAds: Critics argue that The Trade Desk’s approach to transaction IDs and auction control gives it too much influence over publishers, echoing antitrust concerns seen in other major adtech cases.
• Introduction of Ad Context Protocol (AdCP): Spearheaded by Brian O’Kelley and built on Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, AdCP standardizes communication between AI agents in advertising, with backing from PubMatic, Yahoo, and Scope3.
• Promise and Challenges of Agentic AI: Supporters see AdCP as the next OpenRTB, enabling seamless AI-to-AI media transactions, while skeptics question its ability to overcome adoption barriers and address critical issues like fraud prevention and payments.
• Netflix and Spotify’s Video Podcast Partnership: Starting next year, Spotify’s video podcasts will stream on Netflix, enhancing reach for creators and advertisers while positioning Netflix as a new competitor in the video podcast space alongside YouTube.

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