Mediaocean CEO Bill Wise - building the operating system for advertising
Apr 1, 2025
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Bill Wise, Co-founder and CEO of Mediaocean, leverages his extensive ad tech background to unravel the hidden plumbing of global advertising. He discusses the shift from linear TV to connected TV and challenges posed by measurement monopolies. Bill shares insights on navigating the complexities of ad tech and the importance of transparency and adaptability in the digital landscape. With a blend of humor, he also touches on unexpected topics like Uber ratings before diving into the balance between passion and practicality in career choices.
Mediaocean's strategic acquisitions aim to enhance its offerings and integrate cutting-edge solutions, reflecting the changing dynamics in ad tech.
The shift towards in-housing advertising functions indicates brands' desire for better data control, necessitating agencies to adapt their collaborative roles.
Deep dives
The Importance of Systems in Advertising Technology
The advertising technology landscape requires a robust system of record to handle complex transactions between buyers and sellers. Often compared to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, this technology consolidates financial transactions and ensures that advertising expenditures can be tracked accurately. The intricate flow of money in ad tech is likened to stock trading, where precision matters significantly. A primary challenge lies in maintaining stability while also striving for innovation, as any discrepancy can lead to financial losses.
Growth through Strategic Acquisitions
To enhance their core business and tap into higher total addressable markets (TAM), the company has aggressively acquired other ad tech firms, such as FlashTalking and Innovid. These acquisitions aim to broaden their offering, moving from a back-office solution to incorporating cutting-edge ad serving capabilities. These strategic moves not only help in gaining market share but also address the growing demand for integrated solutions in a rapidly evolving ad landscape. Lessons learned from previous acquisition challenges have informed a more focused and culturally considerate integration process.
The Shift towards In-Housing in Advertising
There has been a notable shift in how brands approach technology decisions, moving from reliance on agencies to in-housing critical advertising functions. This change reflects a desire for greater control over data and efficiency in operations, with companies now looking to partner with fewer ad tech providers rather than the myriad they once engaged with. While agencies continue to be relevant, their role is evolving to become more collaborative as marketers take a hands-on approach. This paradigm shift necessitates that agencies adapt to maintain their value in a landscape increasingly favoring direct relationships between brands and technology providers.
Navigating Measurement Monopolies and Industry Challenges
The podcast highlights the challenges posed by existing measurement companies that dominate the advertising analytics space, such as Nielsen and DoubleVerify. Despite the growth of startups attempting to disrupt this landscape, established players remain resilient due to their entrenched position and coalition of industry support. Efforts to innovate will require collaboration among various players, including traditional measurement firms and new entrants, to ascertain more reliable and comprehensive metrics. As the advertising industry continues to evolve, addressing the moat that protects these incumbents will be essential for fostering competition and ensuring innovation.
Bill Wise is the CEO and co-founder of Mediaocean, an adtech platform that processes over $200 billion in global media spend annually.
In this episode of World of DaaS, Bill and Auren discuss:
The hidden plumbing of global advertising
Measurement monopolies in adtech
The transition from linear TV to CTV
Cultural integration in tech acquisitions
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You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Bill Wise on X at @billwise.