Media Tech Talk Ari Paparo (Marketecture Media) - Media Tech Talk #003
Nov 3, 2025
Ari Paparo, founder of Marketecture Media and former ad tech executive, dives into the intricacies of digital advertising. He discusses his journey from DoubleClick to founding Beeswax, exploring the evolution of real-time bidding and the challenges of ad networks transitioning to DSPs. Ari critiques the current AI hype, emphasizing the need for unique integrations. He also unpacks the DOJ trial against Google, examining potential impacts on publishers and the future of ad tech. Lastly, he shares insights from his book, "Yield," shedding light on Google's advertising dominance.
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VAST Standard Built Lasting Market Infrastructure
- Ari Paparo created the VAST standard at DoubleClick to enable cross-player video interoperability and it still supports tens of billions in transactions annually.
- Establishing standards early with market clout accelerates industry adoption and simplifies later integration.
Why Beeswax Began As A Bidder Service
- Ari started Beeswax after many companies told him they planned to build bidders and the DIY options were expensive and risky.
- He launched a cloud "bidder-as-a-service" priced far below building in-house and sold it successfully to buyers who already wanted bidders.
Prefer Managed Bidders Over Costly DIY Builds
- If you're considering a bidder, weigh off-the-shelf cloud bidders versus building in-house because DIY is expensive and often fails.
- Buy a managed bidder if you need full control without the multi-million dollar engineering risk.
