A chat with Jess Davies

What happens when the sell-side starts taking back control? In today’s digital advertising landscape, many of the old assumptions no longer hold. The traditional buy-side/sell-side divide is becoming less relevant, AI is changing how decisions are made, and publisher alliances are reshaping the scale game. Yet too often,
In this episode of the 'not just ADZ' podcast, Erez Levin, an ad tech veteran, and I try to explore what "quality" in digital advertising really means. Advertising has long pretended to be a clock science: something measurable, predictable, and precise. But in reality, it'
Because DSPs manage programmatic ad spend, they can be seen as gatekeepers wielding influence over industry standards. DSPs select inventory to bid on, interpret SSP signals and prioritize bids based on historical performance and preferences. However, advertisers, agencies, media owners and technology providers also influence the rapidly evolving programmatic ecosystem.
For years, the advertising industry has been trapped in a cycle, reacting to shifting regulations, privacy changes, and platform policies rather than proactively shaping its own future. This is nothing new, and I’ve discussed it with representatives from all sides of the industry on the "not just ADZ&