AI: What we owe the team
I'm clocking two kinds of advertising executives right now: Ones who treat AI like a procurement decision, and the ones treating it like a leadership test. One buys tools. The other builds teams that know how to use them.
Agentic Advertising
How AI agents buy and sell media. AdCP, ARTF, sell-side agents and principal media, explained by a 20-year ad tech insider. Plain-language explainers, standards comparisons and what agencies are asking for in RFPs.
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The skills that survive
You cannot automate a decade of being trustworthy. You can't prompt your way to someone wanting to work with you for the next year.
The RFP Oracle
The ad tech sales season is wrapping up for 2026. AI dominated everything the market responded to this year, and it was the most predictable trend ever. All we had to do was pay attention to what the agencies were asking.
Was (is) LiveRamp the Switzerland of data?
Can RAMP still be independent if it is owned by a major holding company? {insert awkward silence here}
The Handoff: Sell-side AdCP joins Prebid.org
Prebid now owns the sell-side agent code for AdCP. A natural outcome that I think all of us expected to see.
Teach the Machine: The CMO’s AI Challenge
If you feel like your brand is in an AI adoption doom-loop where nothing is meaningfully taking hold, reframe the challenge. You do not have a technology problem, you just lack brand knowledge architecture.
2026: The Trillion-Dollar Algorithmic Era
Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking about "focus" for 2026. What do I want to focus ADLINGO on next year? What deserves more attention and coverage, and what deserves less? What tech deserves immediate attention, and what can we afford to set aside for now?
AI on Stage, Humans in the Lobby: The 2026 Conference Opportunity
I've spent the last few days engaged in my own career search, but I also took the time to see if any of the Q1 conferences have something to help this crowd. Specifically, I looked at CES, IAB ALM, Marketecture Live, and POSSIBLE. Here's what I found.
ARTF + AdCP: What advertisers need to know
The ad tech world loves a standards war, and for those of us in the tech trenches, the last thing we need is another one. Two AI ads standards were publicly released within a few weeks of each other, but there’s one that should matter slightly more to advertisers.
The days of browsing without AI mediation are over
Does Perplexity's Comet browser signal the future of AI-powered advertising? While scale is limited today, the conceptual disruption is massive. Plus, Apple's rumored acquisition interest makes it worth watching.
Opportunity: 70% Hate Trip Planning
Tourism marketing's biggest opportunity isn't another "deal" or offer. It's solving the trip planning problem that frustrates 70% of travelers. Smart destinations are using AI to create hyper-personalized itineraries, predict traveler needs, and solve problems customers don't know they have yet.