2024’s best AdMonsters Decoders demystify ad tech’s hottest topics—Dark Traffic, EU’s DSA, Privacy Sandbox, and more. Dive in for essential insights!
Picture your Slack channels lighting up faster than a Kendrick Lamar Drake-diss-track drop—and each ping is yet another question about privacy regs, ad blocking, or floor pricing. Sound familiar? We’ve got your cure. Welcome to our annual roundup of 2024’s must-read AdMonsters Decoders—a.k.a. your one-stop shop for “What Is,” “How To,” and “Deep Dive” explainers in ad tech.
We’re tackling everything from the hidden revenue traps of dark traffic to fresh developments in Google’s Privacy Sandbox. Throughout these features, we’ve tapped some seriously sharp minds—like Dustin Cha (Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Ad-Shield), Elena Turtureanu (VP, Legal and Privacy Compliance, Adform), Andrew Fowler (Head of Revenue Operations, Aditude), and Kean Wang (VP, Product & Strategy, Intowow)—to share insights that will help you stay profitable, compliant, and ahead of the game.
Ready to dive deep into the big questions that shaped ad ops in 2024? Let’s go!
8 Essential Explainers to Power Up Your Ad Tech Know-How
1. Dark Traffic Is Costing Publishers 14–21% of Their Revenue – What Is It?
By: Dustin Cha (Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Ad-Shield)
Why You Should Read This: So, you think you tamed the ad-blocking beast? Alas, mon ami, Dustin Cha uncovers the invisible audience you never knew you had—one that doesn’t even appear in your analytics. Learn how brutal adblockers fuel dark traffic and discover practical tactics to recapture your hidden revenue.
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2. How the EU’s Digital Services Act Promotes Greater Ad Transparency
By: Elena Turtureanu (VP, Legal and Privacy Compliance, Adform)
Why You Should Read This: Does deciphering legislation give you a headache the size of Asia? Don’t worry. Elena Turtureanu breaks down the Digital Services Act so you don’t have to. Find out how this new EU regulation impacts everyone in the ad tech ecosystem and what you need to do to stay on the right side of compliance—no legal dictionary required.
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3. ID Bridging Explained: Benefits, Controversies, and the Battle for Transparency in Digital Advertising
By: Andrew Byrd (News Editor, AdMonsters)
Why You Should Read This: Third-party cookies may be on the way out, but ID bridging is stepping in, stirring up both optimism and suspicion within ad tech’s walls. This Decoder dives deep into how bridging techniques can keep your targeting sharp—if you avoid the shady pitfalls that raise privacy and fraud alarms.
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4. What Are the Top Data Clean Rooms Solutions?
By: Andrew Byrd (News Editor, AdMonsters)
Why You Should Read This: AWS, InfoSum, LiveRamp, Google… Data clean rooms are the hot new must-have for secure data collaboration and advanced analytics. Explore how the leading solutions stack up so you can pick the right one for your first-party data strategy—minus the guesswork.
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5. What Is the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) of 2024?
By: Andrew Byrd (News Editor, AdMonsters)
Why You Should Read This: Are state-by-state privacy laws making your head spin? APRA is the U.S. attempt at a one-size-fits-all federal privacy framework. This explainer highlights how (and if) APRA might simplify compliance and what that means for how you handle users’ data across the country.
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6. Privacy Sandbox: What’s Wrong With Video?
By: Andrew Fowler (Head of Revenue Operations, Aditude)
Why You Should Read This: Video ads keep the money rolling in—but Google’s Privacy Sandbox isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet. Andrew Fowler pinpoints the technical collisions between VAST and PAAPI that could derail your video monetization and details how publishers can prepare.
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7. What Is the IAB Tech Lab’s Privacy Sandbox Demo Tool & How Does It Work?
By: Kacey Perinelli (Staff Writer, AdMonsters)
Why You Should Read This: Don’t you wish you could peek under the hood of Google’s Protected Audience API? Now you can. This Decoder walks through the IAB Tech Lab’s Demo Tool—created by Index Exchange—to see exactly how PAAPI runs behind the scenes. It’s perfect for ad tech pros who want hands-on learning without flying blind.
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8. Are We Overcomplicating Floor Pricing Optimization?
By: Kean Wang (VP, Product & Strategy, Intowow)
Why You Should Read This: Is your floor pricing strategy leaving you adrift in a sea of complex formulas? Kean Wang presents a refreshingly simple, behavior-focused approach that leverages how real bidders react—freeing you from endless math models so you can concentrate on boosting revenue efficiently.
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