Latest news with #adtech
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is The Trade Desk Still a Long-Term Winner?
The Trade Desk plays a valuable role in a digital ad space dominated by big tech companies. An expanding addressable market offers ample room for continued profitable growth. The stock's recent decline appears to be an opportunity, not a warning sign. 10 stocks we like better than The Trade Desk › Stock prices can do irrational things from day to day, or even for a few years. But if you look at more extended periods, you'll see that the market is pretty good at sniffing out winning and losing companies. That's why The Motley Fool recommends long-term investing. So, when a stock, say, The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD), returns over 2,300% since its initial public offering in 2016, investors can feel like that company is genuinely worth looking at more closely. The technology company has continued to grow in a lucrative but highly competitive advertising space. Despite its long-term performance, The Trade Desk is down over 40% from its high. Is the stock still a long-term winner? Here is whether investors should consider adding the stock to their portfolios today. Advertising has been around forever, and for a good reason: It works. But an age-old industry is evolving. Advertising dollars are steadily shifting from newspapers, magazines, and broadcast television to the internet, where your online footprint generates data that companies can use to target you with ads they think you'll respond to. Google (Alphabet) and Facebook (Meta Platforms) built trillion-dollar businesses on this trend. They act as gatekeepers in internet search and social media, a $500 billion market between both segments. These companies operate walled garden ecosystems, meaning they make the rules, keep the data, and give little control to advertisers. As big and powerful as these walled gardens are, there are other opportunities in the digital advertising market -- in connected TV, online video, websites, smartphone apps, mobile web browsers, and internet audio. That's where The Trade Desk has thrived. Its technology platform enables companies to purchase ad space, target their ads to their ideal audience, and track the results of their ad campaigns. It also offers more transparency and control than these walled gardens, a big deal to advertisers, as evidenced by The Trade Desk's success over the years. Sustained, profitable business growth is the key ingredient for a winning long-term investment. The Trade Desk has generated $2.57 billion in revenue over the past four quarters, converting $0.26 of every dollar into free cash flow. The company can continue to build on that. Gross ad spending on the platform was approximately $12 billion in 2024, just a fraction of an estimated $135 billion opportunity in digital media (excluding search and social apps). Additionally, an estimated $300 billion is still spent on traditional media, which will continue to shift to digital over time. The Trade Desk's gross ad spending has grown by 24% to 25% annually from 2022 to 2024, so there aren't any signs of growth slowing down meaningfully. The Trade Desk is currently transitioning customers to its new Kokai platform, which utilizes artificial intelligence to optimize ad spending, thereby helping drive better campaign results for customers and ultimately leading to improved monetization for The Trade Desk. That could mean higher profit margins over time. Lastly, I don't think The Trade Desk gets enough credit for taking care of its shareholders. The company's discipline in managing stock-based compensation has limited share dilution to just 3.4% over the past five years. That's a big deal because a higher share count diminishes a stock's potential returns by spreading the company's profits across a broader shareholder base. Stocks with stellar long-term track records, like The Trade Desk, don't go on sale often. But that is precisely what's happened. A rare, disappointing quarter in fourth-quarter 2024 sent the stock tumbling from a valuation, as measured by enterprise value-to-revenue, that had grown increasingly hot over the past few years. When you buy and hold a stock, you are, in a way, partnering with that company. You want to feel good about who is steering the ship. On the Q4 2024 earnings call, The Trade Desk's founder and CEO, Jeff Green, discussed 15 ways the company is capitalizing on industry growth trends. It's an encouraging glimpse into The Trade Desk's leadership. Now, the stock is valued at a level rarely seen over the past six years. The Trade Desk seems poised to continue its ongoing trajectory of profitable growth moving forward. Its current price looks like a fantastic starting point for a fresh investment, as a lower valuation means that revenue and earnings growth will more likely reflect in the stock's returns. Overall, it seems likely that The Trade Desk will continue to be a winning stock over the long term. Before you buy stock in The Trade Desk, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and The Trade Desk wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and The Trade Desk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is The Trade Desk Still a Long-Term Winner? was originally published by The Motley Fool
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
UAE Tech Firm Launches Country's First Ad Exchange Platform To Combat Ad Fraud
The platform was developed under the country's innovative NextGenFDI initiative that helps connect local companies with verified advertisers and publishers. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. VeraViews, a United Arab Emirates-based adtech firm developing ad-fraud detection solutions has announced the country's first home-grown Ad Exchange and Supply-Side Platform (SSP), according to a recent media report. The platform was developed under the country's innovative NextGenFDI initiative that helps connect local companies with verified advertisers and publishers. The announcement further introduces the UAE's biggest media outlet Khaleej Times as its the first official publisher. The futuristic move aims to ensure the ad experience remains free from malicious actors, and enforces the rigorous Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and digital crime prevention regimes put in place by the Emirati government. According to one article from Forbes, global ad fraud is projected to reach a massive $172 billion. The solution by VeraViews aims to cut out intermediaries and minimize invalid traffic (IVT) to help boost the UAE's profile as a top ad destination. Employing blockchain technology to help combat fraud is a natural use case of the distributed ledger approach. After capturing the UAE market, its next aim is to target the global advertising sector. The project is being launched under the umbrella of the country's ambitious Digital Economy Strategy 31, a wide-ranging initiative to boost the country's digital economy footprint through investments in blockchain technology, AI, and IoT infrastructure. Khaleej Times and VeraViews The renowned Gulf media Khaleej Times is the first official verified publishing partner on the new VeraViews platform. It offers fully certified, fraud-free ad placements for companies of all backgrounds. The media house offers a locally built, completely transparent programmatic ad inventory and is proud to be an exclusive partner of the anti-fraudulent ad initiative. "By launching the UAE's first home-grown, fraud-proof Ad Exchange, (the firm) speaks to our mandate for trust, transparency, and advanced data governance," stated Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, UAE government. The CEO of Khaleej Times Charles Yardley welcomed the improved ad experience of the media house and further commented that "Khaleej Times is proud to light the way for the UAE's next-gen digital economy. Onboarding to the VeraViews Ad Exchange means our inventory is not just premium — it will be 100 per certified and fraud-free, with a significant increase in demand. Advertisers gain instant, accountable access to loyal Gulf audiences, while we advance the nation's drive for transparent, tech-led media." Olena Buyan, the Chief Product Officer at VeraViews detailed the strategic nature of the verified ad economy and taking KT onboard: "Khaleej Times onboarding as the first premium publisher partner signals — both to the market and to Centennial 2071 ambitions — that the UAE intends to lead, not follow, in creating a trust-first advertising ecosystem." Massive Advantage for Legitimate Businesses At the fundamental level, VeraViews' SSP platform is a digital marketplace for adverts. It helps connect advertisers with available ad space across multiple websites and mobile apps automatically. Local news sites, video platforms, and mobile apps remain the primary destination these days, but through an automated protocol, the publishing experience is streamlined and gives companies complete control over their monetization. Brand integrity is a crucial component of the online ad experience, and the new ad marketplace allows firms to maintain their unique brand identity. The ad platform uses well-tested technologies like AdTrace and Proof of Traffic (PoT) to help detect fraud and incorporate strict Know Your Business (KYB) protocols. It ensures every ad impression is legitimate and every transaction can be traced back to legitimate sources, as every participant within the ecosystem is verified. According to Jean Laurent Vion, the MD of Global Media outlet Mazarine: "The launch of the VeraViews Ad Exchange and SSP marks a pivotal moment for the region's digital advertising ecosystem [...]. We're proud to support this next-generation solution, which aligns perfectly with our commitment to innovation, performance, and integrity in brand storytelling," The launch of the new platform by VeraViews is being treated as a major turning point in the UAE advertisement sector, which is forecasted to be worth $1.7 billion in the current 2025 calendar year. While it is only a fraction of the global advert market, worth reportedly in excess of $1 trillion, the small Middle Eastern country is a global trendsetter and home to a growing blockchain economy. If VeraViews is able to succeed here, it will set a benchmark for other countries and possess the first-mover advantage in the nascent economy.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Specificity Cracks the Code on Cross-Channel Precision: Video Ads Served to the Same High-Intent, Bot-Free Audiences Engaged on Display and Social
TAMPA, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 4, 2025 / Specificity (OTC PINK:SPTY) a disruptor in the digital marketing space, has officially closed the loop on precision audience engagement. The company now delivers targeted Connected TV video ads to the exact same verified, high-intent audiences it already reaches across display and social media-creating an unmatched cross-channel strategy that eliminates waste and maximizes ROI. Specificity's proprietary ad tech identifies real human beings actively in-market for specific products or services-filtering out bots, click farms, and irrelevant impressions. Now, clients can extend their message across display, social, and video-- including Connected TV with laser-sharp consistency, reaching one audience, multiple ways, all verified and intent-rich. 'The industry talks about omnichannel a lot, but what they really mean is reusing creative across platforms,' said Jason Wood, CEO of Specificity. 'We're talking about targeting the exact same people-actual humans with intent-with display, social, and video. That's real omnichannel precision, and it's a game-changer.' Why it matters: Most agencies rely on platform-specific targeting. Specificity flips the script by owning the audience, not the platform-then serving that audience wherever they consume content. The result? Fully aligned messaging and exponential impact across multiple digital touchpoints. Core differentiators: From social feed to screen time, Specificity empowers brands to be everywhere their audience is-without guesswork, waste, or inflated CPCs. About Specificity Specificity (OTC PINK:SPTY) is a performance-driven digital marketing firm revolutionizing how brands connect with real people. Leveraging advanced ad tech and proprietary data, Specificity enables precision targeting of in-market consumers across display, social, and video-guaranteeing that every campaign reaches the right human, in the right place, at the right time. For more information, visit Media Contact: Chris Gruening Vice President, Client Services Specificity [email protected] SOURCE: Specificity Inc. press release
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Navigating The New Ad Fraud Landscape: The Generative AI Challenge
Ashish Bhardwaj is a Engineering Lead at Google, building privacy preserving technologies to reshape the digital advertising. getty Anyone who's spent time in digital advertising knows it's a battlefield. For years, we've fought against ads that break the rules, clog up the works with spam or are outright fraudulent. It's a constant struggle to keep the ecosystem clean. Now, generative AI (GenAI) has stormed onto the scene, and frankly, it's making our jobs a whole lot harder, at least for now. GenAI is incredibly powerful. It can spin up slick, convincing ad content faster than ever before. The downside? Bad actors are using the exact same tools to create deceptive ads that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from the real. Let's look into the primary threats, examine how GenAI is amplifying these challenges and, crucially, explore actionable strategies and technological advancements that business leaders in the adtech space can implement to mitigate these evolving risks. To protect the integrity of digital advertising, we need to be crystal clear about what we're fighting. It boils down to three interconnected issues: 1. Ad Policy Violations: Think of these as breaking the rules of the road. It's a wide range, from ads making misleading claims about a product or promoting things they shouldn't (like sketchy pharmaceuticals or adult content) to technical fouls like using disruptive formats. Even things like ad size or how many requests are fired off fall under guidelines set by bodies like the IAB. 2. Ad Spam: We've all seen it: irrelevant, annoying, clickbaity junk. This isn't just about unwanted email anymore. In ads, it can be content designed purely to trick you into clicking (sensationalism) or technical spam like rapid-fire clicks generated without you even knowing. It degrades the user experience and makes people distrust all advertising. 3. Ad Fraud: This is where the real criminality lies—deliberate deception for financial gain. We're talking about fake clicks generated by bots or click farms, ads hidden from view but still counted as impressions (impression fraud) or faking valuable actions like purchases or sign-ups (conversion fraud). Fraudsters get sophisticated, too, mimicking legitimate websites to steal higher ad rates (domain spoofing) or secretly injecting extra ads on pages (ad injection). It's crucial to understand that these aren't always separate problems; a fraudulent ad likely also violates policies and could certainly be considered spam. The tactics evolve constantly, meaning our defenses have to keep getting smarter. GenAI is the ultimate double-edged sword in this fight. On the one hand, it's given the fraudsters powerful new weapons. On the other hand, it offers us new ways to defend the ecosystem. AI can be used to create incredibly realistic deepfake videos for fake celebrity endorsements or elaborate scams. For example, deepfake videos of public figures—such as those created of Al Roker and Tom Cruise—can be used to promote bogus products or services. Networks of over 200 AI-generated "slop sites" designed to mimic reputable publishers and defraud advertisers have been uncovered, filled with plagiarized or low-quality content to drive ad revenue. This is particularly frightening when combined with AI-powered bots that mimic human browsing to generate fake traffic and clicks, like the CycloneBot scheme targeting connected TV platforms by inflating views. Thankfully, the good guys have AI, too. AI, for instance, is improving the ability to prevent fraudsters and keep billions of policy-violating ads from ever showing, as Google research shows. Companies are using advanced machine learning to spot and block fraud in real time, often before it causes real damage. These algorithms learn and adapt, getting better at recognizing new fraud tactics as they emerge. We can even use AI to create synthetic data to train our fraud detection models, making them even sharper without using real user data. GenAI tools are becoming widely available, often through open-source platforms. Generative AI isn't yet a game-changer for novel attacks, but it allows threat actors to move faster and at higher volume. This means even less technically savvy crooks can now generate convincing fake content and automate their scams. It's democratized fraud creation, and I anticipate a significant spike in AI-driven risky ads because of it. The challenge of risky ads, amplified by GenAI, is real, complex and evolving. However, proactive measures can be taken. Business leaders in advertising and ad tech should consider the following: • Invest in advanced detection and verification. Companies should invest in AI-powered fraud detection tools that go beyond traditional rule-based systems. This includes solutions for detecting AI-generated content, manipulated media (deepfakes) and bot traffic. • Promote transparency and ethical AI use. Advocate for and adopt transparent practices in AI development and deployment. This includes clear labeling of AI-generated content and adhering to ethical guidelines to prevent bias and misuse. The IAB's "Generative AI Playbook For Advertising," for example, offers guidance on practical applications and ethical considerations. • Foster collaboration and information sharing. The adtech industry should continue to work collaboratively to share information about new threats and effective countermeasures. Industry bodies can play a key role in establishing standards and facilitating this exchange. • Focus on high-quality, human-verified inventory. Prioritize advertising on platforms and with publishers that demonstrate a commitment to combating fraud and maintaining high content standards. Consider solutions that help identify and avoid low-quality sites. • Adapt and innovate continuously. Companies must foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, staying on top of new GenAI capabilities and being prepared to adjust strategies and technologies accordingly. This includes exploring emerging approaches like smaller, more efficient AI models (SLMs) and advanced data provenance techniques. While GenAI has thrown gasoline on the fire of ad fraud, it also provides tools we need to fight back more effectively. By understanding the risks, investing in the right technologies and fostering a collaborative industry approach, we can navigate this new battlefield and work towards a cleaner, more trustworthy digital advertising ecosystem. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ryan Reynolds-Backed MNTN Stock Jumps on IPO Day
Investors tuned in to television ad-tech company MNTN's IPO today. Shares of MNTN, which now trade on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol "MNTN," finished Thursday's session above $26 apiece, up 26% from their open and more than 60% from their $16-per-share IPO price. (At its intraday high, it changed hands at just under $27.) That IPO price was at the high end of the expected range the company shared when it announced its intent to go public earlier this month. (CEO Mark Douglas during a Bloomberg interview today referred to the company as "Mountain.") MNTN's deal wasn't the only IPO to attract attention today: Digital physical therapy company Hinge Health also hit the markets, finishing the session with its share above their IPO price. MNTN sold 8.4 million shares to the public, raising about $134 million. The company in a regulatory filing said it planned to use the money for 'general corporate purposes,' citing a broad range of potential uses including acquisitions. It lists Canadian Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, known for but surely not only for 'Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place,' as its chief creative officer. The company reported more than $225 million in sales from more than 2,200 customers last year, according to its filing, and a net loss of about $33 million. This article has been updated since it was first published to include a mention of the Hinge IPO. Read the original article on Investopedia
