The first episode of the 2023 ThumbAd vlog series, transcribed in full: why per-impression buying changes efficiency, targeting, cost and transparency. Published as recorded, with the current argument linked rather than edited in.

Every registered TCF vendor publishes a machine-readable file listing exactly what it writes to a device, for how long, and why. Almost nobody reads them. Here is how to check any partner in five minutes — starting with ours.

We published a due-diligence guide telling iGaming operators exactly what to demand from a programmatic partner. It would be strange to duck our own exam. Here is every question, answered in full — ungated, no form, no email.

Almost every managed-versus-self-serve comparison is written by someone selling one of them. An independent trading desk maps which programmatic functions belong inside a mature operator within two years — including the ones it costs us revenue to concede.

910 screens across 17 media owners are addressable programmatically today, buyable through one Trade Desk seat. Around half of South African DOOH investment cannot be independently verified. A market briefing, not a rate card.

A short framing note. The full argument on why affiliate tracking and click attribution fall short in programmatic now lives at one canonical address — this page points there, and summarises what has and has not changed since 2023.

Google Analytics and your DSP report different numbers for the same campaign because they count different populations. What each can physically see, why the gap is usually most of the result, and what to fix before the money moves.

Both are demand-side platforms. The difference that matters is ownership: one vendor also sells the media. What that changes in practice, and the five questions that decide more than the platform choice.

Tapping into the Open Internet: A Winning Strategy for Brands in 2023 As the digital advertising landscape continues to evolve, the Open Internet has become a critical space for brands to expand their reach and drive growth. In this blog post, we'll discuss the importance of leveraging the Open Internet through The Trade Desk, managed by ThumbAd's team of experts, to improve your brand's awareness, acquisition, and retention strategies. The State of the Open Internet in 2023

Connected TV is bought like programmatic display and behaves like television. Inventory, frequency, measurement, the KPIs worth holding a campaign to, and what to agree before the first flight.

Affiliate tracking and click attribution are precise instruments built for a narrower job than programmatic asks of them. Where each one stops, what the measured post-view gap looks like, and what honest attribution requires instead.

A short framing note. Why CTV belongs inside a unified programmatic platform sharing an audience layer and a frequency cap — and where the full guide now lives.

The measurement layer for much of digital media is owned by a company that also sells the media. Which parts of attribution an operator still controls — pixel ownership, the governing number, the window, the reconciliation and the raw path data — and how to make them carry the weight.

Betting and gaming break click-based attribution by construction: the decision is built across days, devices and channels, and registration is not the outcome that matters. What clicks miss, what the measured gap is, and what to fix before the money moves.

A short framing note: the budget-priority argument is downstream of the measurement argument, because budget follows whatever the report can see.

A short framing note: programmatic is not a channel in the mix, it is how the channels are bought — and that is what makes frequency a control rather than an accident.

Four ways to buy programmatic inventory. What each route guarantees, to whom, and which objective it fits — plus why programmatic direct is not a fifth type.

Click attribution and view attribution count two different populations. Across six independent measurements the post-view share landed between 89% and 96.2% — so an operator reading clicks alone sees roughly one conversion in ten. What each model proves, why Google Analytics shows the smaller number, and what to agree before the money moves.

A short framing note: the standard outcomes list is unfalsifiable. Name one commercial event — first-time deposit, not registration — and optimise toward it.

A short framing note: the standard benefits of programmatic are consequences of per-impression buying — including the fee stack that comes with it.