This past month, as I’ve formally launched my consulting service, has been a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and reminisce with so many familiar faces – past colleagues, cherished friends, and valued clients/partners. Some of these relationships trace back to my formative years in digital marketing, a time when strong networks truly set you apart. It was the proliferation of these networks in the mid-2000s that steered the industry, and my own path, toward the advent of automated marketplaces and AdX. The initial scepticism and apprehension from publishers, agencies, and marketers regarding the fundamental shifts in processes, resources, and business models required by ad marketplaces were immense hurdles to overcome. Those early days at AdX were incredibly fulfilling as we played a part in the industry’s exponential growth, empowered businesses to establish their footing, and ultimately supported some of their journeys toward significant exits.
So much of that time was dedicated to the challenging yet rewarding work of guiding internal transformations, collaboratively building market-ready propositions, and facilitating global scaling. I particularly remember the initial conversations with agencies who dismissed automated trading as a fleeting trend that wouldn’t impact their direct deals with publishers. It’s interesting to reflect on that now, considering their subsequent efforts to build out sophisticated trading desks (Vivaki, Amnet, Xaxis, etc.). I have great memories of working with pioneers like @Marco Bertozzi, @Danny Hopwood, @Louisa Wong, @Erica Schmidt, @Brian Lesser, and @Mark Grether, helping them articulate the value that programmatic could deliver to both their clients and their own agencies..
I also recall the dynamism of the independent agencies and networks that were either being founded or strategically pivoting to capitalize on the power of automated trading. Trailblazing companies such as Infectious Media (@Martin Kelly, @Andy Cocker), The Exchange Lab (@Tim Webster), Criteo (@JB Rudelle, @Matthieu Lemaire), and Sociomantic (@Tom Nikolei, @Thomas Brandhoff), among many others, were eager to harness the potential unlocked by AdX and automated trading. We had the privilege of supporting numerous businesses in their global expansion, with AdX providing the essential inventory scale for those establishing their presence in Europe (like Rocketfuel with @Dominic Trigg and Mediamath with @Greg Williams and @Joe Zawadzki).
While the ongoing discussions surrounding the DOJ antitrust case against Google offer compelling perspectives, many of which I agree with, I still hold vivid memories of those early, pivotal years of launching and scaling AdX at DoubleClick / Google and the value we added to the our partners. It was a period of significant industry adoption, transformation, and programmatic growth. As we now stand at the cusp of the next wave of disruption, transformation, and opportunity fuelled by AI, I’d be delighted to connect and explore how Eshaki Consulting can guide you through this evolving landscape.