Onetag

“The Open Web Strikes Back: Programmatic’s Next Competitive Edge” provided an opportunity for our ecosystem to come together and discuss how the open internet is now at a tipping point. The conversation quickly turned to how expectations from brands are shifting. As Inesh Perera, Global Digital Associate Director at Publicis Groupe highlighted in our expert panel: "Performance has changed in terms of what measurement is being more subscribed to. Brands have now realised the importance of going back to media mixed modelling to see the effectiveness of spend. You’re genuinely testing for the incrementality, business outcomes and additional revenue that it brings. What brands are now requesting is for quality and performance to be embedded into the media mix. That’s where the open internet has a lot to offer. It’s about mass managing quality, showcasing the incrementality that it offers, but also managing efficiency through supply-side innovation. That’s what we’re seeing right now in the industry." The shift is clear: the open web is redefining performance for brands.

At our London event last week, “The Open Web Strikes Back: Programmatic’s Next Competitive Edge,” our expert panel discussed why the focus is now on business outcomes, and how the programmatic open web has an advantage here. As Emma Lacey, SVP Sales Demand EMEA, Onetag shared: “Programmatic needs to focus on the business outcomes that truly matter, rather than relying on proxy metrics for success. As an industry, we’re moving in the right direction, and this will make us far more competitive with the walled gardens” “Programmatic is much more transparent compared to the walled gardens. You can control the efficiencies from end to end; the way the creative is generated, the way the pricing works, the auction dynamics, the way you are delivering that CPA. All of it is about letting the buyer have control.” A strong reminder of how the open web empowers buyers in ways closed ecosystems cannot.

From POSSIBLE Miami our co-CEO and Founder, Daniel Pirchio, shares his perspective on how the open internet is evolving with Christopher Garriga, Sphere Digital Recruitment Group— from the need for true value beyond cheap reach to the impact of AI on supply.   What's most important right now? Daniel shared: “Creative and media getting back together. That is the fundamental ingredient of the social media playbook that we need to reinstate in the open internet, to allow brands to have meaningful connection with the consumers through real brand experiences.”   Watch the full interview 👇

Last Thursday at Soho House in London, Onetag and Aryel hosted our client event, “The Open Web Strikes Back: Programmatic’s Next Competitive Edge.” It was fantastic to be joined by partners from across the ecosystem for an expert panel and roundtable discussion. Together, we explored how the programmatic open web is evolving rapidly, the key challenges still to address, and how performance is being reconfigured to better connect media, creative, and outcomes to strengthen the value of the open web. We also invited the room to debate what still needs to happen for the open web to truly compete with the walled gardens on performance, which sparked further great ideas and discussion. Many thanks again to our panellists and everyone who attended and shared their perspectives. Stay tuned for more posts on the key insights from the session. Inesh Perera, Vittorio Capasso, Emma Lacey, Wayne Bishop, Pin-Ju Chiang, Victoria Usher

Filippo Gramigna, our co-CEO, has been featured in Performance Marketing World, sharing his perspective on what to expect from POSSIBLE and the evolving role of real-time signals in advertising. He highlights a shift towards outcome-driven strategies, where AI, measurement, and creative come together to drive more meaningful performance. Below you can find the full quote: “The upcoming POSSIBLE agenda points toward a shift where conversations are increasingly centred on delivering real outcomes, with performance-based creative, measurement, and AI-driven optimisation as key themes, so it will be interesting to see how these elements start to connect to drive them. “True optimisation now happens at the point of engagement, not in the post-campaign report. Some of the most useful signals appear much earlier, in how an ad is experienced, where it's placed, and how people respond in the moment to the creative. “POSSIBLE will be about understanding how those signals can be used so that ad decisioning can be made with more context while campaigns are still live. “If that direction continues, it could start to reshape how value is understood across the open web. When signals from media quality, creative and real user interaction are tied more closely to business outcomes, it becomes much clearer what's actually driving performance and where investment should go. That feels very much in line with where a lot of the conversations at POSSIBLE will be heading.” 👇 Check the comments for the article link.

IAB UK has published A Guide to Data Curation in Digital Advertising, highlighting how this approach is reshaping the programmatic ecosystem. As the industry accelerates towards outcomes-based advertising, data curation is becoming a critical driver of performance, not just a way to organise supply. In this guide, Onetag outlines how, at its most powerful, this is driven by real-time optimisation and advanced AI decisioning: 🔹 "The real-time intelligent selection and packaging of media inventory, enriched with data signals to drive better outcomes for advertisers" 🔹“The ability to optimise in real time based on the live, changing nature of programmatic inventory and buyer KPIs" 🔹 “Strong curation technology, including AI that has learnt from a wealth of historical performance data and makes real-time decisions on live data” This is how the open internet moves from impressions to impact. 👇 Read the full guide below

With just two days to go, we’re excited to announce our final speaker and it's our very own Emma Lacey! Emma will be joining our panel at 'The Open Web Strikes Back: Programmatic’s Next Competitive Edge', bringing a unique perspective from the host on how the open web can unlock its next phase of performance. Our expert lineup will explore how performance is being reconfigured to connect media, creative, and outcomes to drive real commercial impact and strengthen the value of the open web. - Vittorio Capasso, Adform - Pin-Ju Chiang, Overwolf - Wayne Bishop, PHD - Inesh Perera, Publicis Groupe - Emma Lacey, Onetag - Victoria Usher, GingerMay 📍 Soho House, 76 Dean Street, London 📅 Thursday 23rd April 2026 🕒 8:30-11:30

This Thursday, we’re excited to welcome Inesh Perera from Publicis Groupe to the panel at our “The Open Web Strikes Back: Programmatic’s Next Competitive Edge” event. Inesh will share valuable programmatic insights, including what the open web needs to deliver to truly compete on performance outcomes. 📍 Soho House, 76 Dean Street, London 📅 Thursday 23rd April 2026 🕒 8:30-11:30

IPA Bellwether: ‘Where is the confidence coming from?’ UK marketing budgets returned to growth in the opening quarter of 2026, up 7.3% after flatlining in Q4 2025, according to the latest IPA Bellwether report. However, against the backdrop of uncertain geopolitical conditions, the broader UK economy is forecast to struggle, putting added pressure on adland to grow. In light of these figures, PMW spoke to a panel of industry experts to capture their immediate takeaways and key lessons learned. Read on via the link in the comments. With insights from: Dom Coleridge Scale Digital Philip Acton Adform Emma Jowett Integral Ad Science James Bailey dentsu Edward Bristow Adlook Emma Lacey Onetag Alexander Igelsböck Adverity Ric Hayes Brave Bison Anna Hopwood VerityRI Rob McLaughlin AUDIENCES Abbie Hildebrand Miroma Founders Network Anthony Clements impact.com Max von Weber adnomaly Alice Gilbert Fox Agency Chris Daly CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing Jessica Michen Grasp Jodie Gillary Kantar Jaye Cowle 😊 Launch Tilman Harmeling Usercentrics Bryan Scott Ozone Paul Samuels AEG International (More in comments) #IPABellwether #adland #growth #performancemarketing #UKeconomy