Having recently been appointed as Editor of New Digital Age, it’s natural that I should be interested in the continuous evolution of the digital advertising marketplace and in how the ad and adtech industries continue to respond to and influence shifts in wider society.
However, I’ll be honest, during the many weeks, months and years that I was forced to write yet another article on the deprecation of third-party cookies, I would sometimes question my life choices.
Likewise, over the years that I’ve been writing about the ad and adtech industries, I’ve been struck by the intelligence and vision of those working within the sector; there have, therefore, been times when I’ve wondered whether that fierce intelligence would be better directed toward a pursuit other than getting the right ad in front of the right person at the right time.
In the end, though, you’ll be relieved to hear that I decided that writing about the activities of the global advertising and adtech industries is a worthwhile and valuable exercise for a number of compelling reasons.
In the first place, the modern ad industry operates at the intersection of media, technology, culture and commerce. Advertising remains a vital component of the global trade that sustains us all. It also provides a hugely important influence on global culture and cross-generational communication. Marketing activity provides important insight into how brands are interacting with and influencing wider society.
Adtech, meanwhile, is the engine of the modern internet, powering the platforms that are reshaping global commerce. Understanding digital advertising means understanding how money, data, and influence flow online. Issues such as data privacy, data misuse and online misinformation first came to public attention as ‘ad industry’ issues.
From a personal perspective, the continuous evolution and disruption of the ad marketplace means that there is always something new to write about and explore, e.g. How should digital identity be monetised? How can consumer attention be measured ethically? How will the rise of AI Agents impact advertising and search marketing? Covering advertising and adtech allows me to engage with the biggest issues of the day from the front row of the action.
In the end, I’m convinced that I’m exactly where I need to be!
To my industry colleagues, I give my commitment that, under my stewardship, New Digital Age will continue to be a media outlet that always supports and showcases the incredibly talented and smart people working across the advertising and ad tech industries.
Here’s to a prosperous August for us all.
