The Trade Desk remains the dominant DSP but its advertisers are starting to shop around

March 17, 2026 The Trade Desk built its dominance by being the obvious choice. It's still the obvious choice. Just not as obvious as it used to be. TOP STORY The Programmatic Marketer The Trade Desk remains the dominant DSP but its advertisers are starting to shop around The gap between The Trade Desk's public confidence and what its advertisers describe on the ground has rarely been harder to close. Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW By adopting a more optimized flighting approach to ad spend, marketers can deliver more marginal ROI on their investments. This strategy ensures that they're not wasting any of their spending. Partner insights from Keen Decision Systems. Sponsored Wifi is an effective way to reach consumers before a large event and enable retargeting. By presenting an ad and redirecting users to an advertiser's site, retargeting can occur post-event to keep up momentum. Partner insights from Viasat Ads. In the reality of today’s media environment, scale is fragile. Traffic is rented. Content alone is no longer defensible. But participation turns audiences from passive consumers into active participants. Partner insights from Viafoura. MARKETING Member exclusive Media Buying Briefing: Is ad marketplace uncertainty the new normal? Despite a war in the Middle East, rising oil, gas and consumer prices and a fresh round of tariffs that are roiling economies, brands and buyers are largely staying the course in media spending. Evolving Agencies 'I'm not selling you hours': PMG's push beyond agencies PMG never called itself an agency. Here's why that matters now. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CINT How cross-platform measurement enables real-time campaign optimization An effective cross-platform measurement strategy helps marketers improve performance in real time — optimizing creative, frequency or even publishers during a campaign. Evolving Agencies 'I'm not selling you hours': PMG's push beyond agencies PMG never called itself an agency. Here's why that matters now. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM SEEEDTAG How neuro-contextual intelligence shifts media planning strategies Audience strategy has historically focused on reaching predefined consumer segments based on assumed traits. Neuro-contextual intelligence helps media planners identify high-intent moments in real time — distinguishing between passive browsing and active consideration. Advertisement MEDIA & PLATFORMS Evolving Agencies After WPP reckoning: The case for and against principal media Ten years later, principal media is back in the zeitgeist. Why agencies and brands are clashing over the so-called hidden model. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM APPSFLYER Why mobile — not AI — is the center of gravity for measurement When marketers implement mobile-grade measurement standards, they give AI a grounded identity source and behaviors from which to work. Without that, they may get faster, but not better, optimization. Generative AI Butler/Till's first agentic media buying tests cut media and supply chain costs Initial campaign tests by the indie agency and Pubmatic show cost reductions and time saved. Success, inevitably, brings more questions. FROM DIGIDAY+ Member exclusive Ad Tech Briefing: The industry is rethinking its foundations as a new world order is established The days of ‘fake it ’til you make it’ are coming to an end. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy