Ad Tech Briefing: Agencies reposition for the agentic era

Publicis Groupe proposed a $2.2 purchase of LiveRamp, ending a years-long search for an exit by LiveRamp leadership and accelerating changes in how media agencies evaluate LiveRamp-linked infrastructure. The acquisition is already influencing rivals’ reassessment of reliance on that infrastructure. Agency priorities are shifting toward tighter control of systems, data flows, and governance structures that support programmatic advertising operations. At a programmatic marketing summit, discussions around AI, transparency, and supply-path control converged on the idea that agentic media buying is not just a workflow upgrade but a restructuring of media operations. Attendees expressed frustration with opaque auction dynamics, fragmented supply chains, and DSPs operating as closed ecosystems, reflecting concerns about a move away from default-on buying models.

"Publicis' acquisition brings to an end a years-long search for an exit by LiveRamp's leadership team - separate sources recently supported Digiday's earlier reportin g that it held similar talks with credit bureau Experian in 2023 - and is already reshaping how media agencies think about control, interoperability, and the economics of programmatic advertising."

"That sentiment surfaced repeatedly in conversations with attendees at Digiday's Programmatic Marketing Summit earlier this month, where discussions around AI, transparency, and supply-path control frequently converged around a single idea - agencies no longer see "agentic" media buying as merely a workflow upgrade. Instead, many increasingly view it as a restructuring of how media operations themselves are organized."

"One of the clearest themes was a growing preference for more deliberate and tightly controlled programmatic supply paths. Several attendees described frustration with opaque auction dynamics, fragmented supply chains, and DSPs that increasingly resemble closed ecosystems. "Everybody has a walled garden essentially," remarked one participant at the event's townall sessions, which are conducted under Chatham House Rule."

Read at Digiday