Programmatic advertising is like that friend who never stops binge-watching “The Real Housewives” — you know it’s not great for you, but you can’t stop. For media buyers, it’s the ultimate double-edged sword, a love-hate relationship between efficiency and effectiveness. And into this chaotic, conflicted landscape gallops the new messianic figure of ad tech: Curation Houses.
Now, if you’re already rolling your eyes, I get it. Another savior in a market that’s had more “saviors” than Hollywood has had superhero reboots. But Curation Houses aren’t just another silver bullet. They’re the hot new thing promising to be the solution to a programmatic landscape filled with wasted budgets, misaligned incentives, and inventory that often feels more like dumpster diving than data-driven targeting.
The Basics: What Even Are Curation Houses?
In the simplest terms, curation gives you a front-row seat to the supply-side inventory, but with a twist — a programmatic one. Think of it as a self-service suite for ad-buying enthusiasts. Curation platforms allow brands, publishers, and data providers to combine their first-party data with inventory sourced from third-party publishers, all packaged neatly into a PMP (Private Marketplace) deal ID, ready to be channeled through demand-side platforms (DSPs).
So, it’s essentially a matchmaking service, but instead of swiping left or right, you’re setting the rules — think filtering inventory based on location, or crafting audiences with the kind of contextual targeting that’s more aligned with your performance KPIs than some generic horoscope of online behaviors.
Scott Messer, who knows his way around a murky ad stack, sat down with us for a interivew (to be published in a few weeks) sees the current state of programmatic as a kind of purgatory where “media buyers are stuck in a cycle of buying bulk supply deals that sound fancy but are essentially just packaged junk.” But here’s the kicker: the rise of Curation Houses suggests there may actually be gold at the end of this rainbow, not just the usual fool’s gold.
Why Should You Care?
Let’s get real. For years, curation has been trapped in the dark, cobweb-filled basement of DSPs and SSPs, cobbled together like Frankenstein’s monster, with buyers often ending up with results as reliable as a one-star Uber ride. But now, the “second coming” of curation is shifting the power dynamics. Publishers are finally getting smarter, context-driven inventory management that bypasses the need for third-party cookies. Imagine a world where publishers can finally monetize data they could never sell at scale, and advertisers actually get what they pay for. Crazy, right?
Messer calls this a game-changer: “By facilitating more direct relationships between publishers and buyers, curation houses can drive data licensing revenue, provide deeper insights, and create liquidity in the market.” Translation? No more black box deals where you have no clue where your money is going or what it’s doing.
Separating the Wolves from the Sheep
But wait, there’s a catch. Not all Curation Houses are created equal, and some are just peddling the same old inventory with a fancier name. According to industry insights, curation can be a double-edged sword—promising transparency and quality but often delivering “more smoke and mirrors than magic” when not executed properly. As Lotame points out, some curation houses are masters of distraction, using jargon and fancy AI claims to sell what is essentially repackaged, mediocre inventory. In an ecosystem where trust is about as common as a unicorn, it’s easy to be dazzled by the hype and overlook the hard truths.
Drew Stein from Audigent recognizes this problem too, but he’s betting on curation as the real deal—if done right. Stein doesn’t just see curation as a trendy buzzword; he sees it as a fundamental shift, a way to move data from the buy side to the sell side, leveraging dynamic pricing and real-time optimization to drive down costs and drive up performance. “Dynamic pricing… is frankly cheaper for the buyers,” he explains, underscoring the importance of using data and technology to cut through the murkiness of the current system. Audigent is doubling down on this vision, working to integrate real-time data and AI capabilities through partnerships with industry heavyweights like Onetag and TransUnion to make sure they’re delivering the goods, not just the gloss.
But don’t be fooled by just any shiny new label. While Audigent and a few others are truly redefining the game, many curation platforms are more smoke and mirrors than substance. As Lotame notes, even with promises of enhanced transparency and control, the real value of curation depends heavily on the integrity and quality of the data being used. The challenge, then, is figuring out which curators are genuinely adding value and which are just wolves in sheep’s clothing, hoping you won’t look too closely while they pocket their margin. This is especially critical as we transition into a post-cookie world, where transparency and trust are everything.
In short, be skeptical and savvy. The curation craze has everyone jumping on the bandwagon, but the truth is, not every player is making magic happen. Some are just hoping you won’t notice the sleight of hand while they rake in their margin. Before you buy into the promise of “incremental lift,” make sure you’re not just buying another flashy PowerPoint pitch. As Stein puts it, curation done right is a game-changer; done wrong, it’s just another hustle in the ever-chaotic world of ad tech.
The Efficiency Dream (Or Nightmare?)
With increased efficiency through curation comes a reduction in waste — the digital ad world’s equivalent of Marie Kondo-ing your closet. Curation sifts through and refines data, ensuring only the good stuff gets through. Think of it like sorting the wheat from the chaff, or in this case, the quality impressions from the metric ton of low-value junk. As marketers struggle with a fragmented audience landscape and declining effectiveness of third-party cookies, programmatic curation offers a way to cut through the complexity, making sure every ad dollar is spent wisely.
Audigent points out that “curated marketplaces can be created and developed with key industry trends in mind,” such as sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and privacy. These curated packages allow for more tailored verticals like entertainment and B2B, fostering greater collaboration between publishers and advertisers while promoting a sustainable ecosystem where everyone wins — advertisers get better targeting, consumers see more relevant ads, and publishers can monetize more effectively.
Adding to this, a report from OpenX highlights how curation offers a clear and consolidated path for advertisers by reducing reliance on a web of intermediaries. The result? More efficient ad placements and better inventory control. As OpenX emphasizes, their curated supply eliminates low-quality “Made for Advertising” (MFA) content and supports more sustainable practices by optimizing their supply chain, offering both transparency and enhanced targeting capabilities that directly tie ad spend to desired outcomes. This means that curated supply portfolios allow buyers to optimize their supply paths based on consumer interests, publisher rates, and brand values, rather than getting lost in the noise of endless options and hidden fees.
However, while curation offers numerous advantages, it’s not without its challenges. Dan Owens of Multilocal warns that curation is still a young methodology, surrounded by noise and confusion about its tools and applications. The key is partnering with trusted providers who can navigate the curation landscape, provide privacy-compliant first-party data, and offer curated packages that genuinely align with an advertiser’s campaign goals. The bottom line? Programmatic curation promises a path toward greater efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness, but only if executed with a clear strategy and reliable partners. As the industry continues to evolve, leveraging curated data smartly will become crucial to success in the post-cookie world
The Real Winners in Curation’s New World Order
To thrive in this brave new world, Curation Houses can’t just rest on their laurels and hope their shiny new tech will dazzle the room. They need to get serious about bringing unique data partnerships to the table, serving up exclusive inventory like it’s artisanal avocado toast, and cutting through the buzzword-bingo that fills every pitch deck these days. As Nick Hill from EssenceMediacom aptly points out in ExchangeWire, “The real winners in the curation era will be those who can demonstrate unique access to new signals or a fresh approach to unlocking the rich value within publishers’ audiences.” In other words, don’t just talk the talk—show us the magic.
But let’s not get carried away. The ad tech industry is notorious for promising revolutions that end up looking more like a new coat of paint on the same rusty clunker. The old-school way of doing things—relying on DSPs to maximize their margins while delivering mediocre results to advertisers—is still kicking around, stubbornly refusing to die. The only thing they’ve revolutionized is their ability to prioritize their bottom line over your campaign’s success. If you’re not vigilant, you could find yourself back at square one, swimming in the same murky waters that Scott Messer so colorfully describes as “programmatic purgatory.”
So, what does it take to rise above the noise? For starters, transparency needs to be more than just a buzzword thrown around at industry panels. Curation Houses need to make their operations as clear as a summer day. Show exactly where the ad spend is going, what value it’s driving, and how it stacks up against all those dazzling AI predictions. If they can’t provide that, they might as well be selling snake oil in a fancy bottle.
Moreover, they must champion the idea of direct relationships. No more layers upon layers of middlemen skimming a bit off the top until there’s nothing left for the publisher or advertiser. Think of it like farm-to-table dining, but for ad dollars: fresh, direct, and not handled by a hundred different vendors along the way. Real transparency, combined with unique data, is the secret sauce that will set the true innovators apart.
In the end, the future of Curation Houses will depend on their ability to deliver on these promises. As the industry continues to evolve, those that can cut through the noise with real value and measurable results will thrive. The rest? They’ll likely end up as cautionary tales, relegated to the annals of ad tech history, as yet another trend that never quite lived up to the hype.
Drew Stein, the brain behind Audigent, saw the writing on the wall early on: the old data networks were “busted,” and something needed to shake up the stale game of programmatic advertising. “Curation” wasn’t even a buzzword when Audigent kicked off, but Stein knew there was magic in the idea. He describes it as “the application of data through the supply path,” turning the tables by shifting power from the buyers to the sellers. The new play? Dynamic pricing and real-time optimization that’s “frankly cheaper” for buyers and privacy-friendly—because who wants their data shipped all over the web like a digital hot potato?
Stein isn’t just peddling another ad tech miracle cure; he’s pointing to a future where data gets to stay close to home, cozy and secure, without being slung around like the contents of a yard sale. He sees curation as the ultimate strategy for maintaining control, driving efficiency, and finally getting some respect for your data—keeping it in the family, so to speak, where it belongs. As Stein puts it, you get “all the best parts of programmatic and more,” without the usual mess of inefficiency and privacy concerns.
Can Curation Truly Save Us, or Are We Just Drinking the Kool-Aid?
Maybe. Or maybe this is just another flavor of the month in ad tech’s endless parade of “game-changers.” You know how it goes: today’s savior is tomorrow’s cautionary tale. But if you listen to folks like Wei Hsueh from Equativ, there might be a genuine opportunity in this mess. “With direct access to publisher supply,” Hsueh argues, “buyers can bypass intermediaries, ensuring a more streamlined distribution of resources and ad spend.” That sounds pretty nice if you’re tired of the middlemen sucking up every spare penny like programmatic vampires.
Nishanth Raju over at Lotame chimes in with a similar pitch. He says, “Curated deals deliver scale, incremental reach, and optimized supply paths to advertisers at the right price while meeting or exceeding KPI benchmarks observed at open auctions.” Translation? Curation might just turn your ad spend from a game of darts in the dark to something resembling an actual strategy. But, hey, we’ve all heard the buzzwords before: “scale,” “incremental reach,” and “optimized supply paths” are the mantras of an industry that loves to sell sizzle but often forgets about the steak.
So, can Curation Houses be the white knights galloping in to save programmatic from itself? They certainly seem to offer a glimmer of hope in an industry where trust is about as common as a unicorn. Scott Messer, who has seen more programmatic catastrophes than most of us have had hot dinners, says, “2025 might just be the year when publishers take back some control, buyers find their footing, and the programmatic world starts looking less like a bad habit and more like a balanced diet.” Hope springs eternal, Scott.
But before we all start singing hallelujah and building statues in their honor, let’s pump the brakes. There’s still a ton of work to do to separate the real innovators from the charlatans who just discovered the word “curation” in a PowerPoint slide and decided to make it their personality. So, keep your eyes open, sharpen your pitchforks, and ask the hard questions. Because, let’s be real, we’ve been promised saviors before, and we all know how that story usually ends: in tears, broken KPIs, and yet another round of “what went wrong?”
Here’s the kicker: maybe this time, the savior is real. Or maybe we’re just caught up in another round of tech snake oil sales.
But hey, without a little skepticism, where’s the fun in this industry anyway?
