why aren't all 7 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public
record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable
ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't;
assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card:
▮▮▮▮▮ certainty ·
▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Mark Grether predicts Sizmek will be the only global competitor to DoubleClick
“I think we are on a good path to establish ourselves as the only one who can truly compete with the Doubled League stack at global scale.”
Insight
Operating an ad server and media business creates inherent conflicts of interest
“If you are now also a publisher, if you're also running a media business, you would actually measure yourself. And it's obviously a conflict of interest, which you cannot go with.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mark Grether: Sizmek is the largest independent global buy-side ad platform
“We acquired Rocket Fuel. We combined both businesses, Seismic and Rocket Fuel, under the Seismic brand, and now we are the largest independent bi-fi platform for advertisers and agencies with about 1600 employees globally.”
Disclosure
Sizmek intentionally went private to execute an ad tech ecosystem roll-up
“So, we started a conversation when Seismic was still public, but with the knowledge that we want to actually take it private, and then we actually want to do the roll-up with other players in the ecosystem, and you can actually do that Much more easily in a no…”
Insight
Ad industry focuses on inputs because output remains too difficult to measure
“We focus as an industry too much on the input rather than on the output. And one of the reasons is that we just have a struggle to measure output, and the better we become in measuring the output, the more we can actually attach re-numerations and compensation…”
Insight
Advertisers want integrated platforms instead of stitched-together ad tech stacks
“What they really want to have is one platform that they can use to do everything in one single stack, right? They don't want to have a Frankenstein, Any longer where they have to stitch things together, they really truly won't have a one platform, which is sim…”
Disclosure
Sizmek acquires technology in emerging markets and relationships in core ones
“On the one hand, there are new opportunities. Again, I mentioned programmatic TV where we might be more looking into the talent and the technology, right? And then there are other areas where we already have a good footprint and therefore maybe we look more in…”