In a statement to ADWEEK, a spokesperson for The Trade Desk said the company “remains focused on helping advertisers achieve better outcomes through an independent, objective platform that gives clients greater choice, control and flexibility. Our priority has always been, and will always be, delivering value for clients and building for the long term.”
What People Are Saying
Research firm Madison and Wall said The Trade Desk’s bet on transparency as a differentiator misreads how marketers actually choose where to spend.
“TTD has repeatedly focused on transparency, and believes that the open web will win out just because marketers know independence and trust and fairness are the correct way of doing business,” said Luke Stillman, managing director, Madison & Wall. “[Marketers] have shown us repeatedly that they care about performance first, and price and convenience second. Transparency and control over where money is spent don’t factor into it.”
Stillman expects the open web to keep losing ground to the rest of the digital ad economy, driving further consolidation in adtech.
“Pressure to reduce fees, pressure to scale up data signals, and pressure to invest in new AI-powered products will all mean that smaller platforms or point solutions struggle to thrive in the years to come,” Stillman said.
That doesn’t mean independent DSPs are dying off.
According to Sam Khoury, co-founder of Marketecture Media, players like StackAdapt—a newer, AI-native entrant—and Basis Technology, which is rooted in automation, are performing well. “There are advantages to being independent. It’s less conflict, a lot of cross-publisher reach, and usually innovation can be done by partnering or acquiring,” he said.
But despite being independent, TTD’s raison d’être hasn’t kept pace with the market movement.
“The Trade Desk went to market with ‘we are the fighters of the open internet,’ and they lost that narrative,” Khoury said. “The right step would be to provide all of the services that are required for an agency and brand, and start building for your clients again. I think they were building for themselves. They need to reflect on their customers and build for their customers.”
