Curation in AdTech: The Silent Powerhouse Reshaping Programmatic Media
What was once dismissed as a buzzword is now a defining force in digital advertising. Curation—the packaging of audience data and supply chain intelligence into high-value private marketplaces (PMPs)—has become a cornerstone of programmatic strategy.
With over 66% of open exchange advertising, representing a massive $100 billion in annual spend, now running through PMPs, curation has moved from experimental to essential. And for brands, agencies, and publishers alike, the results are hard to ignore.
The Math Behind the Momentum
From reducing data costs to boosting conversion rates, curation is delivering measurable gains. Take Boiron, the homeopathic brand: by leveraging curated PMPs, it slashed data spend by 30%, exceeded CPA benchmarks by 82% for display, and by 41% for video.
And it’s not an outlier. According to multiple case studies:
- Advertisers saved 36%-81% on data segments compared to open exchange.
- They saw 10%-70% lower CPC, 1.5-3x higher CTR, and 10%-30% better video completion rates.
- Butler/Till’s Conditions Marketplace strategies led to a 48% eCPM improvement, 26% CPA improvement, and a 58% ROAS boost for a pharma client.
This isn’t just performance optimization—it’s a wholesale reinvention of how programmatic works.
Solving Signal Loss and Identity Woes
With the deprecation of cookies, signal loss has become one of the most urgent challenges in ad tech. Curation steps in as a reliable solution.
By integrating real-time data from the supply side, curation:
- Mitigates reliance on third-party cookies and legacy identifiers.
- Increases addressability by using first-party, third-party, contextual, indexed, and modeled audiences.
- Ensures brands can target audiences more accurately without compromising on privacy or reach.
Unlike DMPs and open exchanges, curated PMPs are built for data enrichment at the source—unlocking granular audience insights and media efficiency without the guesswork.
What Counts as True Curation?
Not all that claims to be curation qualifies. As the buzz grows, so does the confusion. According to Drew Stein, Managing Director at Audigent and Experian Marketing Services, true curation hinges on three core elements:
- Unique Audience Data – A mix of proprietary, contextual, and modeled datasets.
- Strong SSP Integrations – Deep supply-side platform connections to ensure real-time sync between data and inventory.
- Performance Optimization – Real-time intelligence that enhances bidding strategies and campaign delivery.
If a provider doesn’t check all three boxes, it’s not real curation—it’s repackaging.
Win-Win-Win for Brands, Agencies, and Publishers
Brands using curated inventory not only gain cost efficiencies but also better attribution, insights, and control. With log-level data, they can dig deeper into what’s working and why—critical as identity resolution becomes harder across fragmented channels.
Publishers, too, are seeing major benefits:
- Those using curated PMPs experienced a 70% mobile revenue increase in the U.S.
- For connected TV, revenue jumped by 13%—a signal that even premium inventory benefits from curated deal structures.
A Shift in Strategy, Not Just Tactics
Index Exchange CEO Andrew Casale put it bluntly:
“Curation will be bigger than header bidding and as big as programmatic or RTB.”
In a market obsessed with scale, curation offers precision at scale. As marketers seek ways to future-proof campaigns in a cookieless world, curation has become more than just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative.
“These results aren’t outliers,” said Amanda DeVito, CMO at Butler/Till. “They’re proof that curation is no longer optional—it’s mandatory for marketers who want performance, precision, and scale working in lockstep.”
