A relentless and talented leader, Rick presently oversees the end-to-end operations at OneOneDay.

Ad-tech startups are like 7-Eleven these days. The developments in technology, third party verifications and collaborative initiatives have marked a new era in this industry. However, at the same time, we have various challenges and concerns like the issue of transparency, view ability index, advertisement fraud and brand safety. We all know that the industry needs to address these issues to ensure a fair playing ground, but how? Transparency can certainly help create a synergy among publishers, technology partners, agencies and advertisers but the aim is to create a niche that helps maximize gains for advertisers and brands while creating value for customers.

Respect Viewers' Attention
Viewers' attention is the most critical part of a successful marketing campaign. We can only attract viewers' attention through quality, engaging and relevant content, especially when customization and personalization have become the catchphrases for the industry. With new technology like Blockchain, it can be used effectively in tandem with psycho metrics to reinvent viewers' experience.

Everyone will agree that our attention is valuable but not many know that it can be transformed into tangible rewards. The precious six to eight seconds that a viewer spends on an advertisement should be respected.

Understanding the Importance of Privacy Protection
Recent developments in the ad-tech industry have raised the question of the ethical use of data, especially user data in digital marketing. Exploiting the data and tracking users without their permission is definitely not an ethical practice, not to say a sustainable method to grow in the industry.

A new era for the permission-based ad delivery model is on the anvil. Most countries today have tightened the rules about data protection. Companies involved in ad-tech are bound to use accountable methods for advertising activity. Be resourceful with how you reach audiences and think beyond the cookies, technology can do a better job of creating an ecosystem is ethical and sustainable.

Connect Viewers and Advertisers
The ultimate goal of the advertiser is to form a connection between the brand and the viewers. There is a need not just to deliver but encourage interactions between the two parties - engage and provoke conversations. To do so, it means one needs to create a trend and lead the trend as well. Also, the use of AI and ML has worked to automate the industry to a greater extent. Reaching out to customers and catering to their interests can optimize marketing campaigns. The concept is simple, the influence of the campaign is intensified when end-user is engaged and it can create the desired impact.

There is a need not just to deliver but encourage interactions between the two parties - engage and provoke conversations.

Genuine Accountability to Advertisers
Advertisers have woken up to the need for transparency and accountability in the current ad-tech climate. Viewers are growing more discriminating and cultivated, and the need for improvement and advancement is a continuous effort. The demand for higher efficiency and reporting is on the rise. Brands require verified ad spend and the need to analyze ad spend is a value addition on each advertisement. Third-party verification has become more or less mandatory in measuring the quantifiable impact of the advertising effort.

When it comes to transparency, it should be three-sixty degrees, and there should be a clarity of purpose and a cross-functional escalation between marketing teams and C-suites of the brand. The brand should be in perfect sync with tech partners, advertisers, publishers and agencies, along with sustainable internal practices. Brand safety is of paramount importance. Therefore, ad fraud is definitely not tolerable within the ad-tech space.

As the third-party collaborations are becoming the mirror for digital advertising, there are companies in this space providing open-source mobile verification SDK to enhance account-ability. The broader industry status quo can be maintained and made accurate and consistent to all parties. On top of that, publishers are empowered to measure mobile inventories in a more concise manner without hampering the user experience. This way, the single source SDK is not only beneficial for viewers and advertisers, for example, reduce ad-frauds and improves viewers' engagement, but also adds value to the brand experience. With the third-party collaborations help reducing overheads, it can tighten the digital security measures and enhance the data security, which helps publishers verify the supply-side platforms with ease and create a rich and `well-covered' advertising experience.

Creating Social Impact through Innovation
I believe that all businesses should be a powerful force for good, by combining the strength of technology and social investment. This is also crucial for an ad-tech company to stay alive and ahead, especially consumers are the focus.

Standout advertising campaigns should spearhead social innovation and evolution or even a movement that can change the world or people's thinking. Viewers should be able to invest their time in the social causes they are drawn to and watch content that is in sync with their beliefs. Social change impacts the entire world. Some may think grass root changes may seem imperceptible, but they have the power to impact lives. Advertisements should be able to engage, motivate and incite social changes, or a revolution!