Curation in Digital Advertising: Insights from Fern Potter of Multilocal
In this episode of The Six Sells Podcast, Mike Nicholson is joined by Fern Potter, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at Multilocal, to discuss the growing field of digital curation.
The Six Sells Podcast is sponsored by Lumen Research, the eye-tracking technology company helping brands to plan, buy, measure, and optimise advertising towards real human attention.
In this episode, Fern and Mike discussed ...
What is Curation and Why Does It Matter?
Multilocal operates as an independent curation expert business, with a focus on packaging high-performance audiences from the open web into media deals. Fern explains that curation bridges the gap between the buy and sell sides, ensuring that media deals work for both advertisers and publishers. For advertisers, this means access to meaningful, high-performing audiences; for publishers, it’s about optimising the monetisation of their assets.
As Fern puts it, curation is about “packaging high-performance audiences from the open web into deals, making them work for both the publisher and the advertiser.” It’s about making sure those deals are not only relevant but also high-performing, delivering real value to both sides of the transaction.
The Challenges of Programmatic and How Curation Helps
While programmatic advertising has transformed the industry, Fern acknowledges the challenges it’s created. “It’s a bit more of a spray and paint approach,” she says, referring to how ads are placed broadly across the open marketplace. This often results in inefficiencies and a lack of control. Curation, however, offers a more refined approach. By narrowing the focus to relevant audience segments and specific media environments, curation allows for more targeted, efficient, and effective media buys.
For publishers, this shift means greater control over how their inventory is sold. Unlike in the open marketplace, where the bidding logic is controlled by the buyer, curation enables publishers to manage deals and ensure performance. Fern describes how, by using curation, publishers are able to “package up the tools as well as the services” to ensure better results. This leads to better yield and performance for publishers who want to make the most of their media assets.
Sustainability Through Curation
An often-overlooked benefit of curation is its positive impact on sustainability. By focusing on relevant inventory and reducing the number of ad requests, curation helps to reduce the carbon footprint of programmatic advertising. Fern explains, “You’re reducing the amount of listening that has to happen because you’re carving that up on the supply side,” making the process more efficient and lowering wastage. As a result, curation leads to a more sustainable approach to media buying in programmatic advertising.
Curation vs. Ad Networks
When it comes to comparing curation with traditional ad networks, Fern points out the key differences. While both involve packaging audiences, the level of transparency and control offered by curation sets it apart. As she explains, “Curation is deals. It’s not the open marketplace. It’s completely transparent.” With curation, both advertisers and publishers know exactly what they are buying and selling, providing more accountability and greater clarity. This transparency ensures that media is bought and sold in a way that is not only efficient but also ethical, helping to reduce wastage and optimise results.
In contrast, ad networks often operate in a more opaque manner. Fern highlights that, in ad networks, advertisers may not always know exactly where their ads are being placed, which makes curation’s transparent, controlled approach more attractive for advertisers seeking greater certainty in their media buys.
The Value of Curation to Publishers
From a publisher’s perspective, curation offers significant advantages. Fern points out that publishers can benefit from curation by regaining control over how their inventory is sold. Unlike in the open marketplace, where bidding algorithms control ad placement, curation enables publishers to manage their own deals, giving them greater flexibility and transparency. By packaging their inventory in curated deals, publishers can maximise the value of their assets while ensuring that their audience’s needs are met.
Moreover, curation allows publishers to maintain a higher level of transparency with advertisers. Fern describes how working with curated deals gives publishers better visibility into their campaigns’ performance, enabling them to track results and make adjustments as needed. This ensures that publishers are getting the most out of their media inventory and helps them avoid the pitfalls of open marketplace deals, where performance metrics are often unclear.
How Brands and Publishers Can Get Started with Curation
For brands and publishers looking to get started with curation, Fern explains that the first step is understanding their goals. For brands, this involves determining what they want to achieve through programmatic buying and how curation can fit into their audience strategy. “Have they got a deals business? What is it they want to do with programmatic?” Fern asks. If a brand doesn’t already have a deals business, Multilocal offers expertise and support to help build one, ensuring that the brand can maximise the performance of its programmatic campaigns.
On the publisher side, the process starts by assessing whether they already have a deals business or if they need help getting started. Multilocal works with publishers to enhance their deals business, helping them achieve better results through curation. “What’s that testing plan? What have you got in place that we can help work with?” Fern asks, stressing the importance of understanding the publisher’s needs and tailoring the approach accordingly.
Curation vs. Ad Networks: A Deeper Dive
Some critics liken curation to an ad network, but Fern clarifies that there are key distinctions. While ad networks involve packaging audiences and delivering them to advertisers, curation operates on a more controlled and transparent basis. “Curation is deals. It’s not the open marketplace,” she explains. In curation, the audience targeting and media quality are clearly defined, and both the buyer and seller know exactly what they are getting. This makes curation a more accountable and transparent solution compared to the often opaque nature of ad networks, where advertisers may not always have full visibility into where their ads are placed.
Red Flags to Watch for When Getting Into Curation
As with any new technology, there are potential bumps in the road when getting started with curation. Fern advises that businesses should approach it with a clear understanding of their goals. “Going into everything with your eyes open and going, does this work for me?” she says. It’s important to evaluate whether curation is the right fit for your business before committing to it.
One potential red flag is the risk of encountering too many curation providers. “There’s quite a lot of curators around,” Fern notes, and advises businesses to carefully evaluate what each provider is offering. Understanding how each business operates and what is under the hood is crucial to making an informed decision.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Curation in 2025
Looking forward to 2025, Fern predicts continued growth for curation, especially as new formats such as Connected TV (CTV) and audio continue to enter the programmatic space. Fern is particularly excited about the increasing integration of Martech with AdTech, especially in the retail media space. She also notes the challenges posed by walled gardens, with companies like Google entering the curation space. “It felt like a good business decision for them,” Fern says, highlighting the stakes involved as large players begin to shape the future of curation.
Got questions? You can ask Fern or Mike directly in the comments of this post on LinkedIn.
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