U of Digital Newsletter - 7/2/25 (free)

June 25th-July 1st

Below is a roundup of last week’s notable industry news, with summaries and our opinions. Lightning round format this week! Starting with TikTok, which keeps on ticking…

U of Digital has partnered with Zeta Global to create a FREE course for marketers, publishers, and ad pros ready to gain back control and thrive in a privacy-first world!

🧠 Understand the real cost of data loss
🔍 Learn what makes first-party data so powerful
📈 Meet HIRO, a first-party identity solution that actually works
🚀 Future-proof your strategy, without starting from scratch

Practical, real-world training for anyone navigating the 1st-party data future.

🎓 Take the FREE course here and get HIRO certified!

Top Stories 👁️

TikTok pushes deeper into AI-powered ads amid uncertainty over U.S. ban🔒 - At Cannes Lions, TikTok announced that it is evolving its AI-powered ad tool Smart+ to offer advertisers two paths: a hands-off approach where AI handles campaign management, or an à la carte approach where advertisers selectively use Smart+ tools. TikTok recently launched Smart+ target ROAS and is testing an audience suggestion tool. The company is also preparing to bundle search inventory into Smart+ campaigns by default, mirroring Google's PMax approach.

Opinion: TikTok’s continued investment in AI-powered advertising tools shows it is determined to continue embedding itself deeper into the US advertising ecosystem, even amid political uncertainty over its future. (Many advertisers—including us—don't think it will ever be banned under the current administration.)

Alliant Acquires AnalyticsIQ To Scale Up Its Audience Graph - The audience platform is making its first acquisition under new private equity owner Inverness Graham, combining Alliant's transactional purchase data with AnalyticsIQ's behavioral modeling based on health, wellness, and cognitive psychology surveys. As part of the deal, AnalyticsIQ CEO Scarlett Shipp will take over as Alliant's new CEO, while current CEO JoAnne Monfradi Dunn transitions to the board. The combined company plans to build a unified audience graph offering more sophisticated probabilistic modeling as deterministic data becomes scarcer. Terms weren't disclosed.

Opinion: Traditional transaction data (what people buy) is becoming table stakes—the real value lies in understanding why they buy. AnalyticsIQ's psychological profiling represents the next frontier of audience targeting. Expect more data companies to chase behavioral prediction over historical patterns.

As Integral Ad Science marks its fourth anniversary on the Nasdaq, speculation mounts over its future🔒 - With a $1.07B market cap, IAS has attracted acquisition interest from multiple private equity firms, though deals have stalled amid tariff-related uncertainty. KKR initially explored a takeover that would take IAS private but has since backed away. Bain Capital also looked at a possible acquisition. Others told Digiday that there were discussions to potentially divest CTV ad server Publica, which IAS bought in 2021 for $220M. Vista Equity Partners, IAS' largest shareholder with 40% ownership, is pushing for an exit as their 2016 fund approaches its 10-year lifespan. The broader ad verification industry faces headwinds from regulatory scrutiny, lawsuits, and new AI-first competitors like Scope3.

Opinion: Vista's exit pressure signals a broader reckoning for ad verification. The sector built high valuations on the promise of solving rampant brand safety and fraud issues, but recent scandals suggest they've been overselling their capabilities. Smart money is realizing verification might be a feature, not a standalone business. Might these companies get snatched up by larger ad tech platforms in the near future?

Crisp Acquires Cantactix, As Ad Tech And Analytics Unite Around Retail Data - CPG data analytics company Crisp, founded by former Tapad CEO Are Traasdahl, continues its aggressive expansion with its sixth acquisition in the past year. Crisp is adding in-store analytics capabilities that help retailers optimize shelf space allocation through planograms—visual diagrams mapping product placement. While Crisp doesn't directly facilitate marketing connections, its data helps brands demonstrate value to retailers and supports the growing need for CPG companies to prove their advertising drives actual store traffic.

Opinion: Traasdahl is building the pipes between digital advertising and physical retail—which represents the holy grail of attribution. Crisp is betting that whoever controls the shelf-to-sale connection will own the future of CPG advertising.

Game Advertising Gets More Play With New IAB Measurement Framework 🔒 - The new standards aim to help advertisers evaluate campaign performance in gaming environments, establishing consistent metrics for display, video, and audio ads. The framework addresses confusion around gaming ad effectiveness by providing uniform terminology and reporting standards across different platforms. With more than 80% of American internet users now gaming regularly, industry executives see standardization as solving a key barrier to gaming ad adoption and investment.

Opinion: Gaming ads have merely been the "next big thing" for a decade because they couldn't prove ROI. The IAB's framework finally gives gaming a common language to compete with social and video for budgets. Expect gaming inventory to command premium CPMs once brands can actually compare performance across platforms.

United Is Selling Ads for JetBlue, With Eyes on Other Airlines🔒 - United's Kinective Media has executed 130 campaigns for 100+ brands and is now expanding beyond its own planes by partnering with JetBlue to sell in-flight ads. The partnership combines United's 110M traveler profiles with JetBlue's 40M, creating a 150M-person database spanning business travelers and East Coast leisure segments. United is also betting on monetizing its upcoming Starlink Wi-Fi rollout, with plans to integrate ads into free Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members and create an integrated commerce ecosystem for shopping, streaming, and gaming during flights.

Opinion: As we saw a few weeks ago from all the announcements out of Cannes, there is a general trend toward strategic partnerships and away from walled gardens. United and JetBlue's hookup will be good for both companies and advertisers if they can make it easier for brands to leverage their data and buy their inventory at scale. United is moving fast to try and become the preeminent “travel media” company! 👀

Paid Subscribers See ALL The Digital Advertising News.

Thank you for reading the U of Digital Newsletter.
Continue reading by upgrading.

That’s It For This Week 👋

The U of Digital Weekly Newsletter is intended for subscribers, but occasional forwarding is okay!

To subscribe visit Uof.Digital/Newsletters or contact us directly for group subscriptions.

And remember, U of Digital helps teams drive better outcomes through structured education on critical topics like programmatic, privacy / identity, CTV, commerce media, AI, and more. Interested in learning more about how we can supercharge your team?