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Brian Gleason, who previously helmed retail media initiatives at Criteo, has transitioned to the role of CEO at contextual ad platform Seedtag, expressing a conviction that contextual advertising represents a significantly larger and more impactful frontier than even the burgeoning retail media sector. Gleason’s pivot signals a broader industry trend towards re-emphasizing the foundational principles of advertising, moving beyond a singular focus on granular targeting towards a more holistic approach that prioritizes audience connection and engagement.
Gleason’s departure from Criteo, where he served as CRO and president of retail media, marked a significant move within the advertising technology landscape. His tenure at Criteo was characterized by a strong belief in the potential of retail media networks to leverage shopper data for targeted advertising. However, his recent statements suggest a recalibration of his strategic focus, identifying contextual advertising, particularly when enhanced by advanced AI capabilities, as the next major growth area for the industry.
The Shift Back to Advertising’s Roots: Connection Over Cookies
"We’ve become so hyper-focused on cookies and targeting that we lost what advertising really was about: connection," Gleason articulated in a recent interview with AdExchanger. This statement encapsulates a growing sentiment among industry leaders that the relentless pursuit of individual user data, exemplified by the reliance on third-party cookies, has inadvertently diluted the core objective of advertising: to forge meaningful connections between brands and consumers.
Gleason argues that true connection is built on capturing attention and eliciting emotion, elements that are not adequately measured or leveraged by cookie-based tracking or traditional content categorization. He posits that the limitations of these legacy methods can be overcome by the sophisticated analytical power of artificial intelligence. Agentic AI, in particular, has the capacity to uncover deeper insights into audience sentiment and engagement, insights that can then be translated into effective advertising strategies.
Seedtag’s strategic direction, under Gleason’s leadership, is deeply intertwined with this vision. The company’s acquisition of video-focused SSP Beachfront last year was a key move to bolster its capabilities. This acquisition empowers Seedtag’s AI agent, named Liz, to analyze and target audiences not only based on the context of content but also on its emotional resonance, extending these capabilities to Connected TV (CTV) and the broader open web. This approach aims to deliver advertising that is not only relevant to the content being consumed but also emotionally engaging for the viewer.
Seedtag’s Growth Trajectory and the Immense Potential of Contextual Advertising
The contextual advertising market, according to Gleason, represents a substantial economic opportunity, estimated to be between $250 billion and $350 billion globally. While acknowledging his deep affinity for the retail media space, he firmly believes that contextual advertising offers an even larger canvas for innovation and growth.
Seedtag has already established a significant global presence, operating in 17 markets and connecting with over 16,000 publishers. The company, which originated in Madrid, has seen robust expansion in the United States since its entry two years ago, achieving an impressive 120% growth in the U.S. market last year. In the EMEA region, Seedtag reported over 30% growth in the last quarter, underscoring its strong performance across diverse markets.
Seedtag’s Strategic Priorities Under New Leadership
Gleason has outlined a clear set of priorities for Seedtag, centered around three core pillars:
1. Advancing Neurocontextual Targeting: The Power of Emotion and Attention
The foremost priority is the widespread adoption and understanding of "neurocontextual targeting." This innovative approach moves beyond the traditional keyword and category-based analysis of contextual advertising. Seedtag’s AI platform, Liz, is designed to identify and leverage signals of emotion, attention, and interest, enabling advertisers to connect with audiences on a more profound, human level. This represents a significant evolution from earlier contextual solutions that primarily relied on surface-level content analysis.
2. Global Scaling and U.S. Market Expansion
A key objective is to continue scaling Seedtag’s operations across all its existing markets, with a particular emphasis on accelerating its growth trajectory in the United States. This involves strengthening publisher relationships, expanding its advertiser base, and solidifying its position as a leading provider of contextual advertising solutions.
3. Cross-Channel Integration and CTV Development
The third priority is to enhance Seedtag’s cross-channel capabilities, with a strategic focus on CTV. While CTV is a rapidly expanding segment of the media landscape, contextual targeting in this environment presents unique challenges. Seedtag aims to develop more sophisticated solutions that can effectively leverage context and emotional resonance within the CTV ecosystem, unlocking new monetization opportunities for publishers and more impactful campaigns for advertisers.
Scaling Through Publisher Relationships and Agency Integration
Gleason emphasized the critical importance of nurturing relationships with both brands and publishers. His background, which includes a decade at WPP and strong connections with major agency holding groups like Publicis and Omnicom, positions him to accelerate the integration of Seedtag’s tools into agency planning systems. This strategic alignment with agencies is expected to drive broader adoption and utilization of Seedtag’s contextual solutions.
For publishers, Gleason’s focus is on maximizing the value derived from their consumer relationships. This involves not only employing effective targeting mechanisms but also ensuring that advertising is intrinsically relevant to the content and resonates with the audience. Seedtag’s Liz agent is positioned as a tool to help publishers gain deeper insights into their content and the emotional connections it fosters, thereby enabling more effective monetization strategies.
The Future of Programmatic Advertising: AI Agents and Interconnectivity
The evolving vision of programmatic advertising, where buy-side AI agents communicate with sell-side AI agents, is a subject of keen interest. Gleason acknowledges this potential but cautions against an overly fragmented landscape of independent agents. He envisions a future where seamless connectivity between these entities is paramount.
"There’s got to be connectivity between those two worlds, and it’s not easy to bring them together," Gleason stated. He anticipates that a select few players will emerge as leaders in this integrated ecosystem. While platforms like Meta offer a pathway into social advertising and Google’s Performance Max provides a streamlined approach for performance campaigns, Seedtag aims to be the connective tissue, bridging the buy and sell sides with intelligence that spans both. The challenge, he noted, lies in achieving this connectivity at scale, across multiple channels, which is what makes the current opportunity so compelling.
Addressing Transparency and the "Black Box" Concern in AI Advertising
The rise of agentic AI in advertising brings with it legitimate concerns about transparency and the potential for "black-box" systems where algorithms operate without clear explanation. Gleason directly addressed these anxieties, asserting that transparency, brand safety, and privacy must be the bedrock of any AI-driven advertising solution.
"It’s absolutely true," Gleason affirmed. "Transparency, brand safety and privacy have to be the basic foundations for anything we do." He stressed the importance of being fully transparent about inventory and ad placements, as well as the demonstrable outcomes of campaigns. Furthermore, he emphasized that the adoption of AI should not alienate human stakeholders. Instead, there must be a concerted effort to "bring people along the journey" by educating clients about how AI models function, how they can be customized, and how they facilitate deeper emotional connections.
Seedtag’s Position in a Blurring Ad Tech Landscape
As the lines between DSPs and SSPs continue to blur, Seedtag aims to carve out a distinct and accessible position in the marketplace. While the company operates an exchange for its inventory and is committed to its further development, its core strategy is to make its intelligence accessible through various buying paths. The agentic frontend, powered by Liz, will serve as the primary activation point. However, Seedtag will also accommodate traditional DSPs, allowing them to activate campaigns through Seedtag’s exchange, ensuring flexibility for buyers.
Exploring Synergies with Retail and Commerce Media
Gleason also expressed an openness to exploring collaborations with retail and commerce media platforms, including his former employer, Criteo. He highlighted the potential for integrating emotional signals with contextual targeting and purchase intent data to create comprehensive, end-to-end funnel strategies. "We’d love to have that conversation with everybody, including Criteo," he stated, indicating a forward-looking approach to industry partnerships that could unlock new avenues for performance and brand building. This strategic openness suggests a recognition of the interconnectedness of various advertising disciplines and a desire to leverage complementary strengths.
