Prebid Summit 2024 Recap: Exploring the Future of Ad Tech and Programmatic

You know you’re in the ad tech space when explaining what you do takes longer than five minutes—and even then, the person you’re talking to still looks confused. Well, that’s exactly how it felt when we attended Prebid Summit 2024! But don’t worry, we’ve boiled down the key insights.

Recently, our team had the chance to attend Prebid Summit 2024, our first time at this event. The event gave us a fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities in the ad tech space. It brought together developers, advertisers, and other industry players to share ideas on how to navigate the current changes in digital advertising.

The Importance of Software

In the opening remarks, one message stood out: software is at the core of everything in ad tech. The challenges we face year after year push new companies and people to get involved, and open-source communities like Prebid are what allow everyone to contribute. As a company focused on creating innovative ad solutions, this aligns with how we approach building tools and solutions that are accessible and adaptable.

Where Ad Tech is Heading: Fireside Chat

One of the sessions we found most interesting was a fireside chat on the future of ad tech and SSPs (Supply-Side Platforms).

• Google’s antitrust trial was discussed, with some questioning whether there will be real consequences for Google Ad Manager (GAM), given how competitive the market already is.
• Third-party cookies and the ongoing shift towards more privacy-focused solutions were big topics. With browsers phasing out third-party cookies and IP addresses likely to be next, the ad industry is having to rethink how it tracks and targets users. New solutions like contextual targeting and cohorts built from website content are becoming more important.
• MFA (Made-for-Advertising) sites are a growing problem. These sites are often low-quality, yet they take advantage of the system to generate revenue. The takeaway was that SSPs should be more proactive in cutting off these sites, using tools like sellers.json to block bad actors and ensure that ad dollars go to legitimate publishers.

First-Party Identifiers: A New Way to Target

One of the final sessions we attended talked about first-party identifiers—ways that publishers can use their own data to help advertisers target users. Combining different identifiers like SharedID and HadronID can make ads more effective by improving accuracy in identifying audiences. This is especially important as third-party cookies disappear and new methods of tracking emerge.

Technical Sessions

We learned about new tools. One tool we found particularly useful was Professor Prebid (GitHub), a Chrome extension that helps with debugging Prebid setups. It’s a simple tool but could save a lot of time for anyone working with Prebid, especially when troubleshooting.

In another session, there was a discussion about the 2025 roadmap for Prebid Server. A big focus was on making the system more modular, allowing publishers to pick and choose the features they need. There were also technical discussions around what programming languages (like GO vs. Java) should be used, though no final decisions were made. As we think about how we might use Prebid more effectively, these conversations were really valuable.

Moving Forward

Overall, this conference gave us a lot to think about. We learned about the latest trends in ad tech, from privacy changes to new tools that can help publishers and advertisers navigate a changing landscape. We’re excited to take these lessons back to our team and apply them to how we build and refine our ad solutions at ResponsiveAds.