Dive Brief:
- More than 20 companies are coming together to create a framework that will enable media agencies to better use artificial intellgience (AI) to complete their buying and selling across a fragmented landscape of publishers, per a press release.
- The new Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) is designed to lay the groundwork as AI media agents take hold. Founding companies include Yahoo, Optable, PubMatic, Scope3, Swivel and Triton Digital.
- The framework is intended to be similar to how OpenRTB standardized real-time bidding in the early days of programmatic advertising, which enabled advertisers to execute their media plans and budgets more quickly and efficiently.
Dive Insight:
AdCP’s creation is a testament to the fundamental changes AI is driving across all sectors of the advertising industry. While many investments in AI have been in data analysis and campaign optimization, AdCP is a demonstration of how AI’s use may expand deeper into areas such as media planning, negotiation and buying.
AdCP is intended to create “a bridge between today’s programmatic ecosystem and the emerging agentic future” by “building a common language for AI agents across the advertising ecosystem,” according to the press materials. Through this language, agents can work with existing DSPs, SSPs and ad servers to conduct their current business while gradually creating new transactional protocols.
The system will be built on Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, with the initial release containing protocols for audience activation, curation and media buying. The full list of members includes representatives from all sides of the programmatic ecosystem, including Accuweather, Adgent, Bidcliq, Butler/Till, Classify, HYPD, Kargo, Kiln, LG Ad Solutions, Locala, Magnite, Media.net, MiQ, Nativo, Newton Research, OpenAds, Raptive, Samba TV, Scribd, The Product Counsel and The Weather Company.
Additionally, with so many partners collaborating, the work can happen at scale, so that AdCP can reach across a number of compatible platforms or agents and ensure quick adoption. Through the platform, advertisers will have direct access to partner audiences and inventory directly without having to navigate programmatic infrastructures.
Publishers can more efficiently offer any advertising product requested, and all partners will have more flexible real-time transaction models based on audience segments, engagement and other metrics. All of this could lead to a simpler, more transparent, more efficient programmatic advertising ecosystem, according to the press materials. AdCP is currently available for implementation for any company.
The advertising industry is going all-in on its AI investments, particularly in the areas of generative AI for creative development, as well as data mining and campaign optimization. Last week, WPP and Google announced they would expand their partnership for another five years in a deal that will include a $400 million investment from the holding company for additional Google technologies. According to an announcement, the wide-ranging deal will “empower brands to create hyper-relevant campaigns in days, not months.”
