DCMN

Pandemic Pushed Brands to Try TV Ads

The pandemic created a rare opening for brands that had never advertised on television to test TV advertising, according to Maria Mryasova, DCMN’s director of product. In an interview filmed at VideoWeek Roadmap 2021, Mryasova notes that traditional linear TV has weathered the crisis and continued to deliver strong ROI, underscoring TV’s ongoing relevance as brands rebalance their media mix. The conversation highlights experimentation with TV as a response to changing consumer behavior and fragmentation across channels, while acknowledging the broader shift toward TV/CTV formats within the advertising ecosystem. The piece is part of VideoWeek’s coverage of European video and connected TV advertising and reflects the event’s emphasis on the future of video, TV, and media technology.

Google Replaces FLoC with Topics API

Google announced the Topics API, a new tool in the Privacy Sandbox designed to replace the Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) as Chrome phases out third-party cookies. The API runs in the browser to infer a user's top interests and shares three topics—drawn from the past three weeks—with the site and ad partners to enable targeting. Google frames Topics as a simpler, more privacy-conscious alternative to cookies, but the approach remains controversial: FLoC drew privacy and antitrust complaints from privacy advocates and the UK CMA, and Topics has been criticized for lacking explicit user consent and for the limited granularity (about 350 topics). Google plans EU testing in Q1, underscoring regulatory scrutiny. Industry voices acknowledge that Topics could augment publishers with first-party data and contextual strategies, while warning it is not a silver bullet and will require ongoing testing and adjustment before full deployment.

Influencer-Agentur Buzzbird holt Katrin Kolossa in die Geschäftsführung

Buzzbird, an influencer-marketing agency, appointed Katrin Kolossa to its management board in April 2020, joining founder Andreas Türck as part of a doubling of leadership. Co-founder Felix Hummel stepped back from day-to-day operations at the beginning of the year but remains a Buzzbird shareholder. Kolossa brings 13+ years in media and marketing leadership across Spiegel, Deutsche Welle, CNN, Media Impact, Funke, Content Fleet, Wolters Kluwer, and DCMN; she previously ran her own consultancy since 2017 with clients including the Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur, eBay and Deloitte. Buzzbird describes its data-driven influencer-marketing platform, giving advertisers campaign data (likes, views, comments) and demographic details; its algorithm pre-selects influencers to fit brand requirements, enabling fast, automated collaborations.