Adlook vs Equativ

Five Experts Discuss Signal Value in Video Planning

This article is an expert roundtable held ahead of the ADZINE CONNECT VIDEO 2026 conference. Five industry professionals from agencies and adtech companies discuss the optimal use of signals in video advertising planning. They debate the value of various data sources such as audience data, context, attention, purchase intent, and platform data, questioning whether more signals automatically lead to better decisions. Key themes include the importance of signals that drive concrete planning decisions, the risk of signal noise, the need for testing to validate signal contribution, and the challenges of measuring success in CTV. The experts also address the economic costs of signals, the issue of platform-specific data lock-in, and the need for a common language across platforms.

• ADZINE CONNECT VIDEO 2026 takes place on November 12, 2026 in Hamburg.
• Five experts from agencies and adtech companies share their views on video advertising signals.
• Alexander Kraft (Jung von Matt Impact) argues a signal must influence planning decisions.

CTV Has a Disclosure Problem, Not Measurement

Mateusz Jędrocha, Chief Product Officer at Adlook, argues that Connected TV’s accountability gap is primarily a disclosure problem driven by commercial choices from publishers rather than a technical limitation. While upstream signals such as genre, programme title, episode metadata and viewing context exist, many publishers withhold or generalise those signals to protect portfolio yields and prevent cherry-picking of premium inventory. The piece cites Gracenote research showing limited availability of sports metadata, and references studies from IAS and PA Consulting/Newsworks showing stronger brand outcomes in contextually relevant premium environments. Jędrocha recommends buyers demand programme-level reporting, default viewing-context logs (device, app, time, co-viewing) and integrated attention measurement to enable advertisers to defend and optimise CTV spend.

• Author Mateusz Jędrocha is Chief Product Officer at Adlook and wrote the article published on 2026-08-05.
• US CTV ad revenue reached around $26.6 billion in 2025, according to the article.
• Gracenote’s contextual analysis found 14.3% of sports-adjacent CTV inventory carried league information and 17.9% carried team information.

Equativ Partners with DoubleVerify to Elevate Media Quality and Programmatic Curation Precision

Equativ announces a partnership with DoubleVerify to enhance media quality and programmatic curation precision.

Equativ brings contextual expertise to ChatGPT Ads

Equativ, an adtech provider, has joined OpenAI's partner network for ChatGPT Ads, leveraging its expertise in contextual and native advertising. The company has developed its own campaign tool called Ad Studio, which advises advertisers on adapting messages and creatives to different stages of the purchase decision. A first campaign with BNP Paribas, its direct bank Hello Bank, and agency Havas Media France was implemented, targeting students and their families. OpenAI expanded ChatGPT Ads to 31 European markets in August and has been building a network of technology partners, including Criteo, StackAdapt, and Adform. Equativ's partnership focuses on campaign planning and design, while ad delivery remains with OpenAI, which decides which ads appear based on signals and bids. The partnership covers markets including Germany, France, the UK, and the US.

• Equativ has become a technology partner for ChatGPT Ads as part of OpenAI's partner network.
• Equativ developed its own campaign tool called Ad Studio for ChatGPT Ads.
• Equativ emphasizes its expertise in contextual and native advertising for ChatGPT Ads.

ChatGPT Ads Expands Partnerships; McDonald's Tests Drive-Thru Ads

This article from AdExchanger's daily roundup covers multiple advertising technology developments. Key points include the expansion of ChatGPT Ads' partner ecosystem with Equativ and Quartile joining the technology partner program, Adform partnering to sell ChatGPT's agentic conversation ads in Europe, and Amazon Ads beta testing ads in ChatGPT. Additionally, McDonald's is testing ads on digital menu boards at drive-thru windows, leveraging first-party customer data to create a new revenue stream. The article also mentions YouTube's new features announced at Made on YouTube event, including TV-focused enhancements and a Coachella streaming rights deal through 2030. Other news includes Scope3 rebranding to Apostra, Disney raising streaming prices, and Pluto TV launching a new ad campaign.

• Equativ and Quartile joined ChatGPT Ads' technology partner program.
• Adform signed on to sell ChatGPT's agentic conversation ads in Europe.
• Amazon Ads is beta testing ads in ChatGPT.