Goodway Group vs Net Conversion

Indie agencies demand direct DSP access and fee relief

Independent media agencies are increasingly frustrated with major DSPs like The Trade Desk and Amazon DSP, claiming that despite significant ad spend commitments, they are forced to work through resellers, incurring double fees and lacking negotiating leverage. Agencies report spending thresholds for direct seats that are not being consistently applied, leading to confusion and a sense of a 'toll booth with no exit.' Both The Trade Desk and Amazon deny minimum spend requirements, stating that direct access is available to all, with resellers offered as optional support. However, agencies argue that in practice, direct seats are gated by committed spend levels, making it difficult for smaller independents to achieve cost savings and control. This tension highlights the broader power imbalance in programmatic advertising, where smaller buyers feel squeezed by tech giants and resellers, despite growing competition in the DSP market.

• A 15-person New York agency spent over $100,000 monthly to meet The Trade Desk's spend threshold but still pays 17% to the DSP and 12% to reseller Mogl.
• Ten media buyers told Digiday that The Trade Desk and Amazon DSP impose double fees via resellers, with unclear paths to direct seats.
• Both Amazon and The Trade Desk deny minimum spend requirements for direct access, with resellers offered as optional support.

Agencies Adopt Synthetic Audiences for Media Planning

The Media Buying Briefing reports that synthetic audience adoption is accelerating among agencies and clients. Goodway Group has partnered with data company Arima to incorporate insights from synthetic consumer populations into media planning processes, allowing incrementality tests in simulated environments before real-world activations. Other firms including Vurvey Labs, Limitless Labs, WPP, Dentsu, and Code & Theory are also using synthetic data for market research, creative development, and media buying. The article cites examples such as Magnum, Vans, Kenvue, and Sacheu using synthetic personas. Experts caution that synthetic insights should supplement, not replace, human judgment. WARC data highlights growth in social ad spend, and the briefing notes new launches like Brandtech Data and acquisitions by SAMY and MSQ. The content is explicit about being a briefing for Digiday+ members, distributed via email, and likely contains paywalled content beyond the teaser.

• Goodway Group partnered with Arima to use synthetic consumer populations from the US, UK, and Germany for media planning.
• Kenvue's Aveeno Body used Vurvey Labs' synthetic research to reduce strategy brief time from 30 days to 3 days.
• Brandtech Group launched a data and AI practice called Brandtech Data.

CartographAI launches accelerator to help ad tech vendors market themselves

CartographAI, a startup founded by former Goodway Group CEO Jay Friedman and former McKinsey analyst Danilo Tauro, helps advertisers and agencies evaluate ad tech vendors using buyer-centric criteria rather than marketing materials. The company, launched earlier this year, provides free vendor rankings on its website, white-glove consulting services, and a new accelerator program that charges ad tech vendors between $1,000 and $3,000 per month for analyst-level insights on how to market their solutions. Early participants include The Trade Desk, Viant, MNTN, Adelaide, Optable, Gamera, Clinch and others. The rankings group vendors into vertical categories, scoring them as emerging, capable or advanced across five category-specific criteria. CartographAI plans to introduce an AI analyst solution later this year to further automate vendor discovery and RFP processes.

• CartographAI was founded by Jay Friedman and Danilo Tauro and launched earlier this year.
• The company offers free vendor rankings covering about 1,000 ad tech companies, grouped by vertical market and scored on five criteria.
• CartographAI's accelerator program charges vendors $1,000 to $3,000 per month for market intelligence and go-to-market guidance.

Net Conversion Releases 2026 MORE Intelligence Study

Net Conversion's new 2026 MORE Intelligence Study, based on a survey of 1,500 U.S. adults, reveals fundamental shifts in consumer agency, brand loyalty, and demand for creative authenticity, with five strategic takeaways for marketers.

Net Conversion Promotes Joshuah Rodery to CFO

Net Conversion has promoted Joshuah Rodery to chief financial officer after seven months as vice president of finance. Rodery reports to co-founder and CEO Ryan Fitzgerald and is credited with overhauling the agency's planning, reporting, and cash management to support accelerated growth. The independent agency has added three media AOR clients (Winn-Dixie, Evermore Orlando Resorts, HealthyPaws) and opened its first Midwest office in Chicago. Rodery previously worked at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, where he led management accounting, three clean audits with PwC and the U.S. Department of Energy, and identified over $300 million in tax credit value.

• Net Conversion promoted Joshuah Rodery to chief financial officer.
• Rodery joined Net Conversion seven months earlier as vice president of finance.
• Rodery reports to Net Conversion co-founder and CEO Ryan Fitzgerald.