Cannes Lions Interview: Scott Knoll, CEO, Integral Ad Science

On the occasion of the 2017 Cannes Lions Creativity Festival, I sat down with Integral Ad Science, President and CEO, Scott Knoll to discuss the ad tech landscape, the need for transparency in the digital ad supply chain, and his journey to the CEO role.

The rise of programmatic advertising (automated computing systems that provide real-time bids and placement of digital ad impression inventory) has been both boon and bane to marketers and publishers. According to eMarketer’s latest forecast, “nearly four of every five US digital display dollars will transact programmatically in 2017, totaling $32.56 billion. By the end of the forecast period, that share will rise to 84%, leaving little doubt that buyers and sellers are continuing to invest in automated ad buying.”

Yet despite its near ubiquity, the process has created much controversy with an adtech ecosystem that is overly complex and opaque, leading to the introduction of bad actors in the system that at best, are less than truthful about the source and data behind the ad inventory and at worst, outright fraudulent. Scott Knoll, President and CEO, of Integral Ad Science has been working to change that dynamic.

Read the full article on Forbes here.