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Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

Pharmacies, groceries and even convenience stores have taken to locking up large swathes of merchandise. Plus, Roblox reported Q2 earnings on Thursday.

The acquisition puts Reddit in a better position to compete with Google, Meta, Amazon and TikTok, which all built or expanded their AI creative generation and optimization tools within the past year.

In today’s newsletter: Google Performance Max enables third-party brand safety measurement for YouTube; gen AI firms roll out new data-scraping bots to replace those blocked by publishers; and RAG deals give publishers more leverage in licensing their content to gen AI.

For some, Chrome’s news that it’s keeping third-party cookies was a moment of vindication. But was it a cruel blow to partners that tested the Privacy Sandbox in good faith?

With attribution-based platforms taking over, there aren’t many ways for an advertiser to bet (and win) big. Plus, what about the Google advertising ID? 

If Chrome imitates Apple, there may be a de facto deprecation of the third-party cookies, since potentially only a slim percentage of users would consent to tracking. In that case, advertisers would still have to primarily rely on cookie alternatives, including the Privacy Sandbox.

Keep the cookies; hold for consent. We unpack Google’s reversal on third-party cookies and what it means for the ad industry, which was preparing for a cookieless future.

Media buyers and ad tech companies are accusing Pluto TV of bid duplication. Plus, Reddit is now only accessible via Google Search.

Alphabet is so big that, even when it’s growing slowly – YouTube, for example, disappointed with a lower-than-expected growth rate – it’s still outpacing competitors.