Mediaplus COO Alan Schanzer shares how brands can navigate the digital advertising reset by balancing AI, supply quality, and transparency to build accountable media systems and maximize programmatic value.
As digital advertising undergoes a profound reset, brands are being challenged to rethink how they plan, invest, and measure media. In this conversation, we sat down with Alan Schanzer, COO of Mediaplus North America, to discuss how AI, evolving consumer behavior, and rising demands for transparency are reshaping the ecosystem and why more intentional, accountable approaches to media are becoming critical.
Mediaplus was built differently, to turn media investment into real business growth, without the friction, conflicts, or compromises of a holding-company model. We combine global scale, as part of the fastest-growing independent agency group, with independent, partner-led operations. That means we move faster, stay closer to our clients, and stay focused on what matters most: outcomes.
Our real differentiation is in how we plan. We start with human behavior, how people discover, decide, and act, then use technology and AI to accelerate smarter, more accountable decisions. AI isn’t the point; it’s the accelerator. Tools matter, but it’s our people translating complexity into clear action who make the difference.
Our model simplifies an increasingly complex media landscape. By integrating senior strategy, media, data, and technology, with full transparency, we help brands reduce waste, make better decisions, and grow with confidence.
Our ambition is simple: to be the agency partner everyone loves to work with, our teams, our clients, and our publisher community. When that’s the goal, the work consistently over-delivers.
What we're seeing right now feels less like incremental change and more like a reset, one we’ve been actively planning for. Several major shifts are colliding, fundamentally changing how media decisions are made.
AI is the most visible force. It’s moved quickly from experimentation to infrastructure, embedded across planning, optimization, and measurement. That speed creates opportunity, but it also raises the stakes. Without clear governance and experienced oversight, automation doesn’t just scale efficiency; it can scale waste, risk, and blind spots just as fast.
At the same time, there’s a sharper focus on supply quality and efficiency. Brands are asking tougher questions about where their dollars go, how supply paths are structured, and the value they truly deliver. Transparency, curated environments, and direct access to quality supply are no longer “nice to haves”; they’re foundational.
Layered on top of this is rapidly evolving consumer behavior with social, video, CTV, and commerce converging. Creators, communities, and culture now play a far greater role in influence, making channel-first planning less effective and behavior-first planning far more powerful.
The real challenge - and opportunity - is balance: moving fast without losing control, embracing automation without losing judgment, and scaling without compromising quality. At Mediaplus, this is exactly where we focus, using senior-led strategy and human insight to translate complexity into clear, accountable action. The partners who will win in this environment aren’t chasing every new tool. They’re the ones helping brands move forward with confidence, not just speed.
As media becomes more automated and more complex, transparency and supply quality stop being technical considerations and become business imperatives. Brands moving at speed and operating at scale need absolute confidence in where their investment is going, how it’s working, and the value it’s delivering.
AI and automation are powerful, but they amplify whatever system they’re operating in. If supply paths aren’t clean or visibility is limited, you don’t just risk inefficiency, you risk scaling the wrong outcomes. At Mediaplus, transparency and quality aren’t layered on after the fact; they’re designed into the system from the start.
Emerging technologies are reshaping decision-making, and we see AI as an accelerator of better thinking, not a replacement for it. Used well, it helps us forecast, optimize, and move faster. But it only creates value when it’s paired with strong governance, senior oversight, and human judgment. Otherwise, automation becomes activity without accountability.
At Mediaplus, this ultimately comes back to accountability. Brands deserve to know where their dollars are going, why decisions are being made, and how those choices connect back to real business outcomes. When transparency, quality supply, and technology work together by design, media becomes simpler, more intentional, and far more effective, even in a rapidly changing landscape.
What we value about this partnership is how closely your approach aligns with how we believe modern media should work. In an increasingly automated ecosystem, moving quickly isn’t enough; brands need confidence in the paths their investment is taking and the environments they appear in.
Equativ’s direct supply access and transparent auction mechanics support something we prioritize deeply at Mediaplus: creating cleaner, more intentional paths to inventory. That’s especially critical in premium video and CTV, where attention, context, and efficiency matter most. This level of transparency gives our teams better visibility and control, allowing us to plan and optimize with purpose rather than guesswork.
From a strategy and planning perspective, the partnership reinforces our focus on accountability. When supply quality is high and the mechanics are clear, optimization becomes more meaningful. We’re not just reacting to performance signals; we’re making informed decisions that protect working media and support long-term brand growth.
At the end of the day, partnerships like this work best when values are aligned. When both sides are committed to reducing waste, increasing clarity, and building trust into the system, brands benefit. Media works harder, decisions get smarter, and the ecosystem becomes more sustainable.
Our biggest piece of advice is to be intentional. With so much change happening at once, it’s easy to feel pressure to adopt every new signal, tool, and tactic. The brands making the most progress right now are the ones making fewer, smarter decisions rooted in what actually drives growth.
That starts with first-party data. Brands that invest in organizing, governing, and activating consented data gain a real advantage in precision, efficiency, measurement, and accountability. It’s become the foundation of modern planning.
From there, supply quality matters a lot. Prioritizing curated, quality-controlled environments reduces waste, improves attention, and ensures media dollars are working in high-value contexts. In today’s ecosystem, this is one of the fastest ways to improve programmatic performance without simply spending more.
AI is another powerful lever, but it needs to be adopted with intention. Used well, it can unlock predictive planning, accelerate workflows, and scale creative and audience development. But it only creates value when paired with strong governance, experienced oversight, and human judgment. Otherwise, brands risk scaling activity without accountability.
Measurement must evolve too. Clicks and last-touch attribution no longer reflect how people discover, engage, and decide. Future-ready brands are investing in incrementality, attention, and multi-touch measurement, especially across social, CTV, and increasingly zero-click environments.
Finally, don’t lose sight of the human side. While AI will continue to scale execution, consumers are gravitating toward creator-led storytelling, micro-communities, and culturally relevant content. The brands that win will be the ones that balance automation with authentic, human-centered expression.
At Mediaplus, we believe the future of programmatic isn’t just faster or more automated. It’s more intentional, accountable, and human. Brands that approach it that way will be best positioned to grow.
Summary
As Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Equativ, Amy leads the company’s owned content, social media, and public relations strategies. Collaborating with stakeholders across the organization, she writes on topics ranging from Equativ’s product innovations to broader industry trends.
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