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Curation Nation, or Just Hot Air?
How fake curation companies are using buzzwords to sell empty promises in adtech.
Pesach Lattin (ADOTAT)
January 16, 2025
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The term “curation” in adtech is like a cheap knockoff handbag—it might look flashy at first, but closer inspection reveals the seams are falling apart. The word has been hijacked by companies who think sprinkling it into their pitch is enough to mask the fact that they’re offering nothing of value. Here’s the breakdown of where these “fake curation companies” fall flat—and how to separate the real innovators from the pretenders.
1. No R&D Budget: You Can’t Innovate on a Shoestring
Here’s the deal: real curation means actual innovation, and innovation costs money. These “curation companies” love to throw around big words like they’re the Elon Musk of adtech, but spoiler alert—if they don’t have an R&D budget, they’re not innovating; they’re faking it. Without cash going into cutting-edge tools, algorithms, or methodologies, they’re just repackaging the same old junk and hoping you won’t notice.
Think about it: you wouldn’t trust a chef who can’t afford knives to run a Michelin-star restaurant. So why trust a curation company that doesn’t spend on R&D to build anything new? These firms are cutting corners so aggressively they’re practically a circle.
What to Watch For:
Where’s the Money? Ask them outright: what percentage of your budget goes to R&D? If they start sweating or mumbling about “leveraging partnerships,” it’s a red flag.
What Have You Built Lately? Push for specifics. Patents? Proprietary tech? Even a functional prototype? Real innovators have receipts, not excuses.
Team of Wizards or Interns? Check their bench. A strong R&D department is stacked with talent—engineers, data scientists, and analysts. If it’s just Steve in his basement, run.
The Bottom Line: If they aren’t spending on R&D, they’re not building anything worth buying. And if their big innovation is just a fancy deck with words like “AI-powered” slapped on, congratulations—you’ve found the adtech equivalent of a snake oil salesman. Move along; nothing to see here.
2. Solutions That Aren’t Solutions: Slapping a Fancy Label on Old Junk
Let’s be real—most of these so-called “curation companies” aren’t solving problems; they’re just rebranding them. Instead of tackling real challenges like fraud, inventory quality, or better targeting, they’re wrapping up the same stale ad network strategies in a shiny new “curation” box. It’s like putting glitter on a garbage bag and calling it a luxury item. Spoiler: it’s still trash.
What’s worse? They aren’t even trying to disguise it well. They’re bundling inventory, adding a margin, and acting like they’ve cracked the code. Pro tip: slapping a “curated” label on your offering doesn’t make it innovative—it makes it overpriced.
What to Watch For:
What’s the Problem, and How Are You Solving It? Ask them to spell out exactly what they’re fixing and how. If the answer sounds like they’re reading from a marketing thesaurus, chances are they’re just throwing buzzwords at you.
Prove It Works: Push for case studies, hard data, or even a pilot program. If they can’t show tangible results, they’re selling you a pipe dream.
What’s the Secret Sauce? Real solutions have unique ingredients—custom algorithms, exclusive partnerships, or data sets. If they don’t have anything special, they’re just recycling someone else’s leftovers.
The Bottom Line: A real solution addresses an actual pain point in the industry, not just the CEO’s desire to sound trendy at conferences. If they’re not solving a problem, they’re just selling you a ticket to the adtech hype train—next stop, disappointment. Save your time (and budget) for someone who actually knows what they’re doing.