AdExchanger Talks: "The Science (And Art) Of Scaling Native Ads"

Episode Date: August 19, 2025
Host: Allison Schiff
Guest: Preeti Ori, CEO & Co-founder, Advertible

Overview

In this episode, Allison Schiff welcomes Preeti Ori, an ad tech veteran and CEO/co-founder of Advertible, to discuss the evolving landscape of native advertising. The pair cover the core technical and creative challenges of scaling native, the central role of AI in its future, and the often-overlooked human and cultural aspects of building ad tech companies. The conversation explores how native ad tech works behind the scenes, why it’s so difficult to pull off at scale, and how inclusiveness and community can fuel innovation just as much as code and data.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Preeti Ori’s Career Trajectory & Founding of Advertible

• Background: Preeti has 20+ years in media/ad tech, beginning with MTV Networks, then keynote roles at Intent Media, DataXu, Leaf Group, OwnerIQ, Inmar Intelligence, and Ericsson (where she focused on data-driven programmatic and helped build out native ad products).
• Core Takeaway: Career paths are non-linear. Preeti followed “breadcrumbs,” with AI, data, and tech’s ability to create real-time value as recurring themes. She credits DataXu as especially formative during the programmatic boom years.
  • "You have one company in your career that kind of shapes who you are and puts you on a trajectory for what you’re going to become. For me, that was DataXu." – Preeti (09:54)
• The Spark for Advertible: Native’s potential for publishers and brands was obvious, but “it’s something not a lot of exchanges and SSPs have invested in.”
• Quick Italy Detour: Preeti describes a month in Tuscany post-Cannes, balancing “a lot of good wine, pasta, and work” – plus the surprising absence of POS payments at a coworking hub. (03:39-05:12)

Demystifying Native Advertising & Its Challenges

• What is Native, Really? At the user level, it’s an ad unit that “looks and feels” like the surrounding publisher content—high engagement, low disruption.
  • "It blends into the background, so it’s not intrusive…definitely a better impact for the brand." – Preeti (12:30)
• Native-as-a-Service (NAS): Advertible lets SSPs launch native formats without hiring specialist teams or spending 12–18 months on R&D. Plug-and-play, modular integration. (12:12-13:14)
• Why is Native So Hard?
  • Complex Build: Requires coordination between front-end, back-end, app, AI, and designers.
  • Flexible Containers: No standard sizes—publishers define containers that can change, adding variables.
  • Asset Complexity: Instead of a flat creative file, native ads consist of multiple assets (headline, image, logo, etc.) assembled by the SSP in real time.
  • Prone to Breakage: If a team makes an update and others aren’t in sync, the unit breaks.
  • Latency & Rendering: Assets may traverse multiple SSPs, increasing lag and the chance of issues.
  • "In native...the rendering actually happens on the supply side. No one’s sending through anything fully baked." – Preeti (13:36)

Notable Segment – Key Technical Woes (13:36–16:38)

• Latency, scalability, and poor user experiences discussed in detail.
• "There are a ton of different variables involved…Native is an exponential problem compared to banners." – Preeti (16:54)

Striking The Balance: Art and Science of Good Native

• High Stakes: Executed well, native is “super valuable.” If broken, “you can alienate an audience and damage trust.” (17:38)

• Advertible’s Approach:

  • Sizeless Containers: Ads fit any slot, standard or custom.
  • Asset Prioritization: Flexibility for 2 to 13+ assets; renders regardless of what’s supplied.
  • Universal Rendering: Works across web and app.
  • AI Styling: Matches the publisher’s look (fonts, colors) or can mimic a brand/social network.
  • Infinite creative possibilities—scaled by smart automation, not manual rebuilds.
  • "Our ad unit will fit any size ad slot…Asset prioritization, infinite possibilities, variables scale with the technology." – Preeti (19:25)

• CPM Uplifts:

  • Native commands 20–50% higher CPMs than banner ads.
  • Video/native CTV yields even greater premiums. (20:27-21:21)

Plug-and-Play for SSPs

• Typical integration is “150 lines of code”—from three days (fast lane) to three months (back burner), average is two sprint cycles.
• Rendering happens post-auction—no added latency.
  • "All of the actual rendering happens after the auction closes…we simply render on behalf of the SSP." – Preeti (22:43)

Expanding Native: CTV and Retail Media

• Native Video & CTV: Live and functioning; video assets can seamlessly substitute image assets.
• Retail Media:
  • Unique alignment: Retailers’ ad teams are built for time-sensitive, product-focused offers.
  • Native fits perfectly for dynamic elements—a sale for one week only at one retailer, for example.
  • Extending these experiences (and assets) from walled gardens and retailer sites to the open web is now much more feasible with native. (32:27–36:22)
  • "Native presents itself as a really excellent format for these types of ads, especially when you want to...expand them across the open web." – Preeti (34:54)

AI’s Growing Role

• Today: AI matches publisher style and manages variable logic.
• Tomorrow: Deeper personalization; individual asset optimization based on KPI feedback. AI-generated content (headlines, images) for long-tail advertisers without creative resources.
  • "There’s more KPI-driven optimization that can happen using AI…the AI engines themselves...are going to start advertising within the content and I think native is going to be a very natural fit." – Preeti (36:37)

Culture, Inclusion & Community: The Human Side of Ad Tech

Building Communities

• DesiUs: A network for South Asians in ad tech—“creatively named at 3:30am at the Gutter Bar in Cannes.” (24:02–24:21)
• Women in Programmatic/Advanced Women: Support for women and minorities means more diverse problem solving and a richer industry.
  • "We’re all just human beings…when we are allowed to be ourselves, everyone benefits." – Preeti (25:39)

Leadership & Work-Life Balance

• No ‘Hustle Porn’: Preeti mocks the “#riseandgrind” narrative, emphasizing that true growth comes only with self-reflection and authentic connection.
  • "You don’t grow through just doing a bunch of shit. You grow when you stop and reflect on what you just did." – Preeti (28:10)
• Startup Rituals: Daily “good morning” texts with her co-founder; open communications about both business and personal life; built-in time for dance, reflection, and family.
  • "There’s always transparency...My co-founder is not one that’s like, ‘OK, it’s five o’clock, we’re not going to talk.’" – Preeti (29:24-30:25)
• Likes Zumba, journaling, evening dance classes, and time with family: A full life outside the grind. (31:04-31:32; 44:18)

Native as the Ideal Ad Format? Philosophical Take

• “Instagram ads, but not creepy” are the guest’s and recent I/O CEO’s example of “acceptable” online ad experiences: (38:29-39:56)
  • Visually native, context-fitting, not privacy violating.
  • Opportunity: let brands re-use social native assets for open web with tools like Advertible—removing the “heavy lift” and template complexity.
  • "We can help make that [social] reality come out of walled gardens and onto the open web." – Preeti (40:03)

The Future: Trends and Technologies to Watch

• AI’s impact on everything—from education to business to creativity itself—is “a step change.”
• Ad tech must use AI “for good and with controls in place,” adopting it mindfully and creatively, not just relying on it for easy answers. (41:22-43:57)

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• DataXu’s Impact:
  “You have one company in your career that kind of shapes who you are and puts you on a trajectory for what you’re going to become—for me, that was DataXu.” – Preeti (09:54)

• Core challenge of native:
  “In native...the rendering actually happens on the supply side. No one’s sending through anything fully baked.” – Preeti (13:36)

• On inclusion and leadership:
  “We’re all just human beings...when we are doing that and bringing our special gifts to the world, everyone benefits from it.” – Preeti (25:39)

• Rejecting hustle culture:
  “You don’t grow through just doing a bunch of shit. You grow when you stop and reflect on what you just did.” – Preeti (28:10)

• Future of native and AI:
  “There’s more KPI-driven optimization that can happen using AI...The AI engines themselves...are going to start advertising within the content and I think native is going to be a very natural fit.” – Preeti (36:37)

• Best T-shirts in ad tech:
  “Whoever's out there from Mopub—Mopub used to have the best T-shirts...It has now been over 10 years. They're still the best T-shirts.” – Preeti (45:22)

Episode Flow (Timestamps)

• [02:04-06:23] – Preeti’s career history and philosophy
• [11:29-13:14] – Advertible's mission explained for non-technical listeners
• [13:14-16:38] – Deep dive into native ad tech technical challenges
• [19:25-21:09] – CPMs, format premium, and video/CTV extensions
• [23:33-25:39] – Building community and the significance of DesiUs
• [28:10-31:32] – Work/life balance and authentic leadership in startups
• [32:27-36:22] – Possibilities of native video, CTV, and retail media
• [36:37-38:29] – AI-powered creativity and the “acceptable ads” conversation
• [41:22-43:57] – Broader tech trends and the ethical use of AI

Conclusion

This episode is a deep dive into native advertising—a blend of technical rigor, creative opportunity, and the cultural context that shapes the industry. Preeti Ori argues for a new scalable model for native ads, powered by AI and inclusiveness, where both technology and humanity are essential ingredients. If you’re curious about where programmatic, personalization, and the future of advertising collide, this is a valuable listen.