Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast.

Episode: Ramsey McGrory on Reshaping Prisma and the Future of TV Ad Infrastructure
Release Date: July 14, 2025
Host: Ari Paparo
Guest: Ramsey McGrory, President of Prisma at MediaOcean

Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast., host Ari Paparo welcomes Ramsey McGrory, the newly promoted President of Prisma at MediaOcean. The discussion delves into Prisma's evolution, recent strategic acquisitions, and the future of TV ad infrastructure.

Ramsey McGrory's Role and Prisma's Evolution

Timestamp [01:07]:
Ramsey McGrory reflects on his promotion, emphasizing the long-term commitment required in the ad tech industry. He likens the business to a marathon and a relay race, highlighting continuous collaboration and leadership transitions.

Innovations in Ad Serving and Verification (Protected)

Timestamp [03:21]:
Ari introduces Protected, MediaOcean's standalone verification and quality solution. Ramsey explains that Protected operates independently of ad servers, providing an "MRC accredited solution" that simplifies verification processes by eliminating the need for tag wrappers and utilizing consolidated log files.

Notable Quote:
"It's a consolidated log file. So lots of advantages of embedding it into the ad server." – Ramsey McGrory [03:33]

The Impact of Innovid Acquisition

Timestamp [04:21]:
Discussions shift to MediaOcean's recent acquisition of Innovid in February. Ramsey outlines the integration process, emphasizing the consolidation of vision and products. He is optimistic about Innovid's role in establishing MediaOcean as the largest independent ad serving solution, driven by continuous AI innovation.

Notable Quote:
"We're in market as the largest independent ad serving solution with all the component pieces." – Ramsey McGrory [04:38]

The Relevance of Buy Side Ad Serving in a Fragmented Market

Timestamp [06:34]:
Ari posits that the prominence of buy side ad serving may be waning due to market fragmentation and the rise of media mix modeling. Ramsey strongly disagrees, arguing that ad servers remain crucial for orchestrating creative and media across fragmented platforms like CTV, social video, and linear online video.

Notable Quote:
"Brands still want to orchestrate the media and creative, understand reach and frequency against specific audiences." – Ramsey McGrory [07:00]

Prisma's Strategy Amidst Open, Hedged, and Walled Gardens

Timestamp [08:51]:
The conversation explores the trend of diminishing walled gardens in advertising platforms. Ramsey maintains that regardless of platform openness, the fragmented nature of the market necessitates Prisma's role in consolidating and simplifying the supply chain to provide transparency and control for brands and agencies.

Notable Quote:
"We're spinning the wheel faster but still trying to do the same thing." – Ramsey McGrory [09:25]

Prisma’s Comprehensive Platform: Consolidating Linear and Digital Workflows

Timestamp [12:07]:
Ramsey elaborates on Prisma as an integrated platform that merges both linear and digital workflows. This unification allows agencies to manage TV in all its forms alongside digital advertising, facilitating a global code base and modernizing foundational billing processes.

Notable Quote:
"Prisma is a buying platform and so we will be a foundational partner in creating master data rich and normalized metadata to create the API infrastructure." – Ramsey McGrory [14:07]

The Integration of AI and Data in Prisma's Offerings

Timestamp [14:07]:
Addressing the role of AI, Ramsey discusses Prisma's numerous AI initiatives, ranging from chatbots to generative AI applications. He emphasizes the importance of data integration, allowing agencies to utilize their proprietary data within Prisma's platform to enhance strategic and tactical planning.

Notable Quote:
"We have to create the framework to allow for decisions to be made in platform, but also for those decisions to be made out of platform and allow for that connectivity to come back and forth foundationally." – Ramsey McGrory [14:07]

Future Directions and Priorities for Prisma

Timestamp [16:52]:
Ramsey outlines Prisma's future priorities, focusing on AI integration and automation of the TV buying experience. He aims to streamline the process across various media forms, ensuring simplicity and efficiency similar to practices from two decades ago but adapted for today's digital landscape.

Notable Quote:
"The simple thing of automating the TV buying experience the way it was 20 years ago across online video, linear, social TV and CTV is, is probably the second largest priority that we have." – Ramsey McGrory [16:52]

Conclusion

Ramsey McGrory provides a comprehensive overview of Prisma's strategic direction within MediaOcean, emphasizing the importance of integration, transparency, and innovation in the evolving ad tech landscape. The episode underscores Prisma's commitment to simplifying the advertising supply chain and leveraging AI to meet the dynamic needs of brands and agencies.

Listen to the full episode on Marketecture.