Taboola's roundtable on diversifying and harnessing the open web

Setting the Stage

The open web presents vast opportunities for advertisers to reach diverse audiences, but challenges such as brand safety, ad fraud, and fragmented data often hinder full adoption. Addressing these concerns, Taboola, in collaboration with Adgully, hosted an exclusive roundtable featuring top industry leaders. The session explored strategies for leveraging the open web, AI-powered marketing, and creating meaningful business impact.

The event saw industry leaders exploring how brands can navigate these challenges and effectively leverage the open web to drive engagement and business impact.

Industry leaders discussed the evolving landscape of digital media and the role of the open web. The thought-provoking discussion centred around how brands can diversify their strategies and effectively harness the power of the open web to drive engagement and business impact.

Participants:

Jon Westnedge, Global VP, Taboola
Kanika Mittal, Country Manager, Taboola India
Disha Kapoor, Marketing Lead, Taboola India
Abhishek Ranjan, Digital Head, DS Group
Akriti Thakur, Head of Brand & PR, Paras Health
Amritanshu Panda, Senior Director, Data Science, Zenith India
Anita Nayyar, Consultant & Former COO - Media & Communication, Patanjali
Archana Aggarwal, Media Head, Sheela Foam
Bijoya Ghosh, Founder and CEO, Adgully
Rajat Khatri, AVP - Business Intelligence, FNP
Vibhor Malhotra, Managing Partner, Innocean

Opening Remarks: The Promise of the Open Web

Jon Westnedge, Global VP at Taboola, opened the discussion by highlighting the untapped potential of the open web in India, where more than half of online users’ time is spent online. He remarked:

“Around 52% of users' time in India is spent on the open web—far higher than in most countries. This provides a trusted and scalable environment for brands to engage with diverse audiences.”

Jon also touched on the role of AI, emphasizing that Taboola has been investing in AI technologies to optimize campaigns and unlock deeper insights. Jon further emphasized Taboola's investments in AI-powered tools like Abby, the company’s generative AI assistant, which helps advertisers optimize campaigns by delivering insights with precision. Abby empowers advertisers to craft, optimize, and scale campaigns with unparalleled precision, transforming how brands connect with their audiences across premium publisher networks. “AI is a powerful tool, and we're just scratching the surface of its potential,” he added.

Kanika Mittal, Country Manager at Taboola, followed with an invitation to explore the vast opportunities the open web offers for advertisers. Her remarks underscored the potential of the open web as a key platform for brand engagement and growth.

Moderating the session with precision, Kanika steered the dialogue toward actionable strategies, emphasizing how AI-driven insights and contextual targeting can empower marketers. Her ability to synthesize complex industry challenges into practical solutions helped brands rethink their approach to navigating ad fraud, brand safety, and maximizing ROI on the open web.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Open Web

Despite its potential, the open web presents challenges such as brand safety, ad fraud, and data transparency, which often deter advertisers. Industry experts at the Taboola roundtable stressed that overcoming these concerns requires advanced tools, better industry education, and collaboration. Addressing these issues can unlock the full potential of the open web while ensuring trust and accountability in digital advertising.

Archana Aggarwal provided a candid take on the challenges advertisers face with the open web. She acknowledged the dominance of major platforms like Meta and Google but pointed out the vast untapped potential of the open web:

"While Meta and Google dominate media spends, the open web presents untapped opportunities. However, challenges like brand safety, ad fraud, and viewability still deter advertisers. Education and dispelling myths about the open web are essential to drive adoption. Moreover, education is required at different levels of the advertiser journey."

Archana also shared her insights on content strategy, noting the need for clear creative direction tailored to each platform: "Understanding what works creatively on each platform is crucial. For instance, authentic content performs better on platforms like Reels, and Spotify emphasizes one-on-one communication with consumers."

Anita Nayyar, a seasoned media expert,with over four decades of experience, shared her thoughts on the transparency and cost-effectiveness of the open web.

"The open web offers efficiencies that are often overlooked. Yes, brand safety and ad fraud exist, but the value lies in transparency and cost-effectiveness."

Anita criticized the major platforms' control over ad budgets, stating:

"The major players like Google and Meta tend to dominate a significant portion of budgets, often consuming 70-80%. While they provide results, the process can sometimes feel opaque, leaving you uncertain about the precise allocation of your investment.”
She called for greater experimentation on the open web: "Brands need to take bigger bets on the open web. The cost of incremental reach here is far less than on TV, yet many play it safe."

AI’s Role in Marketing

Building on the challenges and opportunities of the open web, the panel delved into the transformative role of AI in marketing.

Kanika Mittal spoke with Abhishek Ranjan, Digital Head at DS Spiceco, DS Group, about driving digital transformation. Abhishek shared:

“Initially, digital focus and spending were lower compared to other media, but today, digital contributes significantly across categories. This shift is reflected in reports from leading agencies. E-commerce and quick commerce are driving double-digit growth.”

He highlighted the importance of user-generated content (UGC) in boosting social relevance: “With content creation, organic engagement is growing. We’ve seen social media content featuring our products in real-time scenarios, driving high engagement and conversation. This reflects the power of digital transformation, which evolves daily. AI is also helping reduce time and increase efficiency.”

On media strategy, he noted:

“Meta’s video performance isn’t ideal for long-form content, while OTT is gaining traction.” He flagged challenges with open web publishers: “They lack granular insights, such as target group data for planning and detailed reporting cuts, which makes platforms like Google and Meta more reliable.” Abhishek emphasized: “We focus on programmatic buying for a unified and effective approach.”

As AI continues to shape the marketing landscape, Vibhor Mehrotra, Managing Partner at Innocean India, shared his perspective on AI’s evolving role. He noted:

"AI has always been there in the background, but now it’s front and center. Whether it’s in walled gardens or the open web, it’s all about PACT—Performance via AI in a Cost effective and Transparent way!”

Vibhor explained the impact AI has had on performance improvements: "The performance improvements we see, upwards of 20-30%, are proof of its effectiveness." Also, AI has revolutionised how creative story boarding is done and in some places it has been reduced to 10% of the actual time taken earlier.

Aakriti Thakur, Head of Brand & PR at Paras Health, discussed the synergy between AI and human insight, emphasizing the importance of understanding your customer. She stated:

"AI is generated by human insight, and while it can process vast datasets, it still requires the human touch for creativity and nuance. It's about humanizing what AI can do, and using it to create deeper connections and more meaningful outcomes."

She also highlighted the role of personalization in any industry, adding:

"Personalization is key—knowing your customer is crucial. By understanding their unique needs and preferences, you can tailor experiences that resonate. AI, when combined with personalization, makes efforts more focused, impactful, and truly transformative—it’s a game-changer across sectors.

Rajat Khatri, AVP at FNP, raised concerns about the limitations of AI, particularly in terms of interpreting data accurately. He explained :

The biggest challenge we've faced is that we haven't yet seen a significant uplift when we moved to AI. It doesn’t change everything for you; it just helps you come to conclusions faster."

Rajat emphasized that AI can support decision-making, but human insight is still crucial for interpreting data in context:

“AI can support decision-making but will always need human insight. If you’re not asking the right questions, the data becomes meaningless.”

Amritanshu Panda, Senior Director, Data Science, Zenith India spoke about the practical applications of AI in agencies, focusing on how it accelerates planning and execution. He shared:

“Agility is a cornerstone of effective media planning, and AI’s role in accelerating this process is indispensable. While AI can help minimise planner bias, human insight is essential for making final decisions. The true value of AI lies not merely in incremental improvements, but in its ability to optimise strategies at scale."

The Future of Marketing

As the conversation progressed, the panelists discussed emerging trends such as OTT platform adoption, city-based advertising, and deeper personalization. Brands increasingly prefer working with fewer publishers offering high-quality reach and meaningful engagement. The discussion also underscored the importance of upskilling in AI and emerging technologies, as well as a deeper understanding of the open web. Participants agreed that education is crucial to drive better adoption and effective strategies. Kanika Mittal summarized:

“If content is king, then context is the queen. It’s about delivering the right message at the right time and place for maximum impact.”

Key Takeaways

The open web presents significant opportunities for brands, offering a trusted and scalable platform to engage diverse audiences while encouraging innovative solutions to ensure brand safety and transparency.
The integration of AI and human insight is shaping the future of campaign optimization, paving the way for more creative and effective applications.
Education and upskilling in AI and emerging technologies are crucial for staying ahead in the evolving marketing landscape.

The roundtable concluded with a clear call for agility, personalization, and data-driven decision-making, blending human creativity with AI-powered precision to navigate the complex digital marketing ecosystem effectively.

Learn more at www.taboola.com and follow @taboola on Twitter.

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