#125: Is curated advertising ending the era of cheap digital ads?

For years, digital advertising chased cheap scale. Programmatic buying promised low CPMs and limitless reach, but brands lost control of context. Ads appeared beside misinformation, low-value content, and misaligned audiences. Privacy laws tightened, cookies faded, CAC rose, and trust declined.This episode explores the rise of curated advertising — premium, handpicked environments like Private Marketplaces, trusted publishers, trade media, newsletters, communities, and AI chat surfaces. It’s a shift from buying everything to buying what’s worth it.Yes, CPMs may be higher. But the real metric is outcome. Curated advertising redefines CAC and ROAS through context, trust, and high-intent placements. Is this the end of cheap digital ads — and the return of quality?(00:00) Intro(01:28) What is curated advertising?(04:48) How does the curation mindset changes the game for SEM, social, trade media, and newsletters?(08:31) Are curated social - groups and communities - brand safe zones for advertising?(10:41) Where does chat-vertising or AI advertising sit?(12:27) Will curated advertising make online ads more premium? How will it affect CAC and ROAS?(14:30) Closing thoughts…