Adtech firm Viant is turning up the heat in Cannes.
The company, which sells a demand-side platform to advertisers, debuted a pair of cheeky billboards on the Majestic Hotel that face the Palais and take aim at rival The Trade Desk. One reads, “Still trading on a desk?” A second, stacked beside it, answers: “Viant AI. The future of digital advertising.”
“It’s meant to be a little bit cheeky, a little bit disruptive,” Viant’s chief marketing officer, Jon Schulz, told ADWEEK. “We’re fanning the flames and joining a chorus that’s been happening for a while. It’s led to some discontent, with people looking for alternatives to shift [ad dollars],” he added.
Viant has seen spend migrate from The Trade Desk across agencies and brands, though Schulz declined to share specifics. In May, Viant reported revenues of $70.6 million, equivalent to a 32% year-over-year increase.
The Trade Desk missed revenue expectations for the first time in February due to company missteps, including less advertisers than expected using its Kokai platform. However, The Trade Desk posted 25% YoY growth during its most recent earnings in May.
In a statement about Viant’s campaign, a spokesperson for The Trade Desk cited the company’s growth.
“The Trade Desk is growing faster than the industry, and faster than any scaled competitor in ad tech,” the spokesperson said. “Our industry-leading Kokai platform is delivering significant campaign performance improvements for our clients. The Trade Desk is also leading the way in shining the light of transparency on the ad-tech supply chain more than any other company in the industry.”
Positioned in the heart of the festival, the ad targets agency, brand, AI, and media execs crossing the Croisette. The billboard is part of Viant’s broader marketing push at Cannes. Schulz declined to comment on how much the billboard costs.
The goal for the campaign is to position ViantAI as a way to streamline campaign planning, according to Schulz.
