What Google's anti-tracking moves mean for advertisers

Good morning and welcome to Insider Advertising for March 4. I'm senior advertising reporter Lauren Johnson, and here's what's going on:

• What Google's anti-tracking moves mean for advertisers.
• The big ad accounts up for grabs.
• E-commerce M&A.

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Tips, comments, suggestions? Drop me a line at LJohnson@insider.com or on Twitter at @LaurenJohnson.

Google's move away from targeted advertising threatens to upend marketers' scramble to save digital ads

• Google's plans to nix ad tracking has big implications for adtech companies, brands, and publishers.
• Advertisers will shift toward collecting their own consumer data and targeting them contextually, experts said.
• The move will likely make Google's ad business more powerful, ad execs predicted.

Read the story.

18 giant advertisers from Unilever to Infiniti that are scrambling to hire ad agencies, and who could win the business

• Billions in advertising will be up for grabs this year as a rash of brands look for new agencies, report Lindsay Rittenhouse and Patrick Coffee.
• The trend follows a slow 2020, when many marketers cut budgets and paused agency searches.
• Accounts like Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Unilever are up for grabs.

Read the story.

Startup Assembly rode the online shopping wave - its CEO shares how he's trying to become a one-stop shop for e-commerce advertisers and sellers

• As online shopping and advertising soars, M&A has grown for companies that help sellers advertise and sell online, I report.
• PE-backed Assembly has acquired four e-commerce companies over the past 18 months.
• CEO Sandeep Kella described the three types of companies he looks for.

Read the story.

More stories we're reading:

• The movie-theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has filed for bankruptcy and is being sold (Insider)
• An Instagram test gave a glimpse of a world without public 'like' counts and some influencers say it would be better for the business and their mental health (Insider)
• Auto giant Stellantis is seeking a new ad agency to handle its $2 billion global advertising business (Insider)
• A cofounder of Bleacher Report on selling his startup at age 28: 'Your startup is not your baby - it's OK to let go' (Insider)
• PR firm Bevel hired a Goldman Sachs alum to cash in on the SPAC craze and win market share from financial communications heavyweights (Insider)
• Sports streamer DAZN taps Disney veteran Kevin Mayer as chairman (The Wall Street Journal)
• Twitter tests new e-commerce features for tweets (TechCrunch)

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! You can reach me in the meantime at LJohnson@insider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.