• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 19, 2025

Long-time media agency chief Doug Rozen has joined Cadent, and its recently acquired AdTheorent unit, as president -- a new title at the companies.

Rozen, who joins from CMO of Rokt, previously was CEO of Dentsu Media, and held senior media management roles at its 360i unit and at OMD.

The move comes as Cadent has been acquiring a diversified portfolio of ad-tech companies to expand from its roots in linear and connective TV ad supply to more of an “omnichannel offering” including mobile, display and other platforms and advertising formats.

Cadent’s roots come out of BlackArrow, an early addressable cable TV technology developer that set its sights on becoming an all-encompassing supplier of linear and digital advertising inventory to agencies and advertisers.

Originally focused on large- and medium-size agencies and advertisers, Cadent has also been developing self-serve interfaces aimed at the long tail of the advertising marketplace, especially the kinds of small- and medium-size D2C advertisers that have been cultivated by the big digital advertising platforms.

Last year, Cadent acquired AdTheorent, another ad-tech company known for its demand-side platform (DSP) capabilities, but also an advanced developer of machine learning and AI technologies to automate and optimize digital advertising workflow, campaign management, and especially advertising outcome measurement and attribution.

The companies are still in the process of integrating, and privately held Cadent is expected to make more acquisitions to bolster its position as a key player as a middle man marketing the advertising inventory of media companies to big and small advertisers and agencies.

Generally speaking, its business model is based on conventional media sales models (CPMs, CPCs, etc.), but it also licenses software and technology, including data optimizing inventory and outcomes -- mostly to the supply-side of the industry.

Rozen comes in at a time when Cadent is looking to position and differentiate itself from the rest of the media and ad-tech supply chain, and he is up front about leveraging his insider knowledge of media agencies and advertisers to do that.

Asked if his role was to serve as an “agency whisperer,” Rosen tells MediaPost: “Most clients are looking to take advantage of the best inventory, with the best ad technology and the best data.”

He added that Cadent’s and AdTheorent’s goals are to be more of a neutral go-between for advertisers/agencies, their media suppliers, and perhaps most importantly, the consumers they are all seeking to reach and influence.

He points to the “sucky” experience most viewers currently are having with the unchecked frequency of CTV advertising, as an example, and says Cadent/AdTheorent technologies are focused on weeding that out and improving targeting, efficiency, but also consumer experiences that lead to better campaign outcomes.

“What’s interesting right now is the role technology is playing in media marketing and how I can use my background from both the buy- and the sell-side to help marketing get better,” he explains, adding: “I think we are at an inflection point in marketing, and that if we don’t improve how we target and engage customers, that experience is going to erode.”