What would a cookie-less world really look like? A landscape dominated by several colossal skyscrapers comes to mind, according to Khurrum Malik, CMO of digital data company eXelate. Yes, without cookies, there would be four or five Web properties (where consumers spend the vast majority of their digital days) that would have supreme insight into consumer behavior, Malik told OMMA RTB attendees on Monday afternoon. Right, "Facebook and Twitter would love that!" agreed Jonathan Slavin, CRO at interative ad holding company CPXi. "A lot of [folks within the advertising community] talk about it, but I don't see it happening," Slavin …

By a show of hands, a clear majority of attendees at OMMA RTB Chicago think Facebook's FBX ad exchange is much closer to a display than a social play. In fact, it's both -- as well as mobile -- Josh Dreller, Director of Marketing Research at Kenshoo, insisted on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, by another show of hands, just about everyone at OMMA RTB expressed their keen interest in using Facebook data to target ads beyond of the social network's walls.

How much media transparency? Some people believe it is not just getting media transparency from publishers -- but media agencies are well. When asked what kind of transparency media agencies should have, Tim Hanlon, founder/chief executive officer of The Vertere Group, speaking at the OMMA RTB Chicago event, said: “Everyone is entitled to make a margin. It is a matter of rethinking what is the fair amount of profit for conducting business.” He adds: “Everyone is just fearful of everybody being found out. if it’s going to happen, it needs to happen across the spectrum.” And …

Spicing up the transparency debate at OMMA RTB, on Monday, Starcom's Tracey Paull was just asked whether agencies should be held to the same standards of openness that they are demanding of programmatic tech vendors. (MediaPost editor-in-chief Joe Mandese asked the tough question, and referred specifically to agency margin structures, which they have historically kept under lock and key.) Clearly not prepared for the line of questioning, Paull essentially said the discussion was way above her pay grade. "I don't make those decisions," said the Senior Vice President and Director, Deliver, Starcom USA. "I'm not even privy to all that …

Well, Paull, senior vice president at Starcom USA, doesn't actually have an algorithm to deal with all the complexity that makes the programmatic marketplace so darn confusing, but it sounds like she'd like one.

That's according to Andrew Casale, VP of strategy at Casale Media. Speaking on a panel exploring transparency in the programmatic space at OMMA RTB in Chicago, Casale noted that all major publishers have implemented a programmatic strategy, meaning a direct relationship between publisher and ad network is nothing more than a bonus now.

MediaPost Chairman Ken Fadner reminded Chicagoans why they're referred to as the Second City (even though, population-wise, they're actually third behind New York and Los Angeles) during his opening remarks at OMMA RTB Chicago this morning. The venue, the chi-chi Metropolitan Club, high atop Chicago's Sears Tower, "was" the tallest building in America, when MediaPost began planning this conference, but another building out east has surpassed it now, Fadner said.

That's what Jen Brady, founder and CEO of Fred & Associates just said at OMMA RTB in Chicago. She sayid it has no place in branding right now because the industry hasn't made it applicable for branding.

One mistake with native advertising can be a disaster -- for a number of parties. Speaking at OMMA Native, Steve Rubel, executive vp of global strategy and insights, for Edelman, says, “As bullish as we are about the marketing opportunities of [native advertising], we are conflicted about this. We visited 30 different publishers, and we were just troubled about the efforts around disclosure.” He says its like cars coming towards each other on a two way single lane road with a double yellow line. “If one car messes up, you are dead, and the other guy is …

Stop the native train (!), says Steve Rubel, EVP of Global Strategy and Insights at Edelman. "As an industry, we're going waaayyyyy too fast," Rubel told OMMA Native attendees on Tuesday afternoon. Regarding native, Rubel described the lack of transparency within the publishing industry as "troubling." Along with more caution, most necessary is the gathering of far more consumer feedback before publishers and agencies move ahead with their native ad strategies, according to Rubel. Even more striking, Rubel bet on publishers to win the native ad game. In fact, it's foolish for brands and agencies to think they can win …