New adtech partnership unlocks inventory for multicultural publications

Agencies and brands, including smaller businesses, now have access to more diverse, multicultural publications for their digital advertising. This is thanks to a new partnership between programmatic DSP Basis Technologies and Direct Digital Holdings, an umbrella company that includes buy-side companies for these publishers.

Basis Technologies (which rebranded from Centro in 2021) is a global adtech company that integrates programmatic, search, CTV, social and site-direct advertising in their API. Direct Digital Holdings owns adtech companies connected to the general market and to multicultural media properties.

DEI in adtech. Two entities owned by Direct Digital Holdings are included in the Basis partnership. A third, Orange142, is open to future involvement. Here’s how they provide access to more diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in digital advertising.

• Colossus SSP: Represents 22,000 media properties, offering inventory from both multicultural/diverse and general market publishers. It has 136,000 advertisers accessing its platform monthly, generating over 250 billion impressions per month across display, CTV, in-app and other media, including on minority-owned properties such as Blavity, Ebony and Univision.
• Huddled Masses: Marketing technology partner that connects clients with multiple DSPs and SSPs (including Colossus SSP), with a focus on SMBs and middle-market clients. 
• Orange142: Direct Digital Holdings’ demand-side company, which features a suite of programmatic, social and mobile adtech offerings, tied together with analytics.

SMBs. As part of the agreement, Huddled Masses named Basis as a preferred DSP. Huddled Masses works with smaller organizations — advertisers that often have smaller budgets, preventing them from accessing bigger technology platforms. This agreement allows Basis to increase its reach among these of underserved marketers.

“Huddled Masses partners with leading martech and adtech vendors, giving marketers access to the latest and greatest tools at scale,” said Kristie MacDonald, CEO of Huddled Masses. “The company offers a variety of features and services that are typically only available to large enterprises — with no minimums required. This includes things like campaign strategy, creative development and data analysis.”

“Basis Technologies is aligned with Direct Digital Holding’s focus on democratizing programmatic advertising for all,” said Mark Walker, CEO and co-founder, Direct Digital Holdings, in a company release. “The omnichannel capabilities and wide scale of Basis will bolster Colossus SSP’s and Huddled Masses’ abilities. In turn, the relationship with Huddled Masses is also giving Basis expanded reach to an often overlooked — but extremely valuable — group of advertisers.”

Why we care. Smaller publications that appeal to diverse audiences need ad revenue — including digital ad revenue — to survive. By specifically aiming to include these publications in the adtech supply chain, digital advertisers of all sizes benefit. 

Dig deeper: What are diversity, equity and inclusion, and why do marketers need them?