So, What's In Your PMPs?!

Kyle Kuchera
Jun 2
2 min read

Why Radical Transparency Is Reshaping Programmatic Curation

We’re deep into the curation boom. Everyone has a PMP strategy. Everyone claims their deals are “premium,” “high-performing,” and “tailored.” But when you ask what’s actually in those PMPs—what domains, what logic, what filtering—you’ll often get a sample list, vague language, and little else.

At Mavern Media, we’ve made it our mission to change that.

If you’re spending real media dollars, you deserve to know exactly what you're buying. Full stop.

The Curation Landscape in 2025: Hype vs. Reality

With identity signals declining, MFA flooding the ecosystem, and programmatic buyers hungry for efficiency, curation is being positioned as the answer. But the market has gotten crowded—and, frankly, murky.

We’ve reviewed dozens of “curated” deals from across the ecosystem. Here’s what we consistently find:

Keyword-based logic that misses actual content meaning
Recycled site lists relabeled for different brands
MFA and clickbait domains flying under the radar
No visibility into scoring, filtering, or optimization
Static inventory with no in-flight performance adjustments

It's performance theater, not performance strategy.

Our Approach: Transparent, Intentional, Dynamic

At Mavern Media, curation isn’t a cosmetic layer—it’s the foundation. And it’s powered by SignalTap, our proprietary AI platform that reads, scores, and ranks content based on actual meaning and campaign alignment.

Here’s how our PMP process stands apart:

✅ Full Inventory Visibility

We don’t hide behind sample domains. Every deal comes with a full, transparent list of where your ads could run, how those sites were selected, and how they’re being filtered.

🧠 Semantic Targeting, Not Just Keywords

SignalTap uses advanced sentence-level models to understand what a page is about, not just what words appear on it. This reduces false positives and surfaces more relevant placements.

🧼 Pre-Bid Filtering for Quality and Safety

We exclude MFA, high-IVT, and non-editorial content before the bid even fires—based not just on external lists, but on content structure, ad load, and engagement signals.

🔁 Ongoing Optimization, Not Set-and-Forget

Our PMPs are constantly learning. SignalTap monitors performance across DSP signals (CTR, VCR, viewability) and rotates inventory accordingly. If something isn’t delivering, it’s out.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

With the rise of MFA, shrinking identity pools, and increasing scrutiny on media quality, programmatic buying has become a minefield. Curation can be the path forward—but only if it’s grounded in transparency, context, and real optimization.

Here’s what buyers need to demand:

Clear inventory access
Understandable selection logic
Signal-driven decisioning
Proven fraud and MFA filtration
Continuous performance tuning

If your current PMPs aren’t delivering that, they aren’t delivering much.

Our Promise: No Black Boxes, No Guesswork

At Mavern Media, we build every PMP with one goal: make every impression count. Whether you’re optimizing for attention, lift, or ROAS, we give you the visibility and control to scale with confidence.

SignalTap ensures that every domain is vetted, every path is efficient, and every campaign is built with intent—not assumption.

Let’s audit your current PMP strategy.

We’ll run your domains through our scoring model and show you what’s working, what’s not, and how to rebuild it with purpose.

Because curation should be clear.And programmatic should perform.