Innovation or not? A practical look at traffic curation with Niki Bansal - Part 1

Nowadays, “traffic curation” has become one of the most frequently used—and most misunderstood—terms in AdTech. Despite the increasing reliance on curated deals, few in the industry seem to agree on what curation actually means. The result? A fractured understanding that makes it harder to distinguish between real value and inflated claims.

To bring clarity to the topic, we spoke with our CEO, Niki Bansal, about her perspective on the current state of traffic curation. Her insights focus on defining what curation should be, what TeqBlaze is doing to improve it, and what others in the space should be asking if they want to get it right.

Karolina: Why is curation so difficult to define in the AdTech industry?

Niki: The problem is that everyone uses the word “curation” to describe different things, depending on what they’re selling. Advertisers see it as a premium targeting solution. Supply-side vendors often treat it as just another way to package inventory. Some call it an upgraded PMP. Others see it as a middle layer designed to increase margin.

There’s no shared understanding. That’s what creates the confusion, and that confusion leads to poor decisions. Instead of addressing the underlying goals of curation, many companies focus on what they can charge for it. They build deals that look good in theory, but in practice, don’t align with campaign performance, audience needs, or content quality. At TeqBlaze, we try to do the opposite. Our approach is grounded in what curation should actually accomplish.

So how do you define curation at TeqBlaze?

At TeqBlaze, curation is the ability to organize traffic based on meaningful criteria—content, context, audience signals, and performance. We’re not interested in building deals based on price ranges or vague assumptions about what “premium” means.

For us, a curated deal only makes sense if it delivers actual value. That means it must be designed with clear logic, using verified signals, and serve a real purpose for the buyer.

If you’re just bundling domains based on CPM thresholds, you’re not curating—you’re just packaging. The goal isn’t to rename what already exists. The goal is to enhance the process of filtering and delivering traffic.

Let’s break down what you mean by context. That word is also frequently used.

Right, and it’s often used too loosely. People say “contextual targeting” and mean categories like “sports” or “news.” That’s not context—that’s just a label.

Real context includes a much deeper set of variables. Factors such as semantic structure, article tone, scroll behavior, reading depth, the number of ads on the page, and whether the domain is trusted. These signals indicate whether a user is engaged and whether an ad placement is likely to be effective.

That’s how we approach context at TeqBlaze. It’s not binary. It’s multi-layered. That’s what allows us to offer deals that perform better in real-world campaigns.

Is curation even a new idea?

Not at all. Curated deals have been around for a while—they just didn’t always carry that name. What’s changed is that today’s programmatic scale demands better organization. Open marketplaces are too noisy. PMPs alone are often too broad. So the need for a more refined approach—what we now call curation—has become more urgent.

In many ways, this isn’t a reinvention. It’s a refinement. But that doesn’t make it less important. In fact, it’s crucial for buyers seeking better outcomes and for publishers aiming to demonstrate the true value of their inventory.

What separates a real curated deal from one that’s just labeled that way?

Ask the creator why the deal exists. If the answer is, “Because we needed to hit a CPM goal,” then it’s probably just a repackaged PMP. If the answer is, “Because we identified specific performance patterns and matched them with contextual and audience signals,” then you’re dealing with real curation.

What happens if the industry continues to treat curation as a marketing term?

We end up in a worse place than we started. The more the term gets misused, the harder it becomes for buyers to know what they’re getting. That leads to mistrust, underperformance, and wasted budget.

It also creates friction between supply and demand partners. Publishers feel like their inventory is being bundled in ways they can’t control. Buyers feel like they’re paying for complexity with no results. It’s not sustainable.

The goal of curation should be to reduce noise, not add to it. That’s why our focus is on clarity—both in the way we build deals and in how we explain them.

What’s the status of standardization in the space?

There’s progress being made. TeqBlaze is part of the IAB Tech Lab’s Curation Working Group, and we’re actively contributing to that conversation. But formal standards take time. Meanwhile, we’re not standing still. We’ve already built a system that works in real-time environments and meets the needs of our clients. When the official definitions and frameworks are finalized, we’ll adapt. But our priority is to deliver tools that solve the current challenges.

Let’s talk about the ethics of curation. What are the key concerns?

One of the biggest issues is how data is used. If a curator builds a deal using a publisher’s data, who owns it? Can it be resold? Should it be? These are tough questions, and currently, there is a lack of consistency in how companies answer them.

At TeqBlaze, our answer is transparency. We don’t use black-box deal logic in our white-label platforms. Our clients can see what data was used, how it was processed, and why the deal was constructed in a certain way. That’s not just good practice—it’s essential if you want to build lasting relationships.

We also clearly define the role each partner plays. Whether it’s the SSP, the DSP, or the data provider, everyone should be aware of what is being done with their inventory and information.

For companies considering curated deals, what should they look for?

They should start by asking the basics:

• Who created the deal?

• What was the logic behind it?

• What data and signals were used?

• What performance has it delivered in similar campaigns?

If the answers are vague or generic, that’s a red flag. A real curated deal should come with a clear explanation. At TeqBlaze, we never ask clients to take it on faith. We show the work.

What is TeqBlaze working on in the curation space?

At TeqBlaze, we’re currently developing our Curated Deals framework to bring more structure, clarity, and effectiveness to how traffic is packaged and delivered. Our approach is built around four core principles: content quality, contextual depth, audience accuracy, and performance alignment.

Right now, we’re building the foundation. The goal is to enable clients to define their curation logic or apply pre-configured setups based on their real campaign needs. Every curated deal will come with full transparency: what’s included, why it’s included, and how it supports performance.

We’re not releasing it broadly just yet. But if you’re interested in being among the first to test it, you can join the waitlist. We’re opening early access to selected partners who want to shape what curated deals should look like, based on real-world requirements, not recycled sales pitches. Because for us, this isn’t about creating smarter packaging. It’s about creating a system that evolves with your goals, not just your budget.

* * *

Traffic curation has the potential to bring much-needed structure and efficiency to programmatic advertising. But only if it’s done right. That means:

• Defining curation based on real signals, not price.

• Prioritizing transparency and logic over vague promises.

• Giving buyers and sellers the tools to understand what’s in a deal and why it matters.

At TeqBlaze, we’ve taken that approach from day one. We’re not selling a buzzword. We’re delivering a process—and a platform—that helps our clients navigate complexity with confidence.

Want to learn more about our traffic curation solution? Let’s talk!