A Conversation with Diana Moyano Saenz-Tejada, Head of Programmatic, El Confidencial
Welcome to Industry Perspectives, the content series from Onetag where we highlight leaders shaping the future of programmatic and ad tech. Each edition features real voices from the field, sharing valuable insights, lessons learned, and visions for what’s to come.
In this edition, we’re delighted to feature Diana Moyano Saenz-Tejada, Head of Programmatic at El Confidencial, who shares insightful perspectives on the evolving digital ecosystem, the importance of user trust, and the role of AI in programmatic advertising.
Here are Diana’s key takeaways:
Which industry trend do you think is being underestimated or ignored?
While there’s a lot of talk about the end of cookies, data, and the rise of artificial intelligence, I think something essential is being undervalued: the importance of the user.
Users are the stars of the show, and they’re increasingly sensitive to saturation and intrusiveness. If we don’t address these issues, it doesn’t matter how sophisticated our technology is—we’ll still lose their trust. If the user experience is poor, innovation just won’t make up for it.
If you could restart today’s digital ecosystem, what would you change?
If I could hit the reset button, the first thing I would do is simplify everything. For years, brands, agencies, and publishers have all gone their own way, often without talking enough to each other, and often forgetting the user.
The threat of cookies disappearing gave us quite a scare—“the boogeyman is coming” was the feeling—and forced us to sit down together to look for solutions. But there’s still a long way to go before we achieve more transparency and put an end to the “black boxes” that still exist.
I would bet on a much simpler and clearer ecosystem, where what matters is real value: quality data, genuine audiences, and fewer layers of intermediation. And above all, I would leave behind the obsession with volume to focus on what really matters: quality and trust.
What makes your company stand out from the rest?
First of all, our editorial team. Our editorial independence and commitment to quality journalism set us apart and generate trust.
At El Confidencial, we’ve always put the user front and center. Every new format is evaluated by both our digital advertising and editorial teams—it’s truly a team effort that always respects our readers.
What challenges keep you up at night, and how are you addressing them?
What worries me most is how to meet commercial goals without overwhelming the user. On top of that, there are several other challenges:
- Fewer third-party signals: We need to keep offering segmentation and performance in a cookieless world. We’re tackling this with heavy investment in our first-party data—registration, CRM, and personalization—as well as in advanced, AI-supported contextual targeting.
- Search engines shifting toward AI: If an AI assistant only gives one answer or reference, what happens to media visibility? Our response has been to strengthen our own audiences with registration and loyalty strategies.
- A more complex competitive landscape: Budgets are no longer concentrated on display alone; now they’re spread across CTV, DOOH, audio, social media…and there are more players competing for that investment. The key here is to differentiate ourselves through the quality of our environment, user trust, and our ability to offer qualitative audiences, not just volume.
With privacy, performance, and AI transforming digital publishing, what are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned leading programmatic at El Confidencial?
Wow! I’ve been at El Confidencial for almost eight years now, but many more in digital advertising—imagine, I started out at segundamano.es, when the internet was still in diapers. Since then, I haven’t stopped learning, reinventing myself, and riding this roller coaster of an industry.
I’ve learned that focusing on privacy has allowed us to strengthen trust with both readers and advertisers. That performance is no longer measured only in impressions, CTR, or viewability—we’re increasingly talking about attention metrics, repeat visits, brand affinity, real engagement, and brand safety.
And that AI is a great ally, but it should always be the co-pilot, not the pilot. At the end of the day, there are people behind the data.
I’ve also learned that in such a constantly changing environment, multidisciplinary teamwork and collaboration with all players in the chain (publishers, agencies, adtech) are essential.
You’ve highlighted the importance of building loyalty with high-quality users. What strategies have worked best, and what are some trade-offs you have had to make?
We’ve worked a lot on registration and content personalization, which has increased recurrence. The lesson is clear: you have to give up certain impression volumes in the short term in order to build more solid and valuable audiences in the medium and long term. It’s about betting on quality over quantity.
In your opinion, what does good leadership look like today, and how do you think it will evolve in the near future?
Good leadership today is always hybrid: it combines strategic vision with empathy and communication. It’s no longer enough to just set goals: you need to listen, motivate, and adapt quickly.
Looking ahead, leadership will continue to evolve toward even more collaborative and less hierarchical models, all while continuing to rely heavily on data. It should be a type of leadership that inspires, builds trust, and adapts quickly to a constantly changing environment.
On a personal note, I’d like to highlight something: over the years, I’ve seen more and more women in leadership positions in programmatic and in the digital ecosystem in general. I think programmatic, being such a fast-changing environment, has rewarded adaptability—and women have demonstrated a clear strength here by adapting quickly, learning on the fly, and leading in uncertain scenarios.
Which programmatic or data strategies do you think are currently underused among Spanish publishers—for example, first-party data, contextual targeting, or alternative payment models?
First-party data is still not being fully exploited, especially when it comes to creative activation and personalization.
Advanced contextual targeting also has huge potential, especially when supported by AI. And I’d add something very specific: using AI and technology platforms to dynamically optimize floor prices. Very few publishers are doing this yet, but it holds a lot of potential.
How has your experience as vice president of Ictus – asociación madrileña influenced your professional perspective?
For the past five years I’ve lived very closely with an acquired brain injury from a stroke, and I can say that experience has completely changed me. Living it firsthand, at home, makes you rethink a lot of things: the importance of health, of lowering stress levels—which is the leading cause of death among women and the third among men—and of learning to prioritize what really matters.
Since then, I see my work differently. I seek more balance, more joy, and less stress in my professional life. That experience has also given me greater empathy and patience—qualities I try to bring into the way I lead teams and engage with the industry.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee to get going… and tea for everything else. In Spain, there are more and more tea lovers: matcha, green, endless new blends. We don’t have “tea time,” but I always make time for a cup.
