The narrative that direct-to-consumer companies rely too heavily on digital ads to acquire customers lives on, even as many of those companies repeatedly say they are diversifying their ad spending with other channels. But the notion that DTC upstarts can rise meteorically -- and sustainably -- with digital ads alone could be dwindling. New research shows that DTC companies may have moved further beyond channels such as Facebook and Google than some might expect. Read more below.

• In this week's Rundown: The idea that direct-to-consumer companies thrive simply based off of social ads is no longer true. Those companies have diversified their advertising -- and done so because they had to.
• In February, Target announced that it was launching a third-party marketplace called Target+ to grow its online assortment in areas like home, toys, electronics and sporting goods. But six months later, the amount of products available through Target+ remains limited.
• Digiday Research surveyed 203 people working in publishing to ask about work, compensation and culture. Overall, 60% of respondents said they believed they were being fairly paid for the job they did.
• Publishers are selling it, and advertisers want it. In an ad industry that’s scrambling for new, privacy-compliant ways to target people online, second-party data is all the rage. Here’s a primer on what to consider when considering second-party data.