“Aleph: A Collaborative Advantage” – What It Means to Be a Case Study at Stanford GSB
Byline Article by Maria Fernanda Zuloaga- SVP Global Marketing & Education
For decades, digital advertising has been a story of scale. The bigger the platform, the wider the audience reach, the stronger the network effects. At least, in the unconscious bias of collective marketers. But what if (consciously or unconsciously) we’ve been measuring scale the wrong way? What if we’ve been defining the digital world by the size of platforms rather than the opportunities unlocked for businesses, creators, and communities across the globe?
This question has been at the core of my work throughout my career, from both sides of the table: the “media side” and the “client side.” Over the past 20 years, I’ve helped build brands that connect with people worldwide. But no experience has shaped my perspective more than being part of the team shaping the global narrative of Aleph. And after many years under their mentorship, having our business case published was a profound milestone. At a personal level, I take pride in leading the efforts on a year-long project to get it published, not because I wanted a stamp of approval, but because I wanted to challenge the industry’s thinking about what true digital inclusion looks like.
The Collaborative Advantage thesis, developed by Professor Baba Shiv at Stanford, or at least my interpretation of it after several meetings with this brilliant man, rethinks Porter’s competitive advantage model, a concept I first encountered in my marketing studies back in 2005. It was my first class, and learning about competitive advantage shaped my understanding of strategy. Now, seeing Aleph’s story redefine these principles through collaboration is both professionally and personally meaningful. The case study uses the relationship between Ignacio and Gastón as a central example, but there are many, many more on each page where they develop Aleph’s history. Their partnership, built on trust, shared vision, and long-term collaboration, was instrumental in building Aleph from the ground up. The case study highlights how this foundational relationship shaped Aleph’s approach to business, and eventually, how this partnership created a halo effect, which crafted our core business concept of collaborative advantage with partners, and from the chore keeps growing a network effect proving that success in emerging markets is not about individual dominance but about creating lasting, cooperative ecosystems.
At some point, Professor Shiv explained me that there is even mathematical thesis being worked on this, and eventually explained to me as a concept that contrasts with Nash's Non-Cooperative Game Theory, ( and yes, I understood the concept—at least the main idea of it—only after viewing a Brilliant mind ) which models competitive situations where players act independently to maximize their gain. Aleph’s approach demonstrates how collaboration and long-term trust can unlock new opportunities beyond short-term competition. That is precisely what Aleph is built on. We are not just intermediaries; we are partners, enablers, and ecosystem builders.
One of the most compelling insights from our Stanford case study is how education has become a currency in Aleph’s strategy. At a time when media companies were focused on entertaining clients with lavish events in Cancun, we made a different bet: investing in knowledge sharing. The success of Aleph’s event activations, particularly at Stanford, showed that businesses weren’t just looking for access to ad platforms—they were looking for expertise, strategy, and insight.
This approach shaped Aleph’s broader business model. The need to fill events with compelling speakers led to our role representing Silicon Valley’s biggest platforms. It was a practical solution that turned into a foundational pillar of our business. And in 2020, when the pandemic made in-person meetings impossible, I had the honor of launching the Aleph Speaker Series—a three-month online course designed to reconnect with clients when the world was shutting down. It was a moment that reinforced our core belief: education isn’t just a value-add; it’s the foundation of trust and long-term growth.
The Evolution of Digital Access in Emerging Markets
I’ve seen firsthand how the advertising industry has long been dominated by a handful of major platforms that operate at an unprecedented scale. However, the infrastructure to make these platforms accessible to businesses outside of North America and Europe has lagged. The barriers have been threefold:
Financial Infrastructure: Many businesses in emerging markets lack access to international payment methods, making it difficult to transact with global digital platforms.
Market Education: Digital advertising is complex, and without proper training and resources, many businesses struggle to effectively navigate platforms.
Localized Support & Compliance: Understanding the regulatory landscape, consumer behavior, and cultural nuances is essential for campaign success.
Aleph addressed these challenges by developing a full-stack enablement model that combines digital education, financial solutions, and direct platform partnerships. Our ability to localize the advertising experience, offer payment solutions, and provide hands-on guidance has not only driven platform adoption but transformed the way digital advertising scales globally.
From Platform Dependency to Ecosystem Independence
One of the most defining moments in our journey, something I worked closely on, was the shift from platform reliance to ecosystem building. In the early years, Aleph’s success was deeply tied to its ability to represent the world’s largest digital platforms in underserved markets. But when Meta shut down its representation business globally in 2022, the industry watched as companies that had built their businesses around Meta partnerships struggled to adapt.
Aleph took a different path. Instead of retreating, we evolved, diversifying our offering and reinforcing our value proposition beyond platform access. Our expansion into fintech (Localpayment by Aleph) and edtech (Digital Ad Expert by Aleph) has allowed us to future-proof our business model, creating new revenue streams that are independent of any single platform.
This transformation reflects what the Collaborative Advantage thesis describes as a shift from transactional relationships to long-term, trust-based collaboration. Aleph has thrived because our model is not about winning against competitors but about enabling an entire ecosystem to succeed. This is the essence of collaborative advantage.
The Future of Advertising: A Truly Global Market
The digital economy is at an inflection point. AI, automation, and e-commerce are reshaping the way businesses engage consumers, but who will participate in this future? We face the risk of an increasingly fragmented digital world, in which only companies with the right resources can survive and thrive.
I’ve spent my career advocating for global inclusivity in marketing, and Aleph is committed to ensuring that digital access is not limited by geography, infrastructure, or financial constraints. Our work is not just about advertising; it’s about enabling access to the entire digital economy. We believe that if a business in Nairobi, Bogotá, or Jakarta has the same opportunities as one in New York or London, we all win.
So, how big is your world? At Aleph, we’re working to make sure the answer is: as big as it should be.