Publishers, we know it’s been a wild ride lately. Between the impending third-party cookie total annihilation and generative AI nibbling away at referral traffic, finding ways to keep your audience — and your revenue — intact is more important than ever.

That’s why, in our new survey, we’re diving into audience amplification strategies. We want to hear from YOU about how you’re reaching audiences beyond your site and where you see the next wave of revenue opportunities.

Take the Amplify Your Audience Survey Now!

Your input will help uncover what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the horizon for publishers. We’ll explore the balancing act of leveraging first-party data without losing your competitive edge and dive into tactics from retargeting to renting access to segmented data. With your insights, we’ll map out the best strategies to amplify your audience, drive revenue, and keep your content thriving in these ever-shifting digital waters.

The post It’s Time to Unlock Audience Amplification: Share Your Insights Now! appeared first on AdMonsters.

The open web is on life support, or so they say. But is it really dying, or are we just not giving it the oxygen it needs to survive? 

That was the big message during Programmatic IO’s session, “The Future of the Open Internet Is…?” featuring industry minds Cavel Khan, Chief Growth Officer, Group Black; Ari Paparo, CEO & Contributor, Marketecture Media; and Ben Hovaness, Chief Media Officer, OMD, with AdExchanger’s Allison Schiff moderating.

And if we’re honest, the conversation revealed a hard truth: the open web’s struggles go beyond the cookies crumbling — the question is: Are publishers ready to hustle for their piece of the pie?

So, What Exactly Do We Mean by the Open Web These Days?

Let’s cut through the noise — everyone’s got their own take on what the “open web” even means anymore. Is it about accessibility, privacy, innovation, or free speech? It depends on who you ask. 

Some say it’s the accessible, ad-friendly corner of the internet, free from the constraints of walled gardens. The last bastion of free, accessible content that isn’t fenced off behind a paywall or login screen. The digital playground where ads can be bought programmatically without a giant tech overlord controlling every move.

But, sadly, the truth is the open web’s territory is shrinking fast, with Google, Meta, and other walled gardens gobbling up a good 80% of ad spend. 

How did we get here? It’s easy to point fingers at Big Tech, but let’s talk about the industry’s own missteps that got us here.

The Blame Game: Did We Let the Open Web Slip Away?

“The industry is partially to blame,” said Khan, laying out how publishers lost resources as ad dollars poured into walled gardens. And he’s not wrong.

The ad tech ecosystem poured money into the platforms and watched them grow, thinking it was all just market dynamics at play. Meanwhile, independent publishers lost their funding, their communities, and, eventually, their place in the game. Publishers didn’t just roll over one day and lose; they were out-resourced, outspent, and ultimately outperformed in the battle for consumer attention. 

“Independent publishers lost their ability to sustain in the marketplace. That’s why we’re seeing the decline,” he added. It wasn’t like consumers suddenly stopped caring about quality content. Publishers couldn’t maintain what they built because ad dollars flowed elsewhere. Publishers ultimately handed the power over to the walled gardens.

“The big miss on the media side was that they let go of their distribution,” said Paparo. Publishers got too comfortable, relying on third-party tech and platforms for distribution, only to realize they became too dependent on these gatekeepers. For example, news publishers, in particular, put too much faith in platforms and aggregators like Google News.

Now they’re playing catch-up, scrambling to recapture those direct consumer relationships they should’ve built from the start — trying to regain what they gave up: their audience, data, and autonomy.

Signal Loss Ain’t the Only Problem Here

But, we can’t ignore the hard reality of signal loss draining value from the ecosystem. “If you suck signal out of an ecosystem, you reduce its value,” explained Hovaness.

Apple’s cookie crackdown in Safari sent shockwaves through the industry, leading to a split in ad pricing between Safari and Chrome, with Chrome’s value only shooting up simply because it still relied on third-party cookies.

Now, with Google flirting with its own version of App Tracking Transparency in Chrome, the industry is bracing for an even bigger hit. It’s the stuff that still gives publishers sleepless nights. But here’s where the conversation often hits a wall: What now? 

Sure, contextual is part of the solution, but let’s keep it 100 — it’s not a magic bullet. As Khan noted, consumers want more than just context. They crave hyper-personalized, relevant content, and right now, the algorithms in walled gardens are fumbling that bag too. 

The missing piece? True multi-touch attribution across platforms. As Khan put it, “We need to leverage technology in a different way, one that doesn’t create a new set of winners while leaving everyone else starving.”

Programmatic advertising might be good at identifying who you are, but it’s failing at figuring out when you’re actually ready to engage. This is where the open web has a shot to differentiate itself, but it’ll take more than business-as-usual tactics.

The Creator Economy: A Blueprint for Publishers?

Here’s where we can flip the script a bit. It’s not just about surviving the ad wars against walled gardens. It’s about publishers learning to think more like creators to reclaim their power. 

The creator economy is booming — worth $250 billion in 2023 and climbing. This economy is out here thriving, projected to double to nearly $480 billion by 2027. Why? Because creators aren’t waiting for consumers to come to them — they’re meeting their audience where they are. Newsletters, podcasts, social — you name it, they’re on it. Consumers are looking to creators for content that feels real, honest, and transparent

Paparo’s excitement around tools like Substack, beehiiv, and Ghost is spot-on. Even WordPress offers tools allowing creators to monetize through commerce and ad placements. This is also where companies like Group Black, Raptive, and MediaVine are ahead of the game, helping content creators secure and optimize ad revenue.

And you know what? Publishers need to pay attention. 

Some are. Think of Architectural Digest’s AD PRO members-only community for design professionals. Or how about Vox and SB Nation launching Top Secret Base, featuring exclusive content for subscribers on Patreon?

We can even look at publishers like Ranker, leveraging first-party data and building community-driven engagement to realize a 4x boost in revenue. That’s not magic; that’s strategy.

It’s time for publishers to rethink revenue streams, diversify content formats, harness first-party data to build meaningful relationships and stop expecting users to just stumble back to their websites out of habit. Meet them on social, in their inboxes, or through niche community hubs — whatever it takes. It’s time to carve out a new space

What’s most important is that you own that relationship with your audience.

The Path Forward: Reinvent or Get Left Behind

Now, let’s be clear: the open web isn’t going to resurrect magically. We shouldn’t try to turn back the clock lamenting the loss of signals or blame the platforms for hoarding ad spend. This isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about redefining the open web for what it can be.

The future of the open web isn’t in wistful “what ifs.” It’s in publishers getting their hands dirty, owning their distribution, and thinking beyond traditional models. It means building the tech stack to capture first-party data, finding new ways to engage, and creating a user experience that doesn’t just compete — it sets the standard.

So when the panel wrapped up with words like “bright,” “diverse” and “changing” to describe the open web’s future, I couldn’t help but add my own: resilient. But these words only mean something if publishers take action. The open web will survive. But it won’t be because we sat around and complained. It’ll be because we hustled, adapted, and fought for it.

The post The Open Internet’s Future: On Life Support or Ready for a Glow-Up? appeared first on AdMonsters.

Are advertisers afraid of the news? That’s the question Jana Meron, VP of Revenue Operations and Data at The Washington Post, asked at Programmatic IO. 

For many brands, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes,” especially during politically charged election cycles. But Meron had a different take. She argued that this fear-driven approach is outdated and costs advertisers big opportunities.

Just a few months earlier, she spoke to publishers at AdMonsters Publisher Forum in Boston, focusing on how publishers can balance brand safety with revenue using smarter, more nuanced solutions that respect journalistic integrity. 

Both advertisers and publishers should rethink what it means to be “brand safe” in the fast-evolving news world. So what lessons did we learn from Meron about why it’s high time to move beyond fear? 

A Tale of Two Audiences: Advertisers and Publishers
At Programmatic IO, Meron talked directly to advertisers, addressing their fears of placing ads near news content, especially political coverage. Armed with data, she made a compelling case for why this fear is misguided. 

For instance, she revealed that ads next to political and opinion pieces on The Washington Post see a 55% higher click-through rate than other parts of the site. That’s right—people are paying attention, and these are the valuable, engaged audiences that brands dream of reaching.

At AdMonsters Publisher Forum, Meron spoke to publishers about how they can proactively address brand safety concerns without sacrificing high-quality news content. She explained how The Washington Post uses AI and machine learning to analyze context, sentiment, and risk level of news content — creating a nuanced taxonomy allowing advertisers to set their omfort levels.

This move away from the old “sledgehammer” approach, towards a data-driven strategy, opens up more ad inventory without sacrificing journalistic integrity.

Why Are Advertisers Still Afraid?

Let’s get into the numbers. According to the 2024 Madison and Wall Ad Spend Forecast, 83% of US marketing executives expressed concern about advertising during elections. In fact, some advertisers blocked more than 40% of WaPo’s inventory this year to avoid “risky” content. This, Meron argues, is a shortsighted move.

The Washington Post reaches 10.9 million election-specific readers, 43% of whom are retail investors and many are decision-makers. These news consumers — particularly those engaging with political content — are some of the most valuable readers out there. These aren’t casual readers; they’re engaged, informed, and don’t mind ads.

The Brand Safety Double Standard

So, what’s the problem? Meron says it’s the old-school brand safety rules treating all news content the same way. The brand safety tools that once acted as a necessary shield against fraudulent or harmful content have morphed into blunt instruments, blocking swathes of legitimate news inventory.

The fear is that ads appearing next to controversial topics will hurt the brand’s image. But Meron pointed out that these worries don’t hold up. Most news consumers understand that ads don’t endorse the story next to them. In fact, they often see brands in news as more trustworthy.

Meron calls for a smarter approach. Instead of broad keyword blocklists, we need tech that can differentiate between high, medium, and low-risk content. The Washington Post uses AI to do just that, unlocking 15-25% more ad reach for advertisers. It’s proof that you don’t need to sacrifice quality for safety.

Tech Has the Answers—If We Use It Right

What’s the big takeaway from both of Meron’s talks? The tech is here to help us handle brand safety better. AI and machine learning can understand the context of news, including sentiment and bias. That means we can stop treating all news as risky and start making more informed choices.

“The fear that news is too risky is understandable but doesn’t make sense,” she said at Programmatic IO, emphasizing that modern tech can identify sentiment, bias, and context in ways that past tools could not.

At AdMonsters Publisher Forum, she pushed publishers to educate advertisers on this new reality. “It’s not the year of mobile or whatever,” she said. “It’s time to actually do something.” Publishers can use these tools to show advertisers that news content isn’t something to fear — it’s an opportunity.

Facing the Fear: Time to Rethink Brand Safety

It’s time for both advertisers and publishers to face facts and stop letting fear dictate brand safety strategies. Meron made it clear: advertisers are missing out by avoiding news content. Ads next to quality journalism have higher engagement and reach valuable audiences. Meanwhile, publishers should embrace advanced tools to offer nuanced brand safety solutions that align with their content’s integrity.

News Is Good News for Your Business

Brand safety in 2024 doesn’t mean avoiding news and risk entirely — it’s about understanding, navigating, and harnessing it to capture highly engaged, valuable audiences. And, publishers, for their part, must continue to advocate for smarter, more nuanced brand safety measures that respect the integrity of news.

The tools and strategies are there; it’s time for the industry to use them. The audience is waiting. As Meron said, “News is good news for your business.” The sooner we face the facts and acknowledge that, the better off the entire ad tech ecosystem will be.

The post Rethinking Brand Safety: Lessons from Jana Meron on News Advertising in 2024 appeared first on AdMonsters.

Google Ad Manager’s Data Transfer Files (DTF) aren’t a new offering; many tech-savvy publishers already use them.

However, in many conversations with publisher adops professionals, they confide in me that while they want to utilize the data treasure stored in the DTF, they’re just not exactly sure what to do with it. Many industry publications and conference keynote speakers praise the value of log-level data, but few explain exactly what you should and could do with it.

So, as a quick guide for the perplexed, I have gathered five ways I think you should be working with your DTFs:

5 Analyses You Can Perform with Google Ad Manager Log Level Data

1. Segment Analysis

With the log-level granularity, you can see how targeting parameter combinations perform better than the API or UI-based reporting can offer. For example, you can answer questions such as:

• How much does a certain segment increase my CPM? Compare it by itself vs in combination with other segments; maybe it only increases the CPM when combined with another third-party ID for example, and thus, it is the other third-party ID that is providing the lift, but you’re paying a fee for both
• Do certain segments only work on certain parts of your inventory? Or does it give a boost to all of it?
• What other targeting parameters do segments work well with? Or, is it not necessary with certain parameters?

2. Key-Value Pairs Analysis

In the DTF, all the key values you have set up on your site are available for you in a deduplicated manner so you don’t get overlaps between combinations giving you flexibility to combine them freely and see how different combinations perform. This allows you to investigate combinations of key-key-values to figure out:

• Which combination of positions and custom parameters leads to a higher CPM?
• What targeting combinations are prebid vendors bidding on?

3. Latency Checks

Given the granularity of the data, you can measure the latency of your bid process to ensure you aren’t leaving money on the table and creating a bad user experience. For example, this could allow you to test latency when adding new bidders or turning on Google’s Protected Audience API.

4. Incremental Revenue Analysis

Compare your winning bids with other bids to determine potential efficiencies in your ad stack. Do you have a slew of bidders bidding within $0.01 on most auctions? Do all your vendors bid on the same auctions, and none on others? Well, all of these might be signs you should look over your ad tech stack and make it leaner.

5. Loss Reason Analysis

In the GAM UI/API reporting, you can get some basic metrics for loss reasons. However, to understand what really happened, you need to dig deeper and see all the targeting and other parameters that were set on the request. The only way to do this – is by digging into the log data.

Data Done Right: Navigating Log-Level Analysis with Ease

So now that we’ve established how powerful and useful it is to use the logs, how do you actually do it?

‌You need to have a data solution that can manage billions of rows of data each month. In addition to storing all your log data in one place, it is also recommended to aggregate subsets that you can query quickly for things you do a lot. For example, do you often have to query certain key values with e.g. the order dimension? Great. Pre-save that to ensure that the query runs quickly and you don’t spend hours waiting for results and waste money processing the same data over and over.

Given the technical nature of the log files and the complexity due to the size and lack of organization of the files, if your data team does not have specific expertise, it is recommended to partner with someone who has experience with DTFs and knows how to manage them.

Harnessing Data for Smarter Ad Operations

Google Ad Manager’s log-level data offers a treasure trove of information that can significantly enhance your ad strategies. By performing analyses, such as those suggested above, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your ad inventory and your sites’ performance.

This enables you to make data-driven decisions, optimize your ad stack, and ultimately achieve more revenue. Embrace the power of log-level data and transform your ad management approach into a finely tuned, high-performing operation.

The post 5 Analyses You Can Perform with Google Ad Manager Log Level Data appeared first on AdMonsters.

Out-of-home (OOH) and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising are gaining momentum, especially as part of omnichannel marketing strategies.

According to the IAB, 89% of ad sellers — including publishers and platforms — have expanded their political ad inventory since the last presidential election. Meanwhile, 86% of these sellers have seen a significant rise in demand. With political ad rates climbing for 84% of sellers, publishers are seizing the opportunity to leverage OOH advertising, targeting voters in high-traffic, real-world locations.

Since Kamala Harris entered the race, 91% of ad sellers have reported a surge in demand for national political ads, while 75% have seen growth locally. Political advertisers now leverage custom audience segments at unprecedented levels, using political affiliation, interest-based targeting, and demographic data like race and ethnicity. The creative potential and precise targeting offered by OOH advertising allow campaigns to connect with younger, multicultural voters in impactful ways.

It’s no secret that political campaigns now leverage the creative power of DOOH and OOH to drive awareness and action. Still, the real question is — how can publishers and advertisers fine-tune their offerings to capture this growing market?

In this Q&A with Anna Bager,  President and CEO of The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), we explore how OOH political ad spend is increasing, its growing effectiveness, and how publishers can capitalize on this market. We’ll dive into creative strategies, measurement challenges, and the rising role of location-based targeting, all shaping the future of OOH advertising for political campaigns.

She shares a ton of tips and strategies for publishers and advertisers alike. Check out the full convo below.

Surge in Political Ad Spend: Opportunities and Strategies

Yakira Young: What factors are driving the surge in political ad spend for OOH, and how can publishers adapt their offerings to capture this market?

Anna Bager: The surge in political ad spend on OOH is part of a broader trend, with out-of-home advertising experiencing record-breaking growth in the first half of 2024. OOH produced a 3.4% increase in ad revenue in the second quarter, reaching $2.78 billion. Political advertisers are tapping into this momentum, recognizing OOH’s ability to engage voters in a meaningful way.

In fact, 68% of likely voters have seen political ads through OOH formats, with nearly half of them finding these ads personally influential. For publishers, this growing market presents an opportunity to adapt offerings that emphasize OOH’s high trust factor and visibility. Multicultural and younger voters, critical for this year’s election cycles, are key audiences that OOH tends to over-index with.

Lessons from Top OOH Advertisers

YY: What lessons can publishers learn from the top OOH brand spenders like Hotels.com and Apple in terms of effective advertising strategies?

AB: Top OOH spenders like Hotels.com, Apple, and other industry leaders are driving growth by capitalizing on high-visibility placements that resonate with diverse audiences. These brands blend location-based targeting with creative consistency, ensuring their messages reach the right consumers at key moments. For publishers, mirroring this success means enhancing cross-channel campaigns—incorporating DOOH screens or leveraging digital platforms for location-based targeting alongside traditional OOH placements.

The Rise of Transit Advertising

YY: How are transit ads achieving such significant growth, and can publishers replicate this success in other advertising formats?

AB: Transit advertising continues to lead growth, thanks to the captive environments offered by high-dwell locations like airports, subways, buses, and transit stations. These spaces generate strong consumer interaction, particularly through tap or scan technologies. Transit’s rise highlights the value of reaching audiences during their daily commutes. For publishers, replicating this success means employing dynamic placements like geo-targeted mobile ads and DOOH screens in public spaces to create highly relevant, engaging campaigns.

Location-Based Targeting and Audience Appeal

Yakira Young: What role does location-based targeting play in OOH’s success, and how can publishers incorporate similar strategies in their digital offerings?

Anna Bager: Location-based targeting is a core driver of OOH’s success, allowing campaigns to deploy with pinpoint accuracy. The growth of DOOH, now accounting for 33.4% of total OOH revenue, is a testament to the power of digital targeting. Publishers can take cues from this, incorporating geo-fencing and real-time ad optimization to meet the rising demand for hyper-local, personalized campaigns.

YY: How is OOH resonating with younger and multicultural audiences, and what insights can publishers gain from this trend?

AB: OOH’s appeal to younger and multicultural audiences is a major factor behind its growth. Gen Z and Millennials, in particular, appreciate the non-intrusive, visually engaging nature of OOH ads. Our research shows these demographics respond well to OOH’s clarity and shareability. Publishers can learn from this by creating short-form, engaging content that seamlessly integrates into the daily lives of mobile-first audiences.

Capitalizing on Economic Growth

YY: With economic indicators showing strength across various industries, how can publishers tailor their advertising solutions to capitalize on this growth?

AB: With the economy on the rise, advertisers are eager to engage consumers with increased spending power. OOH, especially in urban markets, is well-positioned to capture affluent audiences through premium placements. Financial services, technology, and retail sectors are already leading this charge. Publishers can capitalize by offering premium ad packages that combine OOH with targeted digital campaigns, helping brands reach high-intent consumers through multi-channel strategies.

Measuring Campaign Effectiveness

YY: How are OOH advertisers measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns, and what metrics are most valuable to them?

AB: OOH advertisers are now focused on measurable outcomes such as social media sharing, foot traffic, coupon redemptions, brand lift, and consumer engagement. This shift towards data-driven approaches is fueled by digital integrations, making campaign performance more transparent. For publishers, providing clear reporting and real-time analytics will be essential to meeting advertisers’ expectations and proving ROI across both OOH and digital formats.

Creative Campaigns and Cross-Channel Synergy

YY: What strategies are OOH advertisers using to create memorable and impactful campaigns, and how can these be applied to digital publishing?

AB: OOH is unique in its ability to deliver high-impact, memorable campaigns through bold creative that taps into emotions like humor or curiosity. DOOH adds flexibility, enabling brands to update messages in real time based on various inputs. For publishers, applying similar strategies in digital formats—focusing on visual storytelling and concise messaging—will ensure consistency and resonance across channels.

OOH’s Impact on Ad Budgets

YY: How is the increasing popularity of OOH affecting overall advertising budgets, and what implications does this have for digital publishers?

AB: OOH is often considered the last true mass-reach medium, offering access to consumers without the fear of ad-blocking or skipping. As OOH’s influence grows, some advertisers are shifting budgets from traditional digital formats to focus on high-impact placements. However, the potential for cross-channel synergy remains strong. DOOH can amplify the effectiveness of CTV campaigns, reinforcing messages without the risk of overexposure. For publishers, the key lies in positioning themselves as essential partners in omnichannel campaigns, where OOH and digital work together to maximize reach and impact.

The post From Billboards to Ballots: How OOH Is Powering the Next Wave of Political Campaigns appeared first on AdMonsters.

New players entering the CTV and streaming TV advertising game must overcome specific roadblocks. From low inventory prices and a limited viewership base to few partnerships with premium advertisers, it can take a long time before your expenses pay off and you enter the growth stage. 

But the good news? There are ways to fast-track your path to revenue growth and get those ad dollars flowing in sooner rather than later.

To scale your revenue effectively, focus on a few key areas: setting and tracking the right metrics, expanding your pool of demand partners, and finding creative ways to increase revenue through alternative methods. Here’s how you can piece together a strategy that works for you.  

Steps to Create Ad Monetization Strategy

1.   Set Metrics That Matter

In CTV/FAST advertising, you will focus on the revenue generated from your ad pod — a commercial break of a specific length. So, you need to factor in the duration of the video ad slot and calculate how much you can earn from it. The most optimal way to do so is to calculate RPS (Revenue per Second).

RPS is a metric that defines revenue per 1000 ad impressions:

RPS= CPM/Ad duration

 While RPS will suggest the most optimal way to structure ad slots, it won’t factor in customer acquisition costs and accompanying expenses. Therefore, premium publishers should focus on tracking Average Revenue per User (ARPU). By calculating ARPU, you’re not just looking at how much each ad slot earns — you’re understanding how much each viewer contributes to your revenue over time.

ARPU is calculated by dividing the total revenue by the total number of impressions per specific period per each device:

ARPU= (Number of impressions*(CPM/1000)) divided by device count

Say a new video publisher sells its inventory at $4 CPM and has 7,500 monthly impression opportunities per device. The ARPU will be calculated as follows:

7500*4/1000=$30

The monthly ARPU reaches $30, assuming there’s 100% fill. This figure tells us that each active user contributed $30 in revenue.

2. Build a Strong Demand Stack

Instead of gradually building up the demand stack for transactions, you can generate more chances to sell ad slots. In this context, consider implementing a backfill strategy, which helps monetize impression opportunities with no placed bids in the programmatic flow.

Say interested buyers need more time to be ready to pay for an ad opportunity. You can turn to CPA (cost per action) buyers — direct response (DR) agencies and affiliate networks. These parties pay per conversion, such as website visits, purchases from a TV shopping channel, or registration forms.

3.   Scale Revenue

Monitoring your metrics will show how to build ads for the ad break with the best yield.

Monitor and Optimize RPS

When focusing on RPS, you can filter out underperforming ads. For example, some video publishers would stick only to 15-second ads and improve yield. 

However, you may only sometimes have control over how much an advertiser is willing to pay. In such cases, it’s advantageous to have multiple buyers bidding on your ad slots. This scenario, known as bid density, focuses on increasing the number of buyers interested in purchasing your ad space. The higher the bid density, the better the chances of maximizing your revenue.

How to Increase the Bid Density?

You should encourage media buyers to secure ad slots and submit more attractive bids than competitors. Supply partners usually have a specially allocated sales team. You, in turn, will need a sales unit of experienced specialists capable of bringing aboard different advertisers. They will negotiate and convince ten, twenty, and more partners to bid on the inventory.

Monitor and optimize ARPU

Optimizing CAC and verifying that the LTV (lifetime value derived from ARPU) surpasses CAC and associated viewer expenses is best for publishers tracking ARPU. LTV acts as a rough ROI on CAC investment over time, but you must also factor in churn.

So you’ve minimized your revenue loss – time to level up your strategy:

Through Demand Facilitation.

The idea is to negotiate with demand facilitation partners to secure more impression opportunities. Third-party SSPs such as Xandr aggregate multiple publishers’ inventory through packaging similar offerings. This involves bundling diverse content, such as sports programs, comedies, movies, etc., to create enticing sales packages for DSPs.

Through Invite-only Programmatic Demand.

This approach involves elevating the status of your inventory to premium and selectively granting access only to specific advertisers. To execute this strategy, you will rely on a combination of SSP demand facilitation and direct DSP integrations enabled by your custom AdTech development vendor.

Through Direct Deals.

Direct deals involve your negotiations with SSPs. They enhance revenue through strategic partnerships and serve as a ground for educating the market. Engaging in direct contracts with high-profile advertisers creates valuable PR opportunities, establishing credibility and increasing awareness in the market.

…Or Through an Alternative Revenue Stream – Audience Extension (AudEx)

Video publishers can leverage AudEx to accept advertising contracts by procuring inventory from other suppliers within the ecosystem. This move helps to enhance the perceived scale of operations and surpass the limitations of the current user base.

Improve Your Revenue Using A Comprehensive Approach

It takes various ad monetization strategies, focusing on metrics, demand stack build-up, and alternative revenue streams to get ahead of the game. Each tactic offers a unique approach to optimizing costs and expanding viewership.

Success relies on strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, and a dedicated team of specialists who will implement the strategy. By aligning these elements, new video publishers can overcome initial challenges and establish a solid foundation for future growth.

The post How Video Publishers Can Create A Comprehensive Ad Monetization Strategy appeared first on AdMonsters.

As Google’s Android Privacy Sandbox gears up for its anticipated 2025 launch, mobile marketers need to stay ahead of the curve. Remerge, a leading Demand Side Platform (DSP), is at the forefront of this transition, collaborating  with Google and other ad tech partners, such as Verve, AppsFlyer, Adjust, and Singular, to ensure a seamless shift. Luckey Harpley, Staff Product Manager at Remerge, sheds light on what this means for the future of mobile marketing and how to navigate this new landscape.

Why Is Mobile Marketing Shifting to Privacy-First Advertising?

The rise of AI and sophisticated machine learning algorithms showcases the benefits of new technologies, but it also highlights the dangers of these advancements. People want more control over how big tech businesses manage their data. The advertising world is moving towards a privacy-centric future and marketers must adapt.

Apple made the first privacy move on mobile with the launch of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework in 2021. Google’s answer is the Privacy Sandbox, a set of APIs to facilitate the selling, buying, and targeting of in-app ad placements, without requiring third-party cookies in Chrome or cross-app identifiers on Android. For Android, this will provide tracking and reporting via its Attribution API, targeting through Topics and Protected Audiences APIs, and data collection and handling via the SDK Run Time.

Why are DSPs Like Remerge Already Working on Solutions for the Android Privacy Sandbox?

It’s important to avoid a situation like the ATT rollout, where advertisers and publishers were left in the dark before its launch and struggled to understand how to run campaigns after it came into effect.

We want to ensure everything is ready for mobile marketers to run privacy-compliant advertising campaigns on Android without experiencing a drastic decline in performance. Android maintained its position as the leading mobile operating system worldwide in the first quarter of 2024, with a market share of 70.7% so this transitional period is crucial for the well-being of the mobile marketing ecosystem.

Does Google’s Decision to Keep Third-Party Cookies on Chrome Change Anything?

Google recently announced that they no longer plan to deprecate third-party cookies on Chrome and emphasized giving users the choice to opt-in to tracking. This update is unrelated to mobile. A similar approach is likely to happen on Android, where the GAID remains intact, and users can choose whether to share this with advertisers. In this scenario, nothing would change for mobile DSPs and their investment into Google’s APIs – the Android Privacy Sandbox would remain an essential framework for privacy-preserving advertising campaigns.

What Has Remerge Tested and Why Should Mobile Marketers Take Notice?

Remerge’s Research and Development team has been working on the Sandbox for over 1.5 years. They’ve focused on testing the Protected Audience API, which will allow advertisers to run retargeting campaigns on Android.

Tests have been completed with Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) like Adjust, AppsFlyer, and Singular. This includes developing a proof-of-concept for Custom Audience Delegation, a mechanism required for remarketing in Sandbox. This allows an MMP SDK to add users to custom audiences on behalf of advertisers based on their in-app behavior. Additionally, the first DSP/SSP on-device bidding test was conducted with Verve. These are small steps but important milestones for Sandbox testing, demonstrating that the Protected Audience API and custom audiences mechanisms are working as planned and validating product capabilities.

How Will a Mobile Marketing Manager’s Life Change When the Sandbox Rolls Out?

Advertisers won’t experience a considerable change in the buying process. At Remerge, marketers will continue to share their user data, desired campaign segmentation, and budget with the Account Management team as usual. Remerge will still be able to target users according to activity within an advertiser’s app and run creatives such as static and video. There’ll be no changes to CTR and CPX reporting, and for ROAS reporting, the data will likely have limited dimensionality, focusing on campaign and country-level reporting.

Google and its partners are doing the heavy lifting on the technical setup. Compared to ATT, the Android Privacy Sandbox is not only far more powerful with its targeting capabilities but also much more complex. This is a completely new tech stack with privacy-preserving mechanisms, and while we might see some performance dips initially, the long-term benefits are expected to be significant.

What About User Acquisition (UA) Campaigns?

While the focus has been on retargeting and the Protected Audience API, the Protected App Signals is supporting UA on Android. Although no industry players have made proposals on the Protected App Signals API yet, advertisers should reach out to their UA partners to discuss their plans.

What Can Mobile Marketers Do Right Now?

Advertisers should start finding a partner equipped to run mobile marketing campaigns on Android. Early adopters like Remerge, who have helped shape components of the Privacy Sandbox framework, will be well-positioned to hit the ground running when it launches.

The post What Should Mobile Marketers Know About the Android Privacy Sandbox Launch? appeared first on AdMonsters.

The past few years have been tumultuous for publishers. The on-again/off-again deprecation of cookies, concerns over MFA sites making programmatic advertising risky, and the rise of generative AI search decimating referral traffic have all posed significant challenges. Despite these hurdles, publishers continue to innovate. As a result, the majority anticipate revenue growth in the coming year.

In July 2024, we surveyed and interviewed publishers to gain insights into their revenue outlook and identify their top opportunities for growth. This report summarizes our findings.

Of course, much has changed since our survey, including Google’s decision to forgo cookie deprecation for the foreseeable future. Still, what’s clear to us is that the talk of cookie deprecation has prompted them to rethink the way they do business and how they can generate revenue.

Key Findings: Direct Deals & Audience Data

• On the whole, revenue will grow. Most respondents (60%) anticipate revenue growth, with 19% expecting significant growth and 41% anticipating moderate growth.
•  2025 will be the year of the direct deal, with 68% of publishers saying it represents their best opportunity for revenue growth.
• Monetizing audience data (50%) and creating new products (46%) are also seen as significant opportunities for growth.
• Looking ahead, 33% plan to leverage audience data, and 23% each consider subscriptions and licensing/syndication as new revenue streams.
• To support these growth plans, 71% of respondents plan to invest in new tools or technologies to ramp up revenue.
• The most invested tools include audience segmentation (65%), identity resolution (50%), and AI-driven/advanced analytics platforms (40%).

Enter your info to download your copy below!

The post Ramping Up Your Revenue: Digital Publishers Reveal Key Growth Strategies appeared first on AdMonsters.

Political advertisers are forecasted to spend over $12 billion across all channels during the 2024 election cycle, marking the highest spend in U.S. history, according to eMarketer. While a significant portion of that budget will go to linear TV, digital advertising remains a critical battleground. 

Election campaigns are turning to advanced techniques like bid shading to stretch their dollars in this high-stakes environment. But what does bid shading mean for publishers? Let’s dig into how this tactic impacts publishers, the challenges it presents, and how to navigate these waters during this unprecedented election cycle.

What is Bid Shading?

Bid shading might sound like some covert operation, but it’s actually a savvy strategy media buyers use in digital ad auctions. Imagine you’re at an auction, but instead of bidding wildly, you have an algorithm whispering the optimal bid in your ear. 

This algorithm analyzes historical pricing data, current market conditions, and the value of the impression to tweak bids just enough to win ad impressions without overpaying. The method is especially crucial in situations like political advertising where budgets, although large, need to be spent efficiently.

Example:

Picture a political campaign aiming to secure an ad slot. Without bid shading, they bid $10 and pay the full amount. But, with bid shading, the algorithm suggests $7.50 based on past data, saving $2.50 while still winning the spot and potentially saving the advertiser 25% on that impression.

The Impact of High Political Budgets on Publishers

With political budgets hitting an all-time high, this influx of ad spend can be both a golden opportunity and a potential headache for publishers. 

The Upside:

1. Increased Demand: More political dollars chasing your inventory means heightened competition, which typically drives up demand and fill rates.
2. Revenue Boost: Those previously unsold ad slots? They’re now hot commodities, filling up quickly and boosting your bottom line.

The Downside:

1. Revenue Volatility: While demand surges, bid shading introduces a layer of unpredictability as bids are adjusted downward, making revenue streams less predictable.
2. Inventory Devaluation: As campaigns use bid shading to cut costs, the perceived value of your ad impressions might take a hit, impacting long-term revenue strategies.

Navigating the Risks of Bid Shading

Bid shading isn’t just a double-edged sword — it’s a whole cutlery set. Here are the risks you need to watch out for and how to handle them:

Lower CPMs:

Bid shading typically results in lower cost-per-thousand impressions (CPMs). Some publishers have reported CPM drops of up to 20% due to bid shading. This is a direct hit to your revenue as bids are systematically adjusted to lower amounts.

What to Do:

Consider implementing dynamic price floors that adapt to market conditions in real time. This ensures bids won’t drop below a certain level, protecting your revenue.

Inconsistent Revenue Streams:

The dynamic nature of bid shading means your revenue from political ads can fluctuate wildly, complicating forecasting and planning.

What to Do: 

Leverage advanced yield management tools to analyze historical data and market trends. This helps you understand and anticipate the effects of bid shading, optimizing your inventory pricing and placement.

Competitive Pressure:

With multiple campaigns vying for ad space, the pressure to lower prices further increases, risking a race to the bottom.

What to Do:

Enhance your auction strategies with techniques like header bidding. By involving multiple demand sources, you can drive up competition for your inventory, balancing out the downward pressure from bid shading.

Making Bid Shading Work for You

Bid shading isn’t all doom and gloom—there’s a silver lining if you play your cards right. Here’s how to turn bid shading into an advantage:

Leverage Advanced Analytics: 

Investing in tools that provide deep insights into bidding patterns can help publishers adjust their strategies in real time and identify opportunities to maximize revenue.

Enhance First-Party Data: 

Rich, accurate data about audience segments can command premium prices, even in a bid-shaded environment. Investing in data collection and analysis can increase the value proposition for advertisers.

Dynamic Price Floors:

Setting smart, dynamic price floors can help you maintain control over your inventory pricing. Adjust these floors based on real-time market conditions, like time of day, user demographics, and current events to prevent your CPMs from dropping too low.

Auction Strategies:

Don’t just rely on traditional auction setups. Incorporate header bidding to get multiple demand sources competing for your ad space. Increase competition for inventory and mitigate the impact of bid shading from any single source by relying on multiple SSPs and ad exchanges. This improves the likelihood of higher bids, even with bid shading in play. 

Yield Management:

Invest in robust yield management tools and expertise. These tools help you make data-driven decisions about your ad inventory, optimizing pricing and placement to counteract the effects of bid shading.

Collaboration with Buyers:

Build strong relationships with your advertisers. Educate them about the value of your premium inventory and work together to establish fair pricing and bidding practices. This collaborative approach can lead to more stable and beneficial outcomes for both parties.

When in Rome Leverage Bid Shading to Your Advantage

Bid shading is here to stay, especially in high-budget political advertising cycles. Publishers who adapt and strategically manage their ad inventory can thrive, capturing the full potential of these high-budget opportunities.

While bid shading presents both opportunities and challenges, strategic measures can mitigate risks and maximize revenue. Implementing dynamic pricing, enhancing auction strategies, optimizing yield management, and fostering collaboration with buyers is key to navigating bid shading complexities and staying competitive.

Not all of the predicted $12 billion election cycle budgets will be subject to bid shading. Direct deals, bypassing programmatic auctions, will also play a significant role. Publishers offering unique value propositions, like highly engaged audiences or brand-safe environments, can command premium prices despite bid shading tactics.

The post How Bid Shading and the $12 Billion Political Ad Boom Could Impact Publishers appeared first on AdMonsters.

Media and ad tech conferences have been dominated by discussions about AI and cookie deprecation over the past couple of years. These are important topics, but one equally important topic gets less attention: data strategy.

Everyone wants the mystical data lake that will solve all their data needs and finally make them “data-driven,” the thing everyone claims to be but few actually are.

A data lake can be a great thing but, not unlike a normal lake, it can also be filled with toxic waste and be more like a dump than a beautiful lake anyone wants to touch. Just putting your data in a data lake doesn’t actually fix anything. A data lake is just a fancy marketing term for a database. 

The key to enabling your organization to make data-driven decisions is to make the data accessible to the whole organization and different stakeholders, including those who don’t have a computer science or data science background. 

For example, your ops team may want to know the latency of ad loading or be able to see how many impressions an ad unit generated for a certain audience. They shouldn’t need to know SQL to achieve that.

A SQL prompt (even though it is powerful and one of my favorite tools) won’t help, and a static dashboard won’t help either because you can only think of and design so many things ahead of time. You need something else.

3 Steps to Unlock Data for the Entire Publisher Organization

So, how do you make your data truly accessible — and understandable — to every relevant person within your organization?

1. Ensure you have a solid ETL pipe. You want all the data in one place, but more importantly, you want it normalized across your sources so you are actually comparing apples to apples when reporting. A business user shouldn’t need to know how Magnite or Index Exchange defines their ad types. Their tools should account for these differences.
2. Make the data accessible. Enable the data to be queried with easy-to-use tools that take care of the logic in the background. People are strapped for time, and if it is a hassle to get to the data — maybe they have to submit a ticket to the data science team and wait two weeks to hear back — they are probably not going to do it.
3. Monitor the data for accuracy. One thing that will definitely kill a data strategy is inaccurate or out-of-date data. If users can’t trust the data, they will not use it, instead retreating to manual Excel spreadsheets or other less effective methods.

A data lake won’t make publishers data-driven. But getting all their data in one place is indeed the first step to more efficient, data-driven decisions.

Normalizing the data, making it easy to query, and shoring up its accuracy will help publishers get the rest of the way so that “data-driven” is a real way of doing business and not just a nice-sounding slogan.

The post Data Lakes Won’t Make Publishers Data Driven. Here’s What Will appeared first on AdMonsters.