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 She argued that this fear-driven approach is outdated and costs advertisers big opportunities.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.

Who said cookieless targeting doesn’t scale?

Dotdash Meredith’s cookieless targeting tool, D/Cipher, has propelled the publisher to a 12% increase in digital ad revenue year-over-year, marking the second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.  

D/Cipher is proving its worth in driving campaigns like the one the media company conducted with Pandora. The campaign resulted in 76% higher foot traffic when compared to other targeting methods. 

But this isn’t just about impressive numbers. It’s about Dotdash Meredith setting a new standard in the industry. With third-party cookies becoming obsolete, their ability to pivot and innovate with tools like D/Cipher is a masterclass in adaptation. 

“The performance is amazing because the industry is always trying to find ways to tie media buys to real results. This proves that Dotdash Meredith can drive national brick-and-mortar sales for a brand without any cookie or identifier,” Lindsay Van Kirk, Senior Vice President and General Manager of D/Cipher told ADWEEK. 

The publisher’s success is part of a broader narrative vividly discussed at the recent AdMonsters Publisher Forum in Boston. Let’s connect the dots between Dotdash Meredith’s achievements and the strategies shared by top publishers.

Connecting the Dots from Publisher Forum

Several sessions highlighted how publishers leverage data to secure ad spend and ensure brand safety, aligning perfectly with Dotdash Meredith’s success story. Conversations weren’t merely about surviving the post-cookie apocalypse — they were about thriving.

Data-Driven Strategies:

Patrick McCarthy, SVP, Programmatic Monetization, Dotdash Meredith, emphasized the importance of big data in ad operations. “We are a very data-driven company. When you go into meetings with our C-suite team, hunches really aren’t acceptable. Our whole programmatic and advertising part of our business is really driven by our CFO and Chief Innovation Officer, who is a former data scientist. Data is absolutely paramount to making your case for new investment, for new products to be rolled out,”  he said.

This reflects D/Cipher’s ability to utilize first-party data and contextual signals to outperform traditional cookie-based methods. He also highlighted the role of predictive analytics and real-time data applications. The publisher is proving that first-party data and advanced analytics are the future.

Echoing the power of data, Jesse Waldele, SVP, Digital Operations and Client Success at Dow Jones, shared how they’ve ditched third-party data in favor of first-party insights, fueling more effective ad solutions. Their “Thematic AI” tool, which predicts the best content placement using AI, has driven noticeable performance lifts for advertisers. Dow Jones’ focus on real-time measurement ensures that advertisers keep rebooking.

While the benefits of big data are clear, reliance on it also comes with obstacles. The high cost of data management and the risk of data privacy issues can be a significant barrier for smaller publishers.

Brand Suitability and First-Party Data:

In her keynote, Jana Meron, Vice President of Revenue Operations & Data, The Washington Post, discussed the power of first-party data in achieving brand suitability and effective ad placements. She noted, “The intersection of deterministic and probabilistic first-party data is where we get our power.”

The Washington Post observed a 3x performance lift when using first-party data compared to third-party data with standard display, and a 5x lift when integrating custom ad units designed for their audience.

While first-party data offers significant benefits in targeting and personalization, the session also highlighted potential downsides, such as difficulties in scaling deterministic data due to the reliance on user logins, which can limit reach. Additionally, there are concerns about balancing privacy with data collection, as overly aggressive data strategies might lead to consumer pushback or regulatory scrutiny.

Still, The Washington Post’s direction is a fundamental shift in how publishers view and leverage their audience data. By focusing on the nuances of their data, publishers can create a more personalized and effective advertising ecosystem, which is essential as consumers become increasingly wary of invasive data practices.

Harnessing Audience Power: Future’s Strategy

Jeff Goldstein, Head of Programmatic at Future, offered a compelling keynote on the importance of understanding and harnessing audience passions. He explained how Future’s approach to audience segmentation — dividing users into “practical intenders” and “passionate intenders” — has allowed the publisher to optimize its content and ad strategies.

Goldstein shared that through their first-party data platform, Aperture, Future has identified high-intent users, leading to a 30% higher purchase likelihood among these users. He emphasized the value of deep audience insights and the role of AI-driven data in refining targeting strategies.

Future’s approach underscores the value of deep audience insights, enabling them to create more personalized and effective media products. By leveraging AI and contextual data, Future exceeds advertiser expectations, driving better outcomes across its 200+ owned and operated properties.

ID Bridging: Navigating the Benefits and Risks

In another session, the topic of ID bridging was explored in depth, highlighting how this technology enables publishers to maintain addressable audiences in a cookieless environment. Ianna Feliciano, Senior Director, Programmatic Advertising, Raptive, and Jasper Liu, Senior Programmatic Yield Analyst, Daily Mail, explained how ID bridging allows for deterministic and probabilistic matching across devices and browsers. While deterministic matching offers precision, it often lacks scale. On the other hand, probabilistic matching provides greater reach but with potential trade-offs in accuracy.

The speakers also explained the risks associated with ID bridging, such as increased complexity in managing multiple ID partners and the potential for data leakage, which can have severe privacy implications. Additionally, the costs associated with ID bridging can be significant, especially when considering the need for continuous vendor management and compliance with evolving privacy regulations.

But when connected with the right partners, ID bridging is becoming essential for maintaining campaign effectiveness in the face of increasing privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies. The session emphasized the importance of choosing the right ID-bridging partners and continually testing and adapting strategies to balance accuracy, scale, and compliance with privacy laws.

Innovative Revenue Strategies:

The “One Big Problem” session, a town hall publisher-only conversation, underscored the challenges and strategies in ramping up revenue. One standout solution was monetizing social media audiences. Publishers are turning their social followers into a goldmine, leveraging these platforms to drive engagement and revenue. This strategy, highlighted by some ad ops leaders shows the innovative ways publishers are navigating the post-cookie landscape.

This strategy doesn’t come without its downsides though. Relying heavily on social platforms means publishers are subject to the algorithms and policies of those platforms, which can change suddenly and impact reach and monetization.

Another exciting approach discussed during the Forum was Deal Curation as a Service (DCaaS). This strategy empowers publishers to showcase and monetize high-quality inventory effectively, leveraging first-party data for improved targeting and higher CPMs. Yet, implementing DCaaS can be resource-intensive, requiring significant investments in technology and data management. It can also lead to increased operational complexity, as publishers must manage and coordinate with multiple partners and ensure the integrity of their curated deals. 

In the long haul, DCaaS enables publishers to regain control over their inventory, creating a more curated and valuable marketplace that benefits publishers and advertisers alike. As Scott Messer of Messer Media explained, DCaaS alleviates costs, aggregates sales efforts, and delivers a good product.

The Existential Crisis and Future-Proofing Revenue

Despite Google’s flip-flop on third-party cookies, savvy publishers are already adapting. Our recent Publisher Pulse report, Ramping Up Your Revenue: Digital Publishers Reveal Key Growth Strategies, shows that 71% of publishers are investing in new tools and technologies to drive revenue growth, with the most invested tools including audience segmentation (65%), identity resolution (50%), and AI-driven/advanced analytics platforms (40%).

But this isn’t just about technology for technology’s sake, it’s about addressing the existential crisis of trust and relevance. Publishers like Dotdash Meredith, The Washington Post, and Future are leading the way, demonstrating that investing in first-party data and contextual targeting is key to thriving in a cookieless world.

As Dotdash Meredith’s McCarthy explained, predictive analytics and real-time data are revolutionizing how we approach ad operations, ensuring we stay ahead of the curve. This aligns seamlessly with the broader industry trends discussed at the Forum, showing a unified move towards data-driven, privacy-safe ad tech solutions.

The landscape is shifting, and those who don’t adapt will be left behind. Since many of these approaches may require significant investment in technology and talent, it’s a survival of the fittest scenario, where only the most innovative and forward-thinking publishers will thrive. Regardless of the size of your operation, your best bet is to start small and keep testing iteratively.

Innovation must be balanced with caution — embrace your data, invest in the right tools, and keep innovating.

Editor’s Update 08/14/2024 An earlier version of this article omitted insights from Jesse Waldele, SVP of Digital Operations and Client Services at Dow Jones, and Jeff Goldstein, Head of Programmatic at Future’s keynote.

The post Dotdash Meredith’s Cookieless Conquest and the Publisher Pulse: Notes from AdMonsters Publisher Forum Boston appeared first on AdMonsters.

Transitioning into a new role can be daunting, especially at a prestigious institution like The Washington Post. But Jana Meron, now the VP of Revenue Operations and Data, embraced this challenge head-on. In a recent LinkedIn Live session, hosted by yours truly, Lynne d Johnson, Content Director at AdMonsters, Meron opened up about her transition, the state of the digital advertising industry, and her vision for The Washington Post’s future.

In this lively session, Meron spills the beans on her career journey and the challenges of the ad tech ecosystem. Discover how she plans to tackle brand safety issues, harness first-party data, and drive innovation at one of the world’s most respected news outlets.

Plus, don’t miss her pearls of wisdom on mentorship, career growth, and the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising. Tune in to gain invaluable perspectives on the intersection of ad tech and journalism.

Rekindling Connections: From Coronado to LinkedIn Live

It’s always a blast reconnecting with industry peers, and this LinkedIn Live was no different. The last time Meron and I crossed paths was at AdMonsters PubForum Coronado in 2023.  That encounter was unforgettable, filled with intense discussions about the bloated advertising ecosystem, and even a few well-deserved F-bombs were dropped on stage. Meron’s passion for the industry and her desire to see publishers win shone through every word.

Check out the video below and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn so that you can stay up-to-date on more conversations like these.

“As long as we’re focusing on our readers… we’ll be able to do better for our advertisers.” – Jana Meron 7/25/2024

The Washington Post: A New Chapter

During our chat, Meron radiated excitement about her new role at The Washington Post. The day she announced her new gig on LinkedIn as VP of Revenue Operations and Data, we knew we had to bring her into our AdMonsters community discussions.

Mark your calendars. She’ll be one of our keynotes at AdMonsters PubForum Boston, discussing: Boosting Revenue through Brand Suitability. With her vast experience in ad tech and a keen understanding of the advertising landscape, Meron is an invaluable asset to the Post. Her journey to this role is steeped in her passion for news and media, representing a chance to make meaningful changes in an industry she loves.

“Twenty-five years of experience, and this role gives me the ability to do it all in one place,” she shared. 

Jana Meron’s Background and Motivation

Meron’s career kicked off as a media buyer in the early days of digital advertising when it was still considered an added value to traditional platforms like TV and print. Her diverse experience spans TV, digital display, print, programmatic, and data strategy. This new role allows her to channel her 25 years of expertise into a brand she is deeply passionate about. Her mission is clear: to combat the bloated ad tech ecosystem and ensure the news survives and thrives.

Challenges in the News Industry

Brand safety measures significantly impact news, Meron explained. She cited instances where crucial articles were blocked from receiving ads, limiting their reach and impact. To explain further, she highlighted how ad networks often penalize articles covering the elections. 

“Why would you avoid reaching them when they’re most engaged?” she emphasized, noting that news is a vital part of daily life and that should be supported by advertisers, not shunned.

Ad Tech and Privacy Concerns

“The media has always been ad-funded,” Meron affirmed. “We wanted information to be available, but we forgot to tell people that the exchange for that was going to be seeing ads.”

She underscored the complexities of the ad tech ecosystem and rising privacy concerns. Recalling an interaction with an ad tech company admitting to being the ad tech tax, she stressed the need for a balanced approach that prioritizes both advertisers’ needs and user privacy.

Strategies for Success

Meron champions the importance of first-party data and user engagement as strategies for tackling these issues and improving the news advertising ecosystem. “I’m always excited about first-party data and what we can do with it,” she stated. She sees it as a way to innovate and improve the relationship between publishers, advertisers, and audiences.

She also advocates for better advertiser education and an updated approach to ad tech practices that align with the evolving landscape.

Mentorship and Career Development

The discussion also touched on the significance of mentorship and career development. Having learned the industry mostly on her own and later through collaborative efforts with peers, Meron stressed the importance of curiosity, asking questions, and voicing opinions. For her, mentorship is about guiding the next generation with her wealth of knowledge and experience.

Work-Life Balance

Balancing a demanding career with a personal life is no small feat, and Meron candidly spoke about her approach. She prioritized her children’s needs at different stages of their lives, adjusting her professional commitments accordingly. This flexibility allowed her to maintain a balance that worked for her and her family.

Her drive comes from a deep curiosity about how things work and the satisfaction of solving complex problems. Meron thrives on making ad tech work efficiently while enhancing user experiences. Her inquisitive nature pushes her to seek better solutions and improve industry practices.

Future Trends in Digital Media and Ad Tech

Looking ahead, Meron is particularly excited about the potential of first-party data to model better user experiences. With the digital media landscape and ad tech constantly evolving, she’s keen to see how new technologies and strategies will shape the future.

The post Jana Meron on Her New Role as VP of Revenue Operations at The Washington Post appeared first on AdMonsters.

Prominent disinformation scholar Dr. Joan Donovan has filed a legal complaint against Harvard, saying she was fired for criticizing Meta.

She joined Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University in 2018 as the Technology and Social Change (TASC) project was just getting underway. As a researcher who has studied the ways that nefarious manipulate the media, she was uniquely suited for the project, which describes its mission as “dedicated to understanding how media manipulation impacts public conversation, democracy, and society.”

The following year, she was promoted, and under Dr. Donovan’s leadership, TASC investigated and published research on a wide range of topics, including misinformation related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection. 

According to Whistleblower Aid, representing Dr. Donovan, in 2021, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative pledged $500 million over 15 years to found Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard. It was the largest single contribution in the school’s history. Both Chan and Zuckerberg attended Harvard.

Whistleblower Aid accuses Harvard’s Kennedy School leaders of targeting Dr. Donovan to destroy her work and her team’s work to “protect the interests of high-value donors with obvious and direct ties to Meta/Facebook.” Harvard strongly denies this claim.

The Washington Post reports that Dr. Donovan’s conflict with Harvard began when she acquired the Facebook Papers, a collection of internal documents whistleblower Frances Jaugen provided to Congress and multiple news outlets. At a gathering of important Harvard donors, Dr. Donovan spoke of the importance of these papers, as they demonstrated that Meta was well aware of the harm its platforms were causing but opted to prioritize engagement over user safety. 

Fired Just in Time for the Political Season

Ten days after the gathering, her troubles with Harvard began. Kennedy School Dean Doug Elmendorf emailed Donovan, asking her “pointed” questions and reminding her that the $500 million grant was in the works. It culminated in her being let go.

“The surprise dismissal alarmed fellow researchers elsewhere, who saw Donovan as a pioneer in an increasingly critical area of great sensitivity to the powerful and well-connected tech giants,” the Washington Post wrote.

Harvard claims that Dr. Donovan was informed at the end of 2022 that it would wind down the TASC project. Nancy Gibbs, the director of the Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, told the Washington Post in early February of this year that the decision was due to a school policy that requires a faculty member to lead research. Dr. Donovan is not a faculty member. That decision prompted more than 100 Harvard professors to call for the resignation of the Dean of the Kennedy School. 

Far be it from me to second guess decisions made by Harvard, but Dr. Donovan was hired in 2018. It took them until late 2022 to realize she was not a faculty member.

Harvard’s Surprising Ostracism

At a time when just 32% of Americans say they trust the media, the dismissal isn’t a good look. Dr. Donovan is hardly an obscure researcher tucked away in an ivory tower. She is co-author of Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America, a book that Harvard itself describes as “A political thriller with the substance of a rigorous history” and “a warning that if we fail to recognize these powerful undercurrents, the great meme war for the soul of America will soon be won.” 

Before joining Harvard, she was a research lead for media manipulation and platform accountability at the Data & Society Research Institute.

Dr. Donovan has also testified before Congress on online misinformation and the influence of social media algorithms on societal discourse. “Deception is now a multi-million industry. My research team tracks dangerous individuals and groups that pose as political campaigns, social movements, news organizations, charities, brands, and even ordinary people. This emerging economy of misinformation is a threat to national security,” she warned the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. 

A Growing Scourge for Journalists

Misinformation is a severe threat to journalism, both to the journalists who investigate the news and the audiences who rely on news reports to make decisions. According to a PEN America survey, 81% of journalists say misinformation is a serious threat they confront daily. While there is broad recognition of the problem, 11% of respondents said they had inadvertently included misinformation in articles they’ve published.

This makes it baffling that Harvard would ostracize a prominent expert in disinformation and how to prevent it, especially as we move into the political season. Election experts have raised the alarm of misinformation, and some say that AI-generated misinformation will be the “super weapon” of nefarious players.

“While I was hired as the TASC project director in 2018 and was promoted to research director of Shorenstein in 2020, this rationale comes as a big surprise,” Donovan said in an email to colleagues. “If I had known that we would be dismantled before the 2024 election, I would have built our project elsewhere.”

It’s a pity she didn’t, as this decision leaves a gaping hole when expertise in misinformation will be needed most.  

The post The Cost of Criticizing Meta? Termination appeared first on AdMonsters.

It is also about the stories of everyday people pushing to make a difference in their families, community spaces, and work environments. In the ad tech ecosystem — the Black ad tech, ad ops, rev ops, and digital media professionals  — are a part of Black History. 

That is why for Black History Month, AdMonsters is celebrating Black professionals making history throughout the ad tech ecosystem.

Back in 2020. we wrote a lot about ad tech’s diversity problem, and in 2023 unconscious bias continues to rear its ugly head when it comes to funding, hiring, and relationship-building within the industry. For that very reason, we’d like to highlight 10 unsung heroes — Black professionals making waves and leaving their mark on the advertising and digital media industry. 

10 Black Ad Tech Professionals

Sheila Marmon, Founder + CEO, Mirror Digital 

Sheila Marmon is passionate about launching and operating new businesses in the digital media industry and has created innovative platforms for over 20 years. Her expertise focuses on growth markets and delivers meaningful ROI for investors and multinational organizations.

As Founder + CEO of Mirror Digital, an interactive media and advertising company, she helps Fortune 500 brands tap into the fastest-growing U.S. consumer base — the multicultural market. Sheila has executed over 800 digital campaigns in this space for clients, including AT&T, Clinique, Comcast, Disney, Ford, General Motors, Intel, Macy’s, Procter & Gamble, Universal Pictures, Walmart, and other leading brands.  

What advice would you give your younger self at the start of your career in ad tech?

Jump in and get involved by learning everything you can and taking every opportunity to be of service. Being one of the few people of color in our industry can be intimidating, but instead of feeling like it makes you an outsider, use your unique POV and lived experience to stand out.

Terry Guyton-Bradley, Director of Programmatic, Red Ventures

Terry is the senior director of programmatic at Red Ventures, Inc. Red Ventures is home to brands such as CNET, ZDNET, Mymove, and Bankrate. He leads the global strategy for RVs programmatic programs across all brands.

Terry is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience. From the early days of Doubleclick, he has been a leading voice and advocate for programmatic advertising. He participates actively in the industry-wide conversation on data privacy and the plethora of targeting solutions.

Where do you hope to see Black professionals in ad tech in the future? 

We have begun to see Black tech professionals rise to the top of corporations and start their own tech companies. I hope we continue to be influential voices in our industry by sharing our perspectives and values. Everyone needs to know and understand what is important to our culture and how we need to be viewed as major consumers worldwide.

Kerel Cooper, President of Advertising, Group Black 

Kerel Cooper is an award-winning executive with 20+ years of digital media experience building Advertising Operations, Account Management, and Marketing teams.

Kerel is the President of Advertising at Group Black, a next-gen media collective and accelerator focused on advancing Black-owned media properties. In his current role, Kerel leads Group Black’s advertising revenue & operations team, including sales, ad operations, analytics, and customer success. He works closely with the executive team to deliver seamless client and customer experiences.

He also is the co-founder and co-host of the Minority Report Podcast, which highlights people of color, women & LGBTQ+ leaders within business, media, and technology. 

Where do you hope to see Black professionals in ad tech in the future?

I hope to see more black professionals enter ad tech, building great careers and taking on more leadership and executive positions. I wrote People of Color Trying to Break Into Ad Biz: Consider Ad Ops a few years back. I still believe this to be true today because many positions like advertising and revenue operations sit at the center of everything and can open career doors that aren’t immediately obvious. Still, I believe having 360-degree knowledge of the industry is vital to building a great career in ad tech.

Chelly Jones, Director of Digital Ad Operations, Washington Post 

Chelly Jones is the Director of Digital Ad Operations at the Washington Post. In this role, she leads a team of traffickers and ad operation QA specialists responsible for ad-related testing, building, trafficking, and delivery efforts across various digital platforms. She spends her days partnering with Marketing, Product, Engineering, and other operations leads, productizing innovations and editorial initiatives.

Chelly also serves as the inaugural chair of the Washington Post’s Black Inclusion Network. Part of the mission is to enable black employees to realize their fullest professional potential and to foster an environment where culture and connection are embraced in every aspect of their career while at The Washington Post.

What advice would you give your younger self at the start of your career in ad tech?”

I would tell my younger self that “tech” isn’t scary and to run as fast as possible toward the risks that scare you. The rewards are too great not to.

Melissa Bonnick, Executive Director, Head of Programmatic, Paid Media Tagging & Trafficking, JPMorgan Chase & Co

Melissa graduated from St. Johns University with a degree in Journalism and jumped straight into digital advertising, where she has been for over 20 years. Beginning with an internship in ad operations at a small ad network, it was only a short time before she became the ad operations lead.

She is currently at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she has combined her experience into a role that manages programmatic, paid media ad operations, and tagging & trafficking. She has also spearheaded the diverse spend initiative through programmatic, increasing investment with diverse-owned publishers year over year by 8.3x, with additional growth to come in 2023. As the paid media ad ops, tagging, and trafficking lead, she manages the paid media pixels across all pages and trafficking all in-house campaigns within their ad server.

Where do you hope to see Black professionals in ad tech in the future?

I have worked hard to earn my seat at the table and am present when prominent players in the advertising space are making critical decisions. I hope that when I look around this table, I see more people of color whose voices are being heard and respected. Some of these conversations can be difficult — especially when you are the only POC in the room, but not having the opportunity to have them is even worse.

Albert Thompson, Managing Director, Digital, Walton Isaacson

While carrying the “ethos” of a Marketing Technologist, as the Managing Director, Digital Innovation at Walton Isaacson, Albert Thompson always understood how technology has continued to transform the discipline of Marketing. Thompson spent the past 20+ years honing his cross-cultural communications experience through campaigns touching African Americans, Hispanics, the Queer community, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, Boomers, Millennials, GenZers, Urban culture, and the general market.

Ultimately, his purpose in this business is continuously adding value by “elevating the space” and those connected to him. Since Marketing has been a career choice since the 11th grade, his vision as a practitioner is to retire ALL outdated Marketing paradigms.

What advice would you give your younger self who is starting their career in ad tech?”

Only the consumer is guaranteed to win. Spend more time studying people (as consumers) than studying Ad Tech as a discipline. Then study the CMO because, as the ultimate Marketer, he is everyone’s boss! The Brand team, the agency, and the Ad Tech platforms getting advertiser budgets all report to the head of Marketing. Marketing is the “parent company” – Not Advertising or Ad Tech.

Reggie Hudson, VP, Advertising Operations, The Arena Group

Reggie is a seasoned media executive with over 15 years of digital experience at world-class and niche media companies. He joined The Arena Group in 2022 as the Vice President of Advertising Operations, overseeing the company’s ad tech & digital strategy, programmatic efforts, and direct, social, and email marketing to increase revenue-driven opportunities.

Reggie has also led the diversity, equity, and inclusion at multiple companies focusing on addressing corporate concerns for people of color, women, and the LGBTQ community.

Where do you hope to see Black professionals in ad tech in the future?

I hope to see young black professionals entering the space with new innovative ideas for the industry and I also hope to see companies like Group Black and Reset Digital continue to grow their business models.

Akinwole Garrett, GM, Revolt Podcast Network, Revolt Media & TV

Akinwole Garrett (Aki) is an accomplished senior strategy and business development executive with over fifteen years of data-driven business development and management experience at the intersection of technology, media, and telecommunications.

REVOLT Media & TV appointed Aki as the VP, Head of Business Development at REVOLT Media & TV, founded by music and entertainment icon Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2013. At REVOLT, Aki leads all strategy, new business development, mergers, and acquisitions. In addition to his business development role, Aki is the GM of the REVOLT Podcast Network, which he created in 2022.

Where do you hope to see Black professionals in ad tech in the future? 

I hope to see more Black professionals entering the ad tech space. There is still room for innovation and revenue in ad tech. Given all of the Black creative genius, the ad tech space is yet another place where our people can excel.

Robyn Green, Director of Programmatic, The New York Times

Robyn Green is the director of programmatic for New York Times Advertising, where she is responsible for driving programmatic revenue across mobile, web, video, and audio environments.

She works closely with teams across The Times, including Sales, Ad Solutions, and Ad Ops, to execute a reader-first programmatic strategy that also upholds The Times’s mission and values. Before joining The New York Times, she worked at WarnerDiscovery, AMC Networks, and Hulu.

Where do you hope to see Black professionals in ad tech in the future? 

I hope to see diverse representation in ad tech grow, and I will continue to do my part in demystifying Ad Tech for others starting in the industry. During my first internship in media, I had a mentor who happened to be a person of color. Seeing that representation mattered to me helped me seek out more roles in this industry and eventually move into a more technical side of advertising.

Brian Lee, Head of Programmatic Sales, TIME 

Brian Lee is a marketing leader with 16 years of experience driving results for the world’s largest brands. Throughout his career, he’s been driven by taking on significant challenges and driving results, leading to explosive career growth. Brian has also invested considerable time into thought leadership by either writing, speaking, and/or being featured by AdMonsters, Google, AdExchanger, Cheddar, Black Enterprise, AfroTech, Forbes, Quantcast, Zeta Global, and many more organizations.

In Brian’s most recent role, he was the Head of Programmatic Sales at TIME, developing the global programmatic strategy and go-to-market business plans that played a massive part in the digital transformation of a legacy print organization while helping to prepare the company for a cookieless world.

Brian’s advertising experience runs deep, including time at WPP, Publicis, Dentsu, and IPG across various verticals, including CPG, Tech/Telecom, Finance, Pharma, Retail, and more.

What do you hope to accomplish in the ad tech ecosystem?

I aim to join the C Suite at an organization where I can create an environment for top talent, innovation, and diversity to thrive. I also want to help the next generation of leaders accomplish their goals.

To read more stories in our Black History Month series, check out:

• Celebrating Black Pioneers in Ad Tech — Charles Cantu, Reset Digital
• Breaking the Glass Ceiling: The Legacy of Louis Jones, Brand Safety Institute
• The Importance of Black Media and Sharing Your Wealth: Cedric J. Rogers, Culture Genesis Inc. 
• A Seat at the Table With Lashawnda Goffin, CEO, Colossus SSP 

The post 10 Black Ad Tech Professionals Making Waves in Digital Media and Advertising appeared first on AdMonsters.

Publishers, we know you’re hurting. AdMonsters is hearing so many tales of woe, with Q2 revenue down anywhere from 30%-50%. You need new revenue streams, and you need them now. Fortunately, there’s an untapped stream already roaming your properties.

Ad-blocking users are too often written off as “lost traffic” when studies show they can help revenue efforts when given the right incentives—anything from less intrusive advertising to the ability to pay cash for content. Considering ad-blocking users can average 15% of traffic, that’s potential revenue you should start capturing immediately.

This webinar will help you understand the various approaches to re-engaging the highly active, tech savvy and educated audience using ad blockers, while also examining what we can learn from ad blocking user behavior in building more user-friendly ad products and sustainable monetization strategies for a new digital media age.

Access the presentation here!

New Jersey Institute of Technology Report on ad-blocking whitelists.

SPEAKERS:

Tim Cronin
VP of Sales
AAX

Jayson Dubin
CEO and Founder
Playwire

Jason Tollestrup
VP, Programmatic Strategy & Yield
Washington Post

SPONSORED BY:

The post Webinar Replay: The Revenue Boost You Could Use Right Now appeared first on AdMonsters.

If you’re still hesitating, try talking to publishers who have already made the flip. Consider their use cases and how they align with yours. We spoke with Jessica Titmus, Director of Digital Advertising Operations at the Washington Post. She and her team rode the migration from DSM to Operative.One, and she has some perspectives to share on what to look out for in an OMS migration, and how to make the process as smooth as possible.

BRIAN LaRUE: What was the biggest motivator or source of urgency in switching OMS?

JESSICA TITMUS: We weren’t part of this urgent need to switch because of Google sunsetting DSM. We were going through the process of switching from the old DSM to the new DSM, and we found some challenges with the new DSM that prompted us to investigate a new order management system.

BRIAN: What in the new version wasn’t working for you?

JESSICA: The new DSM was very strict in the functionality and customization we could do directly in DFP. Google’s goal was to make DSM the system of record—any changes to the line item had to be done in DSM, and then pushed into DFP. But here at the Post, the order is entered by one team and ultimately executed by another, and the functional roles of those two teams are quite different. We needed the flexibility to make changes directly in DFP without making order modifications that could impact the contract.

Our other concern was that financial and revenue reconciliation had become less flexible in the new DSM. And the reporting had changed so much that we needed to have our financial reports exported from DSM in a specific format, because of the way they’re uploaded into our other financial systems. With Operative, though, we were able to get very customized reports built for us to match our existing mapping.

BRIAN: Can you speak to any other specs or features you really wanted in a new OMS?

JESSICA: My team administers all of our ad stack systems, and being able to create custom fields and have the flexibility we need for that order management system was important.

BRIAN: What did you find to be the most painful part of the migration, and the easiest part of the migration? What did you experience during the migration that surprised you?

JESSICA: The most painful part was in learning a new system—getting all the people trained and dealing with the new UI. But our migration team very much appreciated the in-person training Operative provide.

The easiest thing is that Operative was able to duplicate and mirror our exact setup from DSM into Operative.One, and to do that through loader templates and uploads, so there was very little configuration work we had to do during the migration.

Operative’s migration team performed a lot of the system configuration, batch uploading data that saved a lot of time, so we didn’t need to do a lot of manual configuration work.

We’re at a good spot now, but in the beginning it was challenging because of the intricacies of the new system. We got all of the flexibility we wanted, but it came with a little extra time in getting our order entry team up to speed in the new tool.

Really fast migrations may be appealing. But it’s worth it to try to carve out 10 to 12 weeks.

BRIAN: Can you tell me more about the intricacies you’ve encountered with Operative and learning to make them work to your advantage?

JESSICA: DSM was a very simple UI, and it made it easy to understand: Doing x, you get y out of it. With Operative.One it required more creativity—but it can do anything you want it to do. A lot of times it requires help from our account management team at Operative, but they’ve always been great in giving us time and helping us through configuration of those elements.

The reporting with Operative.One is highly valuable, and there’s a lot of customizable reporting we can get out of it. The software allowed us to streamline our business processes and consolidate roles, so certain teams could be more involved in the order-to-cash process.

BRIAN: What is your top advice for publishers looking for a new OMS?

JESSICA: My top advice would be not to rush it. With the DSM sunset coming, it’s getting close to urgency. But you should take your time to make sure what you’re moving into the new system is efficient, ready to use, and exactly what you need for your business. If you’re just duplicating one instance into another, you’re going to need a lot more time to clean up anything you’ve brought over from the old system. It’s really worth spending another two to three weeks understanding what’s important to bring over from your old OMS to your new OMS.

BRIAN: It sounds like from your perspective, the switch itself was pretty quick, but the process of understanding the functionalities available in other systems was longer.

JESSICA: Definitely spend the time to vet whether the functionalities are in place. Any OMS on the market right now will give you the functionality you need. What I would suggest is making sure what you’re configuring into the new system is really how you want to run your business. Think about your strategy and how you go to market with your products. Don’t just duplicate the inventory you currently have. This is a great time to think about how the order management and order entry process is going to work for you, and to make sure you’re migrating into a new OMS in the most clean and efficient way for you.

BRIAN: How important is the aspect of the OMS partner’s customer service to this whole process?

JESSICA: It’s really important. Your account management team understands the system better than anyone migrating into it. Operative has been really great with creative solutions, and they’re great at providing consultative services for helping us configure the system in the best and most efficient way for our use case.

BRIAN: Can you share any best practices for preparing for a migration?

JESSICA: I used to do a lot of order management system migrations in previous roles, so I have a lot of thoughts.

The first thing is, regardless of which order management system you decide to go with, I would recommend giving yourself 12 weeks—in other words, start now. A lot of the order management systems that are going to be pitching might also offer really fast migrations, and that may be appealing. But it’s worth it to try to carve out 10 to 12 weeks.

In prepping for the migration, before you even get started migrating your data over, I recommend starting with a product taxonomy. Look at all the products you have in your current OMS. Get rid of anything you’re not using or that hasn’t been sold in a long time. Start with a streamlined list of products, a streamlined list of inventory, ad slots that would ultimately go into those products. Review all the targeting segments you currently have in your OMS, and see which ones you absolutely need and which you might not need anymore.

Talk with other publishers. Learn how they’re running their businesses and their order entry or order-to-cash processes. Learn from their strategies and come up with some best practices. You might even share similar pain points or ideas for enhancement. To get your vendor to optimize and put enhancements on their roadmap, it’s always helpful when multiple clients are asking for the same thing.

BRIAN: Can you share one or two things you’ve picked up from conversations with other publishers?

JESSICA: We didn’t initially go out with the Salesforce Connector—but after speaking with other publishers at Operative’s OP/ED Advertising and Revenue Operations Summit last year, and also at AdMonsters, where for example Operative will be at the upcoming PubForum in Huntington Beach—we came to understand the benefits. Now we’ve been actively working to connect our Salesforce integration with Operative, to make order entry more simplified and to get us a lot more CRM data to simplify the order entry process.

The post The Washington Post Talks About the DSM Flip appeared first on AdMonsters.

Even in a place like DC, where two inches of snow shuts down the federal government faster than a budget dispute. (As a friend noted, “The government’s closed, but the bars and Chipotles are definitely open.” Most likely Jumbo Slice as well.) I know about the District’s crippling fear of winter percipitation my 27 years of living in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. (Kudos to any of you that thought I hadn’t even reached 27 years of age.) During my schoolboy days, a few afternoon flurries seemed to guarantee there’d be no school the next day. 

In fact, during our AdMonsters DC Mashup, panelist Jeff Burkett, Senior Director of Sales Operations and Product Strategy at The Washington Post, received a text from his son stating that school had been canceled for the rest of the week. Yup, a northern Virginia county decided that on a Wednesday.

But snow and biting cold would not delay our first (hopefully of many) DC Mashups, graciously hosted by The Washington Post and sponsored by Intermarkets. And let me tell you, it was blisteringly cold – it made me miss the weather in New York. So I must salute the folks from Politico, Remedy Health Media, Infinitive, National Journal, National Public Media and more for braving the weather to add to a fantastic night of digital media conversation. I listened in on numerous small discussions around ad server issues, working with new providers, tag trouble and more. There is a great local ad ops community in DC, and I can’t wait to come back.

The main attraction, though, was a panel including Burkett and Angie Teates, EVP of Business Operations at Remedy Health Media (who gets extra credit for escaping her snowed-in neighborhood). Viewability was the first topic of discussion, as not only is it the hottest issue for the first half of 2014, but also Burkett headed a popular session at last year’s Publisher Forum in Boulder detailing an experiment that highlighted measurement discrepancies from the various providers.

The Media Ratings Council is dead set on lifting its advisory against transacting on viewability at the end of first quarter 2014, but measurement methods are all over the map. Burkett and Teates have both found creative ways to get ahead of the train (wreck?). When deploying responsive design on its sites, Remedy Health Media switched to a “lazy load” style of ad serving that waits to serve until the ad space is in view. Washington Post executes “just-in-time” ad serving, with ads that load as the user scrolls down the page.

We also talked a bit about my recent article on WebSpectator and the idea of time as a metric. Burkett pushes sales people to stress engagement metrics – time exposed, hover, etc. – over viewability. Through Moat, which has some similar offerings as WebSpectator, Washington Post gets a plethora of metrics for intriguing buyers. However, keeping on top of the sheer amount of data is a task all itself.

Also adding to the viewability discussion was Jason Kint, former SVP at CBS Interactive and a member of the Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) Initiative, who offered an insider’s perspective. And Erik Requidan, Director of Sales at InterMarkets and previously Director of Emerging Media at WashingtonTimes.com, shared great insight garnered from InterMarkets’ unique work with publishers. 

This was only the beginning of a meaty discussion that also touched programmatic direct (is 2014 THE BIG YEAR?), mobile challenges (particularly regarding pharmaceutical advertisers who have to jump through a lot of legal hoops to get creative approved) and even native. I was impressed we could cover so much ground in under an hour, and an active audience made the discussion all the more absorbing.

I hope the DC ad ops folk found the night as interesting as I did, and the networking appeared to be in high gear until we closed shop at 9:30 pm. Our thanks is extended again to The Washington Post, Remedy Health Media and Intermarkets for helping us put the DC Mashup together. It felt like a real victory for AdMonsters, as we’ve been aiming to expand our Mashup series outside of New York in 2014.

So where next? You tell me! The AdMonsters Content team would be delighted to help bring together your local ad ops community. Reach out, and we’ll start working on it today.

The post What Polar Vortex? DC Mashup Debates Viewability and More appeared first on AdMonsters.