Earlier this summer at Navigator London, delegates from across the publisher community came together to learn and share their wisdom through expert speaker sessions and insightful table talks covering the hottest topics of the year.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be diving into each of the discussions and sharing first-hand publisher insights from across a series of posts. In the meantime, with so much to to unpack, here are our top takeaways from the day:
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Ripping up the publisher playbook as we adapt to constant change
Rule number one – there are no rules for publishers this year. With the existential threats publishers face, not least Google’s latest bombshell, there is no single way forward. Instead, we need to adapt, experiment and learn from each other.
Everything from AI to compliance to privacy legislation will continue to impact the industry, so the best thing we can do is remain agile. Publisher execs at all levels are in a perfect position to speak up, share their unique perspectives on what they see happening out there, and make the necessary changes to thrive in an industry in constant flux.
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Don’t get mad (with walled gardens) – get even
As we shift our reliance away from the cookie (which is still inevitable despite Google’s latest announcement), we have a fantastic opportunity to use advancing technology such as contextual targeting and smart curation to navigate the choppy waters of the open web, and to build a viable media environment in which publishers of all shapes and sizes can thrive – and keep quality journalism alive.
But there is work to do. One data compliance company who measured 90% of the open web (outside China) reported the stark difference between the good and the bad, with 500-700 vendors operating on a single site.
Therefore, it’s time to clean up our act, ahem, tags, and restore confidence in the open marketplace. If we can bring discipline back to the supply chain, work with fewer third-party partners, and choose quality over quantity, we can be sure we’re delivering the best consumer experience, and ultimately, drive the most revenue.
And publishers beware – the buy side is not only measuring your site for viewability, but also for compliance. In fact, with research showing that compliant companies are much more confident in decision-making and risk-taking, there’s no reason not to be compliant.
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Is this the end for RTB?
With the emergence of browser-based solutions such as Privacy Sandbox’s Topics – a new form of interest-based advertising (IBA) using categories attached to a browser based on user activity – the future of real-time bidding as we know it looks uncertain.
But at what point will RTB disappear and get replaced by browser-based auctions? Opinions across the room ranged from one year to five to never. And is there a browser-based alternative, independent of Privacy Sandbox? As one industry expert put it, all it takes is for a single piece of legislation – say the CCPA or GDPR – to advocate for the removal of universal IDs, and before you know it, the likes of Safari, Firefox and everyone else will follow suit. And then we’ll likely see another avian-inspired initiative from Google (Floc, Fledge, Sparrow, Turtledove, Parakeet, what’s next?).
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What does ‘premium’ mean anyway?
The problem with the term premium is that it’s a very subjective – and therefore dangerous – word, because every brand’s interpretation is different.
It’s also not representative enough of the wide spectrum of publishers we know and love to work with today. For example, The Trade Desk just released its Top 100 list of so-called premium publishers, but only a handful are from the UK, with “some meaningful-sized publishers out there that weren’t on the list”.
Given the word premium originates from the Latin word ‘prize’ or ‘reward’, it’s probably time we look for more appropriate adjectives e.g. reputable, trustworthy, large-portfolio, and so on. Similarly, given the granular audience targeting solutions we have at our fingertips today, surely the traditional ‘ABC1’ demographic originating from print media is no longer fit for purpose.
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A word on first-party data
As we prepare to move away from cookies, collating our own first-party data, and making it more accessible, is a priority for us all. But how do we get there? One idea was the concept of a universal ID for users across different teams, from ad ops to sales and marketing – or a robust CDP that brings it all together.
What’s more, we must not be put off by the sheer volume of data we ingest. Instead, we should look to understand which data adds value, and equally, which does not. And how do we enrich the data once we have it? One way is to make use of panels.
We also need to understand the needs of the sales team, who aren’t traditional data analysts, and then find the right talent – who can go out and sell the data – to bridge that gap. For one director of rev ops currently hiring for such a role, there is a sense that more of these roles will start to open up.
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The future of targeting: alternatives for a cookieless future
Of course, one option is that we carry on as we are, but given the desire to provide a more engaging, fully consented user experience, that scenario is highly unlikely.
The second option is the use of universal IDs – such as ID5 or Utiq – which are showing great promise so far. The third option is to shift away from audience targeting altogether, towards alternatives such as contextual.
The fourth is to further explore privacy-first browser options. And the fifth is to focus on the first-party login. It will be interesting to see which route, or combination of routes, will prove most popular in the coming year.
Stay tuned for the next in a series of posts in which we’ll explore the above topics and more – and share publisher predictions for the year ahead.
