Publisher programmatic strategy is evolving… or is it devolving? There has always been a “throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks” approach to programmatic. Of course we do: there is no time in real time to ask anyone if the impression we are serving is the one we want. We just fire them out into the marketplace to see what we can get. I don’t want to dismiss some of the amazing work some publishers do – their spaghetti-throwing game is on point. However, in totality, we’ve gone from throwing spaghetti to firing spaghetti and potentially knocking the wall down.
I’ll paraphrase what Sincera’s Mike O’Sullivan said at the Optable Publisher Summit: there are no new DSPs. They’ve capped their QPS. However, the average number of supply paths from the top publishers has exploded. We’re not serving DSPs a plate of pasta, we’re trying to force-feed them. Buyers are simply going to go somewhere else to eat. We shouldn’t wait to see how much they tolerate before they move on.
Direct-sold where possible is a solution. IO-based deals work and we can make them work better. Curation done right is also a solution. Yes, our inventory should be offered to the DSP in the best package possible – publishers must be a part of the packaging, however.
What it comes down to is that, at some point, less will be more. DSPs should reduce the paths to publishers and vice versa. If we believe that what we transact on is performant media, we should trust this will work. Imagine one DSP and one publisher enjoying spaghetti together.
Inspiration: Gareth’s article and the ensuing conversation in the Beeler.Tech Community Slack, which felt a bit like ad tech Twitter…but with publishers in the conversation. You should join us.
Event Focus
Following sold-out events two years in a row, David U.K. and I are once again hosting Digital Day Camp on April 9, 2025.
Digital Day Camp is your opportunity to join a community of leaders and innovators focused on advancing digital advertising in Canada. Together, we’ll dive into key issues, from strategic visions to practical applications, leaving you inspired and ready to make changes for your company’s future.
Registration is open and early-bird pricing is in effect:
- Publisher, Agency, Brand Tickets – $199 – save $50
- Tech Tickets – $1,249 – save $250
Register for Digital Day Camp 2025 Early-Bird Pricing
What We’ve Got Next
A full list of our 2025 events:
- AdTech Economic Forum London – February 6
- Base●Camp: Red Rock Canyon, NV – March 2-5
be one of the first to register! - AdTech Economic Forum NYC – March 19
- Digital Day Camp Toronto – April 9
- Navigator NYC – May 6 NEW date
- Beeler●BASH! – June 4 NEW date
- Navigator London – June 11
- Base●Camp: Savannah, GA – October 5-8
- Base●Camp: Lisbon, Portugal – November 2-5
More things to keep your eyes out for:
- Read our take on the top updates/news items from around the industry this past week.
- Consider OPE (Other People’s Events)
- Look for your next job on our job board. Better yet – sign up for our Jobs Newsletter (delivered every Thursday). Subscribe here.
- Fill your open positions by helping us help you: Submit a job and check out a job seeker like Job Seeker 67, who is “for a Strategic Partnership mid-level role in an advertising tech organization, where I can grow and scale partner accounts with a mixture of upselling and optimization.”
Team Dayā
Building schools in Guatemala
Our keynote speaker from Base•Camp Denver, Scott Cunningham, is a part of Team Dayā. He and his wife are going to help build schools in Guatemala. I asked him when he was leaving: “Saturday the 30th. We have $5K to go. We’re close. $2500 for an org to send me shirts and swag to wear, pics, etc., but most importantly helping fund a school, one school at a time. Or individual contributions of course. I have no problem being the walking OOH billboard!”
More information about the good work they are doing.about what he’s doing.
Join the Community!
Thousands of professionals, of all ages, worldwide turn to Beeler.Tech as their meeting place for all things publisher revenue operations. Join the Beeler.Tech Community here! Your teams and colleagues are welcome, too.