Ad-Juster Insights from AdMonsters Publisher Forum in Nashville

Ad-Juster was a proud sponsor of the AdMonsters Publisher Forum in Nashville that took place November 5th – 8th, 2017. Keynote speakers included President and CEO “The Dean of Digital Advertising” Seth Rogin and industry veteran Angel Investor & Advisor Eric Franchi. Lucky attendees were privy to their messaging on:

Cutting-edge audience technology
Realignment of spending trends among today’s largest advertisers
The deep potential for innovation and disruption
Why a shifting buyer and seller landscape is opening up opportunities

We also had the distinct honor of presenting alongside two of the greatest digital publishers in the industry, PGA Tour and Bloomberg, during our breakout session. Together, we covered everything from discrepancy optimization to campaign and revenue optimization. We also covered the formidable topic of viewability optimization, including tracking metrics and performance, problems with viewability campaigns, and what to expect in the future.

Ad-Juster Insights

To make sure we got as much from the conference as possible, learning from the hard-working professionals in the trenches, we had several Ad-Juster folks in attendance: Director of Product Calson Lee, Partner Consultant Ariana Bian, and Technical Client Services Manager Spencer Sams.

What were the key takeaways from this Ad-Juster cosponsored event?

Calson: Ads.txt seems to be on everybody’s mind. It could hold a primary key to increasing the value of programmatic inventory. We all still have a lot to learn about it, so we’ll need to approach with caution. But it’s very promising.
What were the major advertising and reporting challenges expressed by attendees?

Ariana: Based on how well attended the Ad-Juster session was, I’d say buffering.

Calson: Viewability is a thorn in the side of virtually all publishers in regards to operations and report generation. I had many conversations talking about how best to handle viewability reporting. Right now, there’s no single universal solution that can be applied to viewability campaigns and reporting. It’s still on a case-by-case basis. Both clients and non-clients are always encouraged to reach out to us, so we can discuss the best way to address their unique viewability needs.

According to the industry experts at the forum, what can we expect for the future of digital advertising?

Ariana: Continuing education. New technology, platforms, servers, challenges, modes of operation are popping up everywhere. To best tackle the future, we need to commit to continued learning in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Calson: I think Ads.txt is going to show us how people truly are dedicated to fighting the ad fraud problem. Also, OpenRTB can only grow if it sheds off some of the negative press it gets for bad inventory.

Vendors as a whole was a topic of discussion at the conference, which makes sense since they’re among our top allies. What should organizations focus on when evaluating current and potential vendors?

Ariana: Sounds obvious, but seek out the best quality vendors, not the cheapest. Quality allies offer reliable, ongoing support. This means no ghosting! [Vendor seems reputable during negotiations, but can then never be found or consistently counted on for help throughout the relationship.] Simply put, support helps you get your money’s worth by getting the most out of all your products. You know a vendor offers quality support if they stick to weekly calls and regular checkins. It should be a customized approach since everyone is a little different. Make sure your vendors really understand your business and how you operate. After describing your needs to them, a vendor should be able to identify your business priorities and explain exactly how they can help.

Calson: Choosing a vendor that understands your business priorities is the key to success. At Ad-Juster, we’re improving each day to increasingly better understand how to best serve our clients.

What were the top resources, issues, and/or solutions discussed in regards to ad ops budgeting and revenue?

Ariana: It’s critically important to understand budget cycle to prevent surprises. Think of it this way, "If you can make me look like a hero by coming under budget, I'll remember that when it comes to renewal. Surprise costs will cause me to rethink my vendors."

Calson: DSM [DoubleClick Dart Sales Manager] migration was something I heard of a lot as DSM is scheduled to sunset [Google announced it will completely discontinue DSM by late 2019]. It’s interesting to hear from our OMS partners about the planning and work involved to perform this migration.

Please contact us if you’d like to talk with us about any of the above topics or have your own unique digital advertising reporting challenges you’d like to explore.

Hope to see you at the next event!