It’s no secret that data is crucial to efficient advertising. And in a world of big data, you need the respective technology to manage the vast amounts of information being generated by each and every person. Publishers and advertisers alike need tools to gather, store, analyze and manage such data and several technologies have emerged in ad tech that are essential to achieving scalable results. In this article, we will cover what data management platforms and demand-side platforms are, what each is used for and how they differ. Let’s get right into it. What is a DMP? Data management platforms, or DMPs, are essentially data warehouses. They help publishers, advertisers, and agencies collect, organize, store, analyze, and overall manage information about online users, most often cookie IDs. The data in DMPs can be first-, second-, and third-party. The information is used to better understand customers and audiences, optimize media buys, and execute better ad campaigns. For publishers, in particular, DMPs help build audience segments, which are more attractive to advertisers and can be pitched at premium prices. What is a DSP? Demand-side platforms, or DSPs, allow marketers, agencies, and buyers to optimize how they bid on ad inventory simultaneously across multiple ad exchanges in real-time. The technology helps them improve their ad spend strategies and gives bidders a number of tools to effectively manage ad campaigns, set maximum bids and budgets, define targeting, and monitor campaign goals. DSPs also give advertisers access to very granular data on audiences and campaign…
Boris Shterev
Data has been an extremely important factor in digital advertising in recent years, with more and more strategic decisions revolving around it. Marketers, agencies, and publishers want and need to utilize data intelligently, and this is where Data Management Platforms (DMPs) come into play. How do they work and what are the best platforms to use? Read below to find out. What is a DMP? A DMP collects, organizes, and analyzes audience data. This includes first-, second-, and third-party data (demographics, behavioral data) from various channels, such as desktop, mobile, etc. As opposed to enormous, raw information, DMPs present information in a digestible way. This way, different actors in the digital advertising ecosystem can pull valuable, actionable insights. As we mentioned in our latest article on the Who do DMPs help and how? DMPs help advertisers as they are crucial for data-driven marketing. They allow marketers and ad agencies to better target their audience by creating audience segments, profiles, etc. This way, advertisers can identify new leads, optimize their advertising campaigns, and improve media buys via real-time bidding. Publishers also benefit from the use of DMPs. By better knowing their audience, they can improve on-site personalization and content, resulting in higher engagement and ultimately, better ad inventory monetization. In that sense, a DMP’s job is important for DSPs, SSPs, and ad exchanges alike, in order to inform ad-buying decisions. The 6 best DMPs in 2022 To give you an idea of the leading companies out there, here is a list…
In recent years, mobile usage has been gaining increased popularity, with more people accessing the internet through their mobile devices as opposed to desktop machines. The ad industry has responded accordingly. The various mobile-specific ad networks out there are a great way for publishers to monetize their mobile web and in-app inventory. If you’re trying to find the right one for your needs, however, it may seem like a challenge. Because a ‘good’ ad network can mean different things. That’s why we put together this list of the best mobile ad networks for publishers to help you differentiate between some of the most popular names in the industry. AdColony Ever since it was established in 2011, AdColony has built a solution that relies on top-notch technology, high-quality demand, and abundant ad formats. It was created with mobile app developers in mind and has a reach of more than 1.5 billion users globally. The company offers many innovative monetizing methods such as Instant-Play™ HD video, Aurora™ HD video, and playables, which include engaging ad formats like instant play, vertical video, interactive video, etc. It supports the CPM, CPA, CPC, CPCV, and CPI, advertising models. AdColony is part of the Digital Turbine platform. Start.io (formerly known as StartApp) Start.io is a mobile marketing and audience platform, founded in 2010. Through its direct integration with one million mobile apps, it has access to valuable first-party data. As a result, the company aims to empower its clients to use this advanced data insight to…
Back in 2015, Google launched the open-source Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project for a faster, open mobile web. In 2018 the project moved to an open governance model and then in 2019, it joined the OpenJS Foundation Incubation Program. Today you can use AMP to build a number of things, including websites, web stories, ads, and email. This article will focus on AMP ads – what they are, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as a few best practices if you decide to give AMP ads a shot. What are AMP ads? AMPHTML ads, also known as AMP ads, combine the technology of the standard HTML ads with that of AMP. This results in very flexible, fast, light, and safe ads that can be delivered on both AMP and non-AMP pages. AMPHTML ads are created only with predefined HTML, CSS, and JavaScript libraries from the AMP Open Source Project, eliminating the possibility for running obscure JavaScript codes and improving security through auto-verification. Three of the more popular AMP ad formats are carousel (ad with more than one image in a carousel, auto-plays when in view), video parallax (a video displayed on top of a banner, the ad plays only on user click), and lightbox (ad expands only on click, uninterested users get more of the website content in view). Publishers interested in video advertising can serve both in-stream and out-stream video ads in AMP. Advantages AMP ads come with multiple advantages. Let’s see what they are, starting with the most…
Google launched AdSense Auto ads back in February 2018. The tool has evolved over the years, offering more control to publishers. Manual placements, on the other hand, have been around for quite a while and many of you may have experience with them. They allow for greater control and provide a wider range of options that allow for full customization according to the publisher’s preferences. However, compared to Auto ads, they call for another level of technical knowledge and experience with setup and optimizations. If you are still wondering which one is a better fit for you, then this article might help you. Hint: it might not be one or the other. Manual placements Manual placements are the regular ads you might already be using in AdSense. Publishers are responsible for placing the AdSense code across their pages, as well as the tags for every ad unit they want to have on those pages. You would first need to select your preferences for the ad, such as format and size, and once you configure all the relevant settings, you should place the script at the specific location on your pages where you want the ad to appear. Pros Full control: with manual placements publishers retain full control over what kind of ads appear on their pages, where these ads will show up, and how they would fit their website design. Better user experience: having full control over the ad setup means publishers can customize the ad experience to match their…
In order to earn more money from their ads, many digital publishers experiment and constantly adjusting their ad revenue strategies. In this piece, we have selected 5 great tactics to optimize your ad revenue. Experiment with different Ad networks Ad networks are businesses that collect ad supply from publishers and connect it with the demand of advertisers. It is essential that you engage with the right ad network as a publisher, in order to increase your revenue. You must ensure that your site visitors see appropriate ads. Certainly, there are numerous ad networks to pick from, but it is better if you select the one that is the best fit for you. Don’t pick an ad network based on its one-of-a-kind capabilities, instead choose an ad network that fits your website needs. Test different ad formats Experiment with different ad formats to see what works best for your site. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. Ad formats that work for other websites may not work for you. So, if you want to increase your eCPM, you must do your own trials. Outstream Video Ads Video ads have made significant advances in the marketing business. Viewers are engaged in what the ad is about and the brand or company it is from.Outstream video ads are defined by Google Advertising as “mobile-only ads that display on partner sites and applications outside of YouTube,” and they can play in an app or on a page…
In June this year, Google revealed that they will be discontinuing the Scaled Partner Management (SPM) feature by the end of September 2021, which would mark the end of the transition to the brand new Multiple Customer Management (MCM) model. In an update from yesterday (14 September 2021) Google announced that they’re going to be pushing the deadline back to 31 January 2022. The change is due to multiple partners having challenges migrating to MCM in time, while future plans also include providing more details around Google’s plans on the retirement of SPM. The previous deadline of 30 September 2021 is now going to be the last available date for child publishers to be added to SPM. After that, all new entries will need to be added directly to the MCM feature. Source: Google New MCM transition timeline Google is also breaking down its MCM migration schedule into five separate steps to maintain a balanced pace across the network. Managing partners will be required to transfer a minimum of 15% to 30% of their managed revenue, varying between the different stages. Failing to meet these new benchmarks will result in a certain portion of SPM traffic being blocked from accessing Ad Exchange demand, with the percentage being larger as we approach the final deadline. Other demand sources will not be impacted by the penalty. Source: Google Our progress so far We’re happy to say that we’re currently near 100% completion in migrating all of our child publishers to Multiple Customer…
In 2019 Google officially moved to a first-price auction. In addition to that, it also changed the way rules are being set in Google Ad Manager (GAM) and the old Pricing Rules were replaced by what Google calls Unified Pricing Rules (UPRs). They were created to simplify and centralize the process, and to create consistency in pricing across all channels. Through UPRs publishers can set common pricing rules for all indirect demand for their inventory from a single place within Google Ad Manager. This article will give you a better understanding of what UPRs are and how they are applied within GAM. What are UPRs? Unified Pricing Rules are a feature of Google Ad Manager that allows publishers to manage floor prices and target CPM across all available programmatic demand in a centralized way. Google has listed the following scenarios where UPRs can be applied: The Open Auction via Authorized Buyers Private Auctions First Look demand Third-party exchanges that participate in Open Bidding Remnant line item types Price Priority, Network, and Bulk Ad Exchange linked accounts AdSense backfill (this was not part of the list when UPRs were introduced) Then, there are certain contexts where UPRs are not applicable: Programmatic direct campaigns, including programmatic guaranteed (standard and sponsorship) and preferred deal line items House line items Line items with a zero (0) rate and no Value CPM set Line items with a CPD or CPA rate, which are treated as if they have a $0 rate Publishers can use either…
Google announced they will be retiring their Scaled Partner Management (SPM) program in July 2021. Its replacement, called Multiple Customer Management (MCM), is already undergoing beta testing and will be released to eligible partners using Google Ad Manager 360 by the end of June this year. While this upcoming change has caught some networks off guard, it’s broadly considered to be a positive one. The imminent transition to MCM mostly affects channel partners and agencies, however, there are several implications for publishers as well, especially ones that don’t have direct access to Google Ad Exchange. To shed some light on what’s to come, we’re going to explain everything you need to know as a publisher about the new program. What is SPM? It’s no secret that Google Ad Exchange is the most prevalent source of ad revenue for publishers, but not everyone can simply open an account. There’s a multi-step application process including a minimum traffic requirement, which can be challenging to match. Despite there being no official threshold statement, it’s safe to say that publishers with less than 5 million pageviews per month have slim chances of getting on board. So far Scaled Partner Management has been the only way for smaller publishers to access Google Ad Exchange without meeting the minimum traffic criteria. Media owners could join a larger entity as a ‘child publisher’ and have their inventory monetized through an already established account. Furthermore, this allowed for companies to provide ad revenue optimization and management services to…
Today’s world is defined by speed, many innovations were born from the challenge of getting something done quicker. We want to reduce our commute to work, we want our internet to be as fast as possible, we don’t want to wait around connecting to calls and virtual meetings. Page Load Speed is no different. With the complexity of page infrastructure and setup coupled with SEO and monetization, we will help you understand Page Load Speed and what you can do as fast as possible! What is Page Load Speed Page Load Speed is simply how fast content on your web page is able to load. Some people call this your Site Speed. The content that affects page load speed include CSS, HTML, JavaScript, images, caching and any tags present and firing on your web site. Why does Page Load Speed matter? Page Load Speed is a critical factor in the success of an online publishing business. Here are 3 reasons why site speed is so important: User Experience; How many times have you visited a site and been frustrated by how slow it is to load either ads or content? This poor user experience will lead users to not hang around and wait for the site to become usable and they will leave. SEO; Making sure users can find your site is of paramount importance. Operating a website is not a case of ‘If you build it they will come’, optimizing your appearance in search engine results will increase your…