Welcome To AdTech Weekly
Is Nothing As It Seems In This Industry?
It’s hard to give someone the benefit of the doubt when you’ve been burned by them in the past, but that’s what publishers are grappling with today, a full 24-hours after Adblock Plus announced that it will be launching its very own ad exchange. There’s a lot still left unanswered about the project, and some of the parties “involved” seem to be hitting the brakes pretty hard — including those who were originally listed as partners for the project.
Trust, especially in this business, is a fickle but important thing that we need to be cognizant of as we go about our daily activities. For publishers who pay bills with advertising dollars, trust in advertising technology companies is waning. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s reality nonetheless.
The ad industry is in the process of picking itself up off the mat and redefining what the future looks like for everyone in the ad ecosystem. That means plenty of ideas will come and go before we’re back on our feet. The philosophy behind Adblock Plus’ Acceptable Ads is something most in the industry agree with at a fundamental level. Online advertisements need to be better. Ads need to be delivered to publishers (and their audiences) in a way that’s on par with user expectations in 2016. There’s no denying the fact that slimmer, streamlined advertisements that are bereft of data collection technologies are the future of digital advertising. It’s an idea that will stick. It’ll go the distance.
The disappointing thing about yesterday’s news is that this Adblock Plus ad exchange debate muddies an important conversation that’s happening today, and it detracts from the progress that’s being made on a daily basis by responsible ad tech companies. Trust in an initiative that aims to clean up unethical advertising practices online is waning now, as media companies find themselves, once again, questioning the motives behind yet another questionable move by Adblock Plus.
Not all ad tech companies are created equal, but there are plenty out there that refuse to collect private user data. There are a handful of ad tech companies that refuse to partake in the the transmission of data between third-parties. The voices of those who are willing to challenge an industry and push it forward need to be heard. Sadly, however, one of the most prevalent voices in this debate got a little bit quieter today, as everyone struggles to determine whether or not Adblock Plus really wants to change the way advertisements behave online, or if they’re just looking to set themselves up as a platform, complete with a walled-garden audience and advertising revenue streams.
Todd Garland, CEO, and Founder at BuySellAds
New Acceptable Ads Platform launches, will redefine RTB and help small websites
Starting today we’re launching the beta version of a fully functional ad-tech platform that will make whitelisting faster and easier.
AppNexus, Google Sever Ties With Adblock Plus Ad Platform
AppNexus and Google said they are severing ties with Adblock Plus and ComboTag, the ad technology company that was helping to create the exchange.
AdTech News And Editorial
Why Chinese firms keep paying big bucks for ad-tech companies
However wonky that particular deal is, there's a definite trend of Chinese companies pumping money into ad tech.
GoPro Looks Beyond Cameras to Regain Footing After Troubled Year
But GoPro isn’t just looking to generate cloud revenue with subscription fees. It also aims to assemble a giant repository of sports and lifestyle videos through its cloud services. “Imagine when all of that content is managed in our cloud, and you’ve given us rights to license it and monetize it on your behalf,” says Woodman.
Alan Rusbridger blames Facebook for fall in Guardian digital revenue
Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger believes that Facebook sucked up nearly £20 million ($27 million) of the newspaper's digital advertising revenue last year.
Americans now spend more time in apps than on open web: ComScore
According to new data from ComScore, more than half of all time Americans spend online is spent in apps — up from around 41% two years ago.
The Trade Desk Amends S-1, Valued Between $550M And $600M
The company will make 4.6 million shares available on the market, with an anticipated share price between $14 and $16. At the high end, it hopes to raise $85.9 million, compared to $86.3 million in its initial filing.
How Treating Consumers Like Partners Will Rescue Advertising From Itself
What's worse is there's been a breach of trust between advertisers and the public. In a poll recently commissioned by Consumer Watchdog, 80 percent of Americans wanted to opt out of online tracking altogether and even wanted a "do-not-track-me" list for online companies that would be administered by the FTC. So why aren't we offering consumers privacy protection?
Ad Blocking
Mobile phone networks should not block adverts, says EU
Updated guidelines issued by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (Berec) this week state that advertising should not be blocked by networks, something that mobile operator Three has already trialled in the UK.
Facebook's Key to Conquering the World: Beating the Ad Blockers
Yet the damage posed by ad blockers is still considerable. Industry sources estimate the platform's right-hand-rail ads have a CPM of $1.08, with 95.8 billion desktop impressions each month. ReviveAds, an ad-block-prevention tool, calculates that 15 billion ads were blocked in Q2, costing Facebook $32.4 million in lost inventory each month.
Privacy And Ad Tracking
It’s People vs. Advertising, not Publishers vs. Adblockers
By now hundreds of millions of people have gone to the privacy aisles of the pharmacy departments in their local app stores and chosen a brand of sunblock to protect themselves from unwanted exposure to the harmful rays of advertising online.
Podcasting
Podcasters Make Their Sales Pitch to Advertisers
The presentation comes during a growth period for podcasts. About 57 million people, or 21% of Americans over the age of 12, listen to a podcast monthly, according to an Edison Research report from May. That figure is up from 17% last year.