Publisher Edition

PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

PUBLISHER EDITION

Contents 3 Introduction

10 On fessing up

4

On diversity

11 On selecting partners

6

On inclusion

13 On timeliness

7

On taste

14 On staying sane

8

On promises

2


OH, WHAT A BRAVE NEW WORLD WE LIVE IN!

PUBLISHER EDITION

OK, so maybe a world that lets you go days without interacting with another human being isn’t so brave, and I guess the Web is already 27 years old, so… What a world we live in! Especially in media: Programmatic has changed the game, accelerated the scale and hopefully increased your revenue -- all through a series of tubes.

This situation has some programmatic pros behaving pretty poorly toward their buy-side counterparts. But you’re in luck! We’ve put together some pointers that will have you acting like a proper publisher in no time. Trust us: Your programmatic partners will thank you for it.

But somewhere along the way, we forgot that there are people on the other side of those tubes. No, not human vegetables serving as Matrix-style batteries, but actual people like me and you!

3


ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper publisher never puts all their eggs in one basket MONOCHROME IS SO OUT. (OR IS IT IN? I’VE LOST TRACK.) When Pantone releases its “Color of the Year,” high society doesn’t throw its old wardrobe out the window and commission a new one all in that color. Monochrome is so out. (Or is it in? I’ve lost track.) But whenever a shiny, new format hits the market, it’s tempting to double down. We’ve all seen our share of the countless publishers who raise their finger in moments of inspired genius and boldly exclaim, “This year, we’ll only sell [insert format here]!” Famous last words.

A proper publisher knows that smart advertisers look for a variety of formats to meet their specific goals. Henry Ford once said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” A proper publisher does not follow Henry Ford’s lead.

4

A PROPER PUBLISHER GIVES EVERY BUYER, BIG OR SMALL, A STAB AT THEIR VALUABLE INVENTORY.


PUBLISHER EDITION

A proper advertiser never excludes anyone from the conversation A PROPER PUBLISHER GIVES EVERY BUYER, BIG OR SMALL, A STAB AT THEIR VALUABLE INVENTORY. I’m a fairly patient person, but even I can get a bit red in the face when trying to squeeze into a conversation that the participants are intent on keeping closed. Well the same thing happens with ad buying all the time: Big buyers with enough clout and connections close ranks and land the best inventory, leaving the smaller players out altogether. Thanks, waterfall!

A proper publisher gives every buyer, big or small, a stab at their valuable inventory. Header bidding is one way to give buyers the chance to go head to head for each valuable impression, and it ends up netting publishers more in revenue through competitive demand.

6


PUBLISHER EDITION

A proper publisher never questions an advertiser’s poor taste I MEAN, WHO WEARS A DERBY HAT TO A COCKTAIL PARTY? (OR AT ALL?) When I spotted that hat from across the room, I immediately tried to make eye contact with everyone in the vicinity. “Do you see that hat?” my gaze must have sneered. I mean, who wears a derby hat to a cocktail party? (Or at all?)

So when your advertiser comes to you with display ads that look more like jump scares than direct response vehicles, a proper publisher slots them in, smiles, and says, “Great work!”

But when she waltzed over, glowing with pride and showing off the cloth pinata she’d adorned her head with, I bit my tongue, gritted my teeth and just said two words: “How nice.” Crisis averted.

7


ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper publisher never makes promises they can’t keep A PROMISE IS A PROMISE, AND YOUR INTEGRITY DEPENDS ON IT. It doesn’t matter if you crossed your fingers while you made it: A promise is a promise, and your integrity depends on it. So never put yourself in a position that’s bound to disappoint the other party. All it takes is a little extra forecasting. In the old days (about a year ago), publishers didn’t have to worry about programmatic when forecasting their direct sold inventory. They figured that whatever was left over could be sold on the open exchange or in private marketplaces with no conflict.

Because programmatic was just a place to sell the unwanted, amirite? Well, those times have come and gone. With header bidding and automated guaranteed inventory, direct sold inventory forecasting has to factor in what’s going to be offered in these more premium channels (sometimes even for a higher eCPM). So make sure you’re a publisher of your word by striking the right balance.

8

IN BUSINESS, TELLING THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT DECISION. STOP LAUGHING, I’M SERIOUS.


PUBLISHER EDITION

A proper publisher knows that honesty is the best policy IN BUSINESS, TELLING THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT DECISION. STOP LAUGHING, I’M SERIOUS. Remember that ethical dilemma about diverting a trolley car from hitting one person versus killing everyone on board? Yeah, this decision is nothing like that. In business, telling the truth is always the right decision. Stop laughing, I’m serious.

A proper publisher ‘fesses up to the suspicious numbers and gets their advertiser a makegood. Makes things less awkward for the questions that are sure to follow.

Let’s say you start to overdeliver on a certain campaign. Like… way overdeliver. Your client is probably thrilled, right? You love it when your client is thrilled. But you do a little digging and it turns up low CTRs, low time on page and high bounce rates. Looks suspicious.

10


ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper publisher is careful about what company they keep MIX WITH THE WRONG TYPE OF ADVERTISERS, AND YOUR SITE’S BOUND TO GET A BUM RAP. I’d just signed a lease for the perfect apartment, and I decided to invite all of those people I wanted to talk to in high school, to start fresh. I also invited my childhood friend, Karl.

Publishers aren’t immune to poor brand safety. Mix with the wrong type of advertisers, and your site’s bound to get a bum rap. Remember: The only way to make buyers think of your placements as premium is to treat them like they are.

Karl is a fan of pornographic metaphors, makes aggressive eye contact, and asks Don’t just sell to the first unsavory brand everyone he meets to invest in his new that raises its hand. “company,” including my new friends. Needless to say, he upstaged the apartment, and my new friends aren’t returning my calls.

11


PUBLISHER EDITION

A proper publisher is always on-time, never late LATENCY IS THE SUREST WAY TO LEAVE AN AUDIENCE UNDERWHELMED, BUT IT’S EASY TO AVOID—EVEN WITH HEADER BIDDING. Making your audience wait can build anticipation. It works for presentations, magic shows, hell, even eulogies. But some publishers are really doubling down on the delayed gratification. Let’s say your site just broke a story and you’re waiting for those views to roll in. But first, your users’ browsers have to load a slew of rich media banners that make Willy Wonka’s psychedelic tunnel of terror seem tame. (Note: forever the Gene Wilder version.)

Guess how many are bouncing before they hit the page? Latency is the surest way to leave an audience underwhelmed, but it’s easy to avoid -- even with header bidding. Something as simple as specifying timeout rate will keep latency at acceptable levels and keep UX bearable.

13


ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper publisher never spreads itself too thin IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE OVER-CONNECTED? (LEADING QUESTION: OBVIOUSLY YES.) In our post-Zuckerberg world, connection is everything. But is it possible to be over-connected? (Leading question: Obviously yes.) If you’re invited to a handful of events, you’re much more likely to go to all of them if each taps into a new group of friends, colleagues, or prospects. Because, as we all learned in elementary school, our personalities have multiple facets that each need to be nurtured and exercised periodically.

Choosing partners that bring unique demand is important, but don’t be afraid to get selective. We learned something else in elementary school: the importance of playing nicely with others. Pay attention to how well your new friends integrate with the old ones, and don’t hesitate to show the door to those that make things complicated.

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MAKE ADS MATTER. Programmatic advertising should be flexible, smart, and effective. That means platforms to help automate the process of buying and selling ads, technology to increase accuracy and rich data insights along the way. PulsePoint’s technology platforms are built to do just that. We are a global programmatic technology company redefining digital advertising for publishers, advertisers and tech partners.