Putting the Viewer Front and Center of Dynamic Ad Insertion

Building the Publisher Tech Stack.

In the current ecosystem, publishers primarily rely on receiving ad metadata - inclusive of the presence and position of ad breaks - from the content owner, such as a TV programming network. The metadata and SCTE triggers, timed metadata that indicate important points in a video stream, provide publishers with critical information about the ad slot that allows them to dynamically insert new ads into the break.  By layering on additional metadata such as subscriber information and universal identifiers, and by building up their advertising tech stack, publishers can better manage inventory, ensure that ads are delivered effectively and make an overall, more enjoyable viewing experience.

• Integrating Multiple Ad Servers: Using more than one ad server allows publishers to compare performance across different ad servers, leverage various demand sources and maximize ad delivery. It also mitigates the risk of heavily relying on one technology or vendor and allows for a wider programmatic pool of various buyers, models and demand sources. Publishers can unlock a more diverse ad environment that keeps the user engaged and creates opportunities for revenue growth.
• Inventory Management: The publisher tech stack is crucial for efficiently managing ad inventory. By utilizing information such as ad slots, event details and user data, the routing component can determine the most suitable ad server to fill an ad pod. This selection is based on various criteria including business terms, CPMs, ad ratings and overall campaign performance. As the tech stack accumulates more data over time, it improves its decision-making process through constant feedback loop, thereby enhancing the efficiency of ad placement and ensuring a diverse range of creatives from various ad servers.
• Frequency Capping: To maintain a positive viewer experience and prevent fatigue, frequency capping is essential. Considering we’re using multiple ad servers; the publisher tech stack needs to keep track of the frequency at which ads are shown to individual users. By analyzing performance data, such as viewability and engagement rates, the tech stack can dynamically adjust frequency caps. This allows for high-performing ads to be shown more frequently, while reducing the repetition of ads that are considered low engagement.

Automating 24/7 Quality of Service Suite (QoS).

By developing and maintaining a robust in-house QoS suite, publishers can provide advertisers with the opportunity to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of campaigns for advertisers. This is achieved by dedicated resources who develop and maintain the QoS constantly, along with the following:

• Real-time monitoring platforms: Custom-built 24/7 platforms to monitor advertisement key performance indicators are crucial to ensure the fill rate and sell-through rate are trending along expected lines. The platform detects pre-defined anomalies such as nonstandard ad break duration, nonstandard ad durations and repeated ads -- elevating operational efficiency.
• Always-on alerting: QoS automated alerts are used to notify ad operation teams when ad performance metrics - like response times or fill rates - drop below acceptable thresholds. Alerting allows rapid corrective actions and maximizes the use of ad inventory. QoS identifies networks that are performing below acceptable fill rate and provides specific corrective action that needs to be taken. A few examples: adding more evergreen ads, adjusting time-out settings with various partner integrations and correcting errors introduced during the trafficking process.
• Maintaining brand reputation and trust: QoS service tools can scan for both content and advertisements airing in the publisher ecosystem. This acts as an additional guardrail to mitigate the risk of any controversial or harmful content, and promotes a brand-safe, transparent premium environment.

Enhancing Partnerships.

Enhancing partnerships with content owners, OEMs and resellers is essential for publishers to maximize ad revenue, improve targeting capabilities and create a better user experience. Success in this area requires fostering a culture of innovation within the organization and broader ecosystem. Publishers should strengthen communication and transparency by aligning on mutual goals - like optimal fill rate and establishing a feedback loop - to monitor success against those goals. It’s important that publishers ensure their partners adhere to IAB standards for compliance. Still, publishers and their partners must be agile and respond in real-time to rapid market shifts, which is why close communication is so key.

Optimizing DAI to Deliver a Seamless Viewer Experience.

In today’s rich video ecosystem, it all boils down to this: publishers need to connect the right messages to the right users at the right time. Optimizing DAI to provide viewers with relevant, personalized and engaging ads can help reduce negative perceptions and advertising fatigue. This gives publishers the opportunity to boost engagement on their platforms, while advertisers can maximize ROI with ads that resonate with target audiences. Content owners, OEMs and reseller partners also benefit from more engagement and can reduce their use of slates as a result. Everybody wins when we keep the spotlight on consumers -- enabling a better viewing experience and more satisfied audiences across the board.

Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.

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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.