33Across Blog | Programmatic News & Trends

What was the buzz around the office last week? Media companies working closer internally, Facebook allows users to delete their data, and the MRC hears advertisers loud and clear.

Despite Hurricane Irma passing through prior to the event, Digiday Publishing Summit Key Biscayne had an amazing turnout. Spirits were high amongst attendees as we came together as an industry to support Southern Florida and each other. Publishers, agencies, and brands openly discussed exciting advancements in ad formats, video, and creative ways journalists are enriching their content. Here a few of my takeaways.

Increasing Video Viewability
The focus of Digiday Key Biscayne was video. How publishers strategize their video content to target audiences across platforms was a hot topic. For instance, the same audience views video differently on Facebook than they do on Instagram or Snapchat. With so many users muting their video content, j ournalists are also finding creative ways of increasing viewability such as including phrases within video better ensures that content is absorbed. 

Header Bidding For Video
Panelists suggested that “player bidding” should be the term for video header bidding because with video, the impressions go through the player and not the header of the page. While a majority of publishers mentioned seeing a lift in revenue after implementing header bidding display that same yield does not always transfer directly to video.

New Ad Formats
Publishers have been exploring new ad units; in particular the Interscroller, a mobile web unit that is revealed underneath the mobile web page content as the user scrolls down the page. Driven by the Better Ads Coalition and the IAB, the unit offers a rich media experience without being intrusive.

Overall, Digiday Publishing Summit Key Biscayne served as a wake up call to ad tech. In order to increase competition and drive higher CPMs and yield, publishers want to do away with the "duopoly" that is Google and Facebook. Industry guidelines and rules are being distributed by Google and Facebook and commanding the way publishers do business. To have a fair ecosystem, we need publishers to band together and become solution-driven.

Bratwurst, beer, and even tattoos being done onsite. Throughout the amazing experiences offered to attendees at DMEXCO 2017, ad tech and its ever growing landscape remained the constant. Hot topics including viewability, transparency, and GDPR were the focus of the thousands of publishers, advertisers, and ad tech companies in attendance.  Although I had a great time in Cologne connecting with partners; customer experiences were the key focus of DMEXCO. Here are my takeaways:

What was the buzz around the office last week? MoPub gets more measurement tools, Buzzfeed opens their site up to display advertising, and the new ad-blocking Chrome. 

1. Measurement tools coming to Twitter-owned MoPub  

Twitter-owned MoPub has recently updated their software, allowing publishers to provide better measurement to advertisers. With advertisers under intense pressure to measure performance, MoPub has integrated with Integral Ad Science as well as Moat to provide specifications. With viewability being a top metric, The Drum details how ad tech is shifting towards more measurement standards.

What was the buzz around the office last week? A legal win for advertisers and third-party cookie tracking, solving multi-attribution woes, and how publishers are winning during back-to-school. 

1. A legal win for advertisers who use cookies  

Advertisers have a new legal win, a US District Judge recently ruled that the responsibility to keep browsing history private falls on the user. This is great for advertisers who use third-party cookies to serve their ads. While this ruling may be a loss for privacy advocates, it is a total win for companies like Facebook, AdExchanger explains more.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Moat's evolution story, advertisers and the auditing process, and a hybrid model for brands and agencies. 

1. Moat's interesting rise in ad tech  

Known today for its measurement tools, Moat has come a long way. Back in 2011, the company created an ad search engine which made it easy for people to find ads for certain companies. Fast forward, the Moat then took calculated steps to “approve” brands to use their product. Add in ad tech buzzwords like “viewability,” it’s quite easy to see how the brand has grown into something much more. Digiday breaks down Moat’s meteoric rise in ad tech.

What was the buzz around the office last week? New viewability for cross-media measurement, more self-service in ad tech, and considerations for blockchain technology and ads.txt. 

1. Stricter viewability standards to come  

The MRC is in the process of reviewing it’s viewability standard of 50% of pixels for at least one second. With some major players requiring 100% of pixels to be in view, this could very well be a new  benchmark metric for others to follow. All of this comes as the MRC plans to address cross-media measurement, MediaPost explains more.

What was the buzz around the office last week? An ad tech company gets bought out, publishers accounting for 3rd party viewability measurement, and how to combat against disruptors. 

1. RocketFuel gets acquired by Sizemek  

Last week it was announced that Sizmek is acquiring RocketFuel. With a valuation once at $2 billion and $66 per share, RocketFuel’s stock has recently dropped to just below $3 per share. Planning to combine their technologies, they will serve over 20,000 advertisers and 3,600 ad agencies. The Wall Street Journal explains how the newly formed company is looking to compete with both Google and Facebook.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Who's really using ad blockers, no longer rewarding viewability, and publishers preferring Instagram over SnapChat. 

1. The truth behind ad blockers  

Ever wonder who’s really blocking ads? A recent report by GlobalWeb Index reveals details on US digital consumers who use ad blockers. Some of the findings include that only 22% of users are blocking ads on their smartphones, and also that the lack of ad relevancy is why 49% of total consumers block ads. MediaPost breaks down the finding of this study.

What was the buzz around the office last week? Snapchat's new ad buying platform, how age could have an effect on measurement, and a major change coming from the CPG world.

1. Is Snapchat taking notes from Facebook?  

Looks like SnapChat is making moves to monetize their platform. Joining the ranks of Facebook, Snapchat recently launched a self-service ad buying platform for brands. Entitled Snapchat Ad Manager, this product will allow brands to target their demographic through buying “camera ready” ads in a variety of formats. Along with it’s “goal-based bidding” for installs and Engagement Audience initiatives MediaPost details how Snapchat continues to maintain its position as one of the top 10 apps.