From the First Steps in Ad Tech to Beyond

Our journey in the ad tech industry began when Guillaume Polaert and myself (Loïc Sfiligoi, co-founder & CEO) decided to venture into the world of entrepreneurship by creating an in-image specialised sales-house. Little did we know that starting this business would open our eyes to the complexities of monetisation. We found ourselves grappling with questions like: What were the consequences of changing a floor price? How could we ensure that a Prebid setup was functioning properly? Did all our SSPs work seamlessly? And how could we connect a CMP without negatively impacting our inventory? These were just a few of the perplexing questions that made us realise how challenging it was to understand the inner workings of monetisation. Measuring the impact of every change seemed like an uphill battle.

Driven by our curiosity and determination, we set out to create a solution that would empower publishers to analyse and monitor their advertising setups, enabling them to generate the most effective inventories and ad setups for optimal performance. And thus, Pubstack Analytics was born.

For the past five years, we have dedicated ourselves to assisting some of Europe's largest publishers in gaining a better understanding of their advertising setups, all in the pursuit of generating more ad revenue. Our journey has been filled with valuable insights and eye-opening discoveries.

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Monetisation in the New Context

During this time, we arrived at a simple yet profound realisation: publishers, whether small, large or somewhere in between, often find themselves overwhelmed by the complexities arising from the rapid evolution of ad tech. This complexity has gradually eroded their control over their advertising revenues.

From the shift to programmatic buying to the proliferation of privacy regulations, the rise of ad blockers, the fierce competition posed by industry giants (GAFAM), the increasing number of AdTech platforms and intermediaries, and the impending demise of third-party cookies – all of these changes have completely transformed the way digital media companies operate. What was once a realm where sales skills reigned supreme has now become a domain that necessitates engineering and data analysis expertise.

Our foray into analytics made us realise that digital media companies must undergo a deep reinvention of their overall operations in this new landscape, starting with their monetisation strategies, in order to reclaim control over their revenues.

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Embracing a Platform-Driven Approach to Overcome Challenges

Throughout our numerous interactions with publishers, we have observed that five key areas require a complete overhaul. These areas hold the key to unlocking their true potential and revitalising their businesses in the face of relentless change.

1. The critical impact of advertising setups on revenue generation: the advertising stack and the ability to manage it effectively have a profound impact on a publisher's advertising revenues. We've seen publishers with limited resources generate substantial income, while others with ample resources struggle to increase earnings. Optimising advertising operations is crucial for unlocking monetisation potential and thriving in the competitive digital landscape. By harnessing the power of efficient ad setups, publishers can maximise their advertising revenues and thrive in the ever-evolving ad tech industry.
2. The resource-intensive nature of in-house ad setup management: it is important to acknowledge that managing your ad setup in-house requires more resources than one might anticipate. It calls for dedicated AdOps, skilled data analysts, proficient engineers, and knowledgeable yield managers. The complexities of modern ad tech demand a well-equipped team capable of effectively navigating and optimising the advertising ecosystem.
3. The scarcity of expertise in managing complex advertising stacks: such as rare skills in Prebid and Video Advertising. Unfortunately, there are limited human resources catering to these specific areas, leaving a limited pool of experts in the market. In countries like France or Germany, where numerous companies operate, the availability of qualified professionals remains disproportionately low. This scarcity poses a significant human resources challenge for monetisation teams, hindering their ability to access the necessary skill sets.
4. The increase in operational costs and complexity: The complexity of publisher stacks is a pressing issue. As publishers strive to stay ahead, their stacks become increasingly intricate, incorporating numerous partners and technologies. However, this complexity comes at a steep cost. With each addition, expenses skyrocket, requiring more resources and personnel to manage the system. The exponential growth in AdOps costs poses a significant challenge, draining financial resources and hindering innovation. It's time for publishers to carefully consider the hidden costs of complexity.
5. Adopting a platform-driven approach is the best solution: by leveraging a comprehensive platform, publishers can centralise, automate, and standardise their advertising setup management, empowering them with control and scalability. This platform-driven approach not only aims to boost advertising revenues but also reduce operational costs and enable highly scalable operations. It provides the flexibility to add more partners and expand capabilities, ushering in a new era of optimised ad monetisation and sustainable growth for publishers.

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The Power of Platformisation

‍To address these challenges, we have developed the Pubstack Ad Management Platform. A comprehensive platform that centralises, automates and standardises advertising setup management, consolidating knowledge and providing publishers with the necessary control they need.

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Why choose a No-Code Platform for website monetisation?

‍Pubstack's platform simplifies AdOps workflows and streamlines complexities by transforming human code and processes into dedicated interfaces. By removing the need for manual coding, the platform reduces dependence on specialised expert resources and enables publishers to manage advertising setups more efficiently. Pubstack's team of 30 engineers continuously enhances and standardises processes across ad stacks, alleviating the burden on publishers.

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Mitigating Risks and Boosting Scalability

‍Platformisation reduces technical and human risks by transferring them to a reliable technology infrastructure. It minimises reliance on fragile organisational structures, making operations more robust. Additionally, platformisation enables scalability by automating laborious processes and streamlining deployments. Publishers can easily implement components like SSPs and update floor prices without the delays and costs associated with manual operations. Automation becomes the key to managing complexity efficiently.

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Learning from the Past: Ad Servers as a Precedent

We shouldn’t overlook the valuable lessons learned from the past. Approximately 15 years ago, prominent publishers in France embarked on a quest to develop their own ad servers, aiming to gain a strategic advantage in the industry. However, these homemade ad servers eventually gave way to commercial solutions such as Open Ad Stream, Google Ad Manager, and Smart AdServer. The reasons for their failure were twofold: firstly, the in-house servers couldn't match the performance and sophistication offered by specialised companies, and secondly, the strategic value they once held diminished as commercial alternatives became widely available. It is imperative, therefore, that publishers learn from this example and avoid repeating the same mistakes in managing their monetisation.

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Conclusion

‍Digital media companies must adapt to the evolving adtech landscape, where traditional sales skills are insufficient. Monetisation strategies need to be reimagined, with a focus on optimising advertising setups. Pubstack's platform-driven approach and expertise in managing complex advertising stacks offer publishers the necessary tools to succeed. By centralising and automating ad setup management, Pubstack empowers publishers to boost revenue generation, streamline workflows, mitigate risks, and achieve scalability. Embracing platformisation is crucial for digital media companies to thrive in the increasingly competitive and dynamic world of digital advertising.

Want to learn more about perfecting your website's monetisation?

If you’re just starting out and are looking to make as much value as possible from your current bidders, check our article The Perfect Mix of SSPs for Publishers to learn how to choose from the wide variety of SSPs that are nowadays available.

However if you’re looking for some direct tips on how to improve your ad slot implementation, we’ve also got you covered with our latest guide How to set up a top-performing ad slot in 2023?