Threat or Opportunity? 4 Topics for Publisher Dialogue in 2015
Events geared toward small publishers give them the rare opportunity to have a say in issues such as walled gardens, copyright infringement, ad quality and ad blocking.
Events geared toward small publishers give them the rare opportunity to have a say in issues such as walled gardens, copyright infringement, ad quality and ad blocking.
Ad tech is mostly unregulated, as it’s an emerging and rapidly growing industry that hasn’t quite “matured” yet. As of late, there are several industry leaders, most notably the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), that are pushing for certain regulations in order to stabilize and clean up the industry landscape. There are pros and cons to the creation of these regulatory bodies and standards, and any oversight has potential implications for advertisers and for publishers.
Every year since 2009, the IAB has organized a publisher-focused event with the intent of bringing small, independent and influential publishers to our nation’s capital to engage in learning sessions designed specifically for the small publisher. This event is called the IAB Small Publisher Conference & Fly-In. These publishers get the opportunity to take part in unique networking opportunities and are given a direct platform to express to legislators the challenges, concerns and impact that biased legislation and regulation may have on their businesses.
Too often, the 1 percent of the publishing industry (the comScore 1,000 for the most part) are the ones driving innovation and change in the ad tech industry. The other 99 percent of the Internet (save for some of the sketchier crannies of the web) are just as, if not more, affected by changes in the industry. They deserve to have their voices heard and the interests of their businesses protected as well. Events like the Fly-In provide publishers with a forum for discussion that they wouldn’t typically have access to.
I am fortunate enough to interact closely with publishers of all sizes and have found a few common themes that I hope will be brought in front of Washington as areas of opportunity and discussion for the industry. Here is what surfaced as the biggest challenges facing the mid tail:
We believe it’s important for publishers to have a say in the political/legislative component of digital advertising structure. What issues do you feel should be brought up?