NewsBeat

June 2018 NewsBeat 17 That would also represent true direct-response advertising that is permission-based and proactively engaged with, as opposed to today's force-feeding advertising system. Publishers could divert the costs from nontransparent and undifferentiating third-party data to investments in value for the user in the possible form of discounts, offers or vouchers. Done in collaboration with brands and in exchange for closely protected data, this would contribute to engagement and success, which would increase advertisers' demand as a consequence. Publishers could potentially charge a "cost per interaction." An offer delivered to a dedicated page, section, widget or inbox, for example, could be much higher than programmatic CPMs. This approach would also provide other benefits. For example, it could reduce publishers' dependency on programmatic display revenue sources, which deliver rewards that are a fraction of what they should be, while minimizing media brands' pivotal role. It would also improve the user experience, increase trust and make it easier to discuss alternative business models with users. Data leakage would be significantly reduced, making first- party data more valuable. And the CPMs of the limited ad slots would rise because supply would decline, or they could even be monetized on a sponsorship basis. Stronger, not different, data strategies Those strategic shifts would not affect publishers' core data strategies but would rather strengthen them by protecting users, data and revenue. It would mean adding a complementary way to collect data and deliver the marketing or advertising message on different, but much safer, channels that are free of data leakage. It would represent a deep change for media brands, which would move toward owning their destiny and data, rather than handing control and monetization to third parties. It would require financial and human resources. Some might say that not all publishers can afford those. I'd object and argue the survival of the fittest is a better outcome than a slow global decline for everyone. Business and financial pressures are extremely powerful, but media brands must evolve and fight the status quo. They must reject any attempts from other players in the industry to keep publishers artificially alive long enough to be their source for "ad slots harvesting." Many will argue the theoretical benefits of programmatic display, but the fact remains that users are rejecting display advertising and publishers are struggling. We cannot bend reality to fit agendas. If certain practices slip past GDPR or there are calls for more privacy protections outside the EU, it will be users or the status quo's financial unsustainability for media brands that force us to change. We'd better be ready. — Follow Alessandro De Zanche (@fastbreakdgtl) and AdExchanger (@adexchanger) on Twitter. The "Award" everyone hopes to receive Joe Shaw, executive editor of the Press News Group, Southampton explaining their novel newsroom award: "I'll note that it hasn't been awarded yet — we're not going to give it out casually. And once you win, it's like the Stanley Cup — you keep it till someone takes it from you."

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