What exactly is a premium publisher? Why is a high-quality publisher so desirable? And what should businesses be aware of when targeting such sites? Here’s what you need to know.
Not all digital ad placements are equal. In fact, research demonstrates that the environment in which an ad is shown influences how it’s received, shaping everything from users’ memory of ads to their opinion of them.
One study found that premium digital environments lead to higher levels of brand recognition and more powerful memory encoding. Compared to run-of-the-mill internet ads, they deliver 1.6 times the brand lift and up to 2.4 times better recall.
Why are premium publisher platforms crucial for ad tech and monetization?
Premium publishers are vital for generating revenues for brands and ad tech companies. This is because they act as trusted content providers, with a platform that has a high level of interaction and the ability to consistently connect with the appropriate target audience.
At first glance, the concept of premium seems straightforward. Upon closer inspection, however, the word “premium” could mean any number of things, such as a high Comscore ranking, legacy media, entertaining content, trustworthy and reputable sources, quality imagery, and few or no ads.
Ultimately, some consumers will always value niche and exclusive content, whereas others only trust well-known sources. Likewise, some brands prefer small but dedicated audiences over reach and scale.
With this in mind, it quickly becomes clear that the three different parties within the digital media and advertising ecosystem have varying – yet overlapping – priorities.
Advertisers – Advertisers seek a publisher with high brand equity, one that reflects well on their ads and offers quality ad inventory and real-time insights.
Audiences – Audiences look for a positive user experience, interesting content, and minimal ad disruption.
Publishers – Publishers want to deliver an environment that will result in a dedicated audience, secure ad revenue, and easy ad management.
What each individual brand, publisher, or user defines as premium also depends on the part of the journey they’re in at a particular moment.
Start-ups have different requirements to established brands, and often casual audiences don’t necessarily place as much emphasis on the quality of their online environment compared to those researching a specific product.
Size is not everything when it comes to providing a premium environment either, especially if the level and quality of engagement are used as a benchmark. A small website can still have a high level of engagement that is valuable for brands looking for niche audiences if meaningful interactions are prioritized over inconsequential clicks.
What should brands consider when choosing digital publisher partnerships?
There will always be the possibility of advertising at cheaper rates and with wider nets. But brands and marketers must ask themselves whether they are looking to connect with consumers or simply increase clicks and views with little to no follow-up. Credible environments lend themselves to trust in content – and trust in ads by osmosis.
A cluster of studies over the last few years has confirmed this halo effect and its influence over ad effectiveness, as well as long-term favorable brand associations from memory encoding and personal relevance to emotional intensity.
Back in 2016, Comscore demonstrated that ads placed with publisher members of trade association Digital Content Next (DCN) had an average 67% higher brand lift than non-DCN publishers. The sites were also three times more effective in fuelling mid-funnel brand lift metrics, such as consideration, favorability, and intent to recommend.
Beyond that, advertisements seen on high-quality sites were shown to be 74% more likable and demonstrated 20% higher engagement than those on low-quality sites. Campaigns were also shown to have benefitted from up to 30% greater memorability, driven by brand-suitable content.
Part of the effectiveness of premium environments is also due to higher viewability rates, which include lower levels of invalid traffic. A 2020 study found that 48% of measurable ads on the open exchange were never actually seen. Smart placement – such as in-image advertising – ensures ads are actually in view and in prime positions.
Do brands build better advertising experiences with premium publishers?
More often than not, yes. Advertising with premium publishers ensures a good message has a greater chance of having the desired impact. It provides stronger brand safety amidst rising concerns about fake news and ad fraud, without missing out on opportunities.
In terms of brand safety, brands and advertisers alike will benefit from patronizing fair and credible titles, ones that support the public good, over media sensationalism and clickbait articles, which may draw in eyeballs but not guarantee long-term brand reputation.
Furthermore, publishers that have an understanding of their audience, and know how to connect with them, are more likely to be able to match advertiser and consumer needs, and provide content that fits with specific advertiser formats.
Research by AdTrust found that nearly half (48%) of respondents to its survey confirmed that trust in content increased the trust in the associated advertising, making it more likely a purchase will take place.
A premium environment proves that trust and transparency are not just buzzwords. A healthy media ecosystem benefits everyone, with brands maintaining their reputation, boosting ad performance and effectiveness; consumers enjoying a great experience; and publishers generating revenue and providing quality content.
What can brands and ad tech companies do to ensure a successful campaign with a premium publisher platform?
When searching for an environment that maximizes the chance of meaningful interaction, brands and ad tech companies should consider a few key things.
First, they should seek out publishers with a distinct brand identity and a loyal audience, which is more likely to result in a consistent level of engagement across content. This environment should be versatile and responsive to new media trends, and able to reach new demographics through emerging media.
Also important is an emphasis on quality over quantity to maximize ad effectiveness and create a positive experience and a strong relationship with users. If readers and viewers actively seek the environment because of a unique perspective or voice, it follows that publishers will end up with a comprehensive understanding of their audience’s wants and needs.
Finally, partners that limit brand safety risks and deliver efficient and privacy-safe targeting solutions through smart technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and human verification, are also highly desirable.
Premium publishers are those that evolve, updating their technologies, strategies, and methodologies to make the most of the digital environment. This means keeping up to date with new solutions to perennial issues such as brand safety.
Simplistic exclusion or inclusion lists – lists that often discriminate against minority media with very dedicated audiences, reporting on topical issues – are no longer, and arguably have never been, the most effective or equitable digital advertising strategy.
Why is contextual advertising becoming more important for premium publisher platforms and brands?
With the demise of third-party cookies, advertisers are looking for different approaches in order to reach their target audiences through digital channels.
Contextual targeting is able to determine nuance and meaning in page content through a combination of more sophisticated text, image, and video analysis to deliver highly relevant ads.
Rather than excluding topics, this in-depth understanding of on-site content helps identify and fund content in a brand-safe way. Advertisers can reach consumers who are open to purpose-driven messaging and looking for brands that share their values.
Businesses are realizing this too. The global contextual advertising spend was valued at around US$178.3bn in 2021 and is expected to more than double by 2027 (US$376.2bn).
By adopting and implementing tried-and-tested methods – contextual targeting has been proven to boost purchase intent and engagement – publishers can avoid missed ad opportunities, drive higher levels of attention, and build a more transparent and fair ecosystem.
How does SmartFrame support premium publisher platforms?
SmartFrame supports premium publishers in several ways.
First, publishers can eliminate the cost of image licensing by embedding free SmartFrame images from a growing network of content partners.
At the same time, they can generate new revenue streams from in-image advertising, which is contextually relevant to the image and surrounding content, with brand safety and user privacy assured at all times.
Furthermore, as SmartFrame detects visits from image indexing crawlers and provides a formatted JPEG thumbnail for display in search engine results pages, traffic can keep flowing to publishers’ sites from image search results.
Since these images are streamed to their site, they also help to keep the page light in weight while keeping the user experience high, without the cumulative layout shift that’s common to pages serving banner ads and MPUs in and around content.
With support for images measuring up to 100MP in resolution, SmartFrame ensures they look their best across a range of devices – even on HiDPI and Retina display devices.
User experience is further enhanced through the integration of a range of interactive features, such as full-screen viewing and Hyper Zoom technology, which encourage engagement and help boost dwell times. Usage of these features is recorded too, and this data can be accessed by publishers through a performance reporting panel.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.
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