Navigating COVID-19 and ad tech: 7 tactics for publishers

ByDamian Radcliffe

In response to an initial coronavirus news bump, a number of outlets witnessed record traffic to their sites, as well as a growth in subscribers.

At the same time, however, they also had to contend with a major slump in advertising revenues as marketers shut their chequebooks.

This meant that despite some publishers benefiting from increased reader revenue, this income did not act as a like-for-like replacement for the revenue losses being felt from other income streams (such as advertising and events).

Moreover, as we shall see, the nature of modern-day advertising technology (Ad Tech) also further compounded the financial challenges that publishers were experiencing.

Here’s a quick overview of the key Ad Tech issues that publishers have had to contend with while navigating the COVID crisis, and seven potential solutions to them.

Challenge 1: Keyword Blacklisting

In March, BuzzFeed News’ Craig SilvermanreportedthatIntegral Ad Science