It's Time For Publishers To Reclaim Digital Display Avertising

As Jonathan Mendez says, the major challenge for publishers is to monetize their content and audience in spite of the prevailing trends in display.  Publishers need to take back the power from a mediated, inefficient CPM-happy display marketplace where ad networks grow fatter every year at the cost of the publishers.  So much is at stake that publishers are increasingly developing marketing agency offerings and forging direct relationships with advertisers:

It’s beginning to happen. A number of publishers are turning into marketing agencies themselves. Meredith has just hired Martin Riedy CEO of Publicis Modem to lead its 400 employee integrated marketing unit. Publishers are now building microsites and custom ads for advertisers in order to get their spend. Are we that far away from NYTimes going to Ford and delivering 500,000 leads over a year for $25M? I don’t think so. Disintermediation anyone?

This is exactly why an integrated sell-side platform is needed to give self-service advertising support - without the right platform, that CPA advertiser in the NYT can't give Ford the value prop that makes it impossible for them to say no.  The package has to contain creative flexibility, campaign management, message optimization and localization. It has to support an easy refinement process that brings the publisher and advertiser closer than ever.