Online publishers under pressure to maximise their advertising revenue, are invited to participate in an Improve Digital (www.improvedigital.com) initiative. The ad network optimisation specialist is hosting an event with the Association of Online Publishers (www.ukaop.org.uk) at which industry experts will explore current issues around revenue-generation in the fast-paced digital advertising sector:

'New Rules of Revenue: Online Advertising 2010'

Date: Tuesday 23rd February
Time: 2:00 – 6:00pm
Venue: IPC Media, London SE1

Panel sessions and presentations feature specialists from organisations such as BBC Worldwide, ESPN and IAB Europe. Discussion topics include: trends, expectations and challenges in display advertising; the changing dynamics of buying and selling media and the benefits for publishers of Real-Time Bidding (RTB) platforms; and the role of audience data in generating display revenues for publishers.

Nic Peters, managing director of Improve Digital UK, explains: “Recent research1shows that 28 percent of marketers will shift their overall marketing budgets towards digital in 2010, with a further 66 percent of companies increasing their online marketing spend. 'New Rules of Revenue: Online Advertising 2010' is structured to facilitate the knowledge-sharing and debate that will help publishers capture the potential of this growing market.”

Introducing the event is Matt O'Neil, president of Ad Monsters (www.admonsters.com). He comments: “Online advertising has moved rapidly over the past 18 months. But this hasn't produced new ad formats or flashy rich media campaigns – the big shifts in the media market focus on the way it is managed and traded. Publishers will need to work closely with the whole new ecosystem, which includes agencies, ad networks and exchanges, and the technology system providers, if they are to inform decisions and direction, rather than merely react to changes in the market.”

David Katz, head of trading at MPG (www.mediacontacts.com), will present 'The changing dynamics of buying and selling media' and host a panel session on the topic. He observes: “The burgeoning number of parties throwing their hats into the online advertising arena are proof of the promise it offers. But as the players increase and the disciplines they master diversify, the landscape changes rapidly. We need to ensure that publishers have the trading tools and expertise at their fingertips to ensure they are a key part of the equation.”

The issue of audience data will be covered in a presentation by Donald Hamilton, formerly managing director of Wunderloop and now a partner within Precedio consulting (www.precedio.com), followed by a panel discussion. “Our increasingly data-rich digital marketing environments are good news for everyone involved because of the insight they offer into target audiences,” Hamilton explains. “But new opportunities also generate new challenges, one of which is the issue of 'who’s data is it anyway' – and therefore who should benefit from its value. As an industry we have a responsibility to resolve this if everyone is to reap the rewards that are rightfully theirs.”

Additional presenters and panellists at 'New Rules of Revenue: Online Advertising 2010' include:

• Audience Science - Stuart Colman
• BBC Worldwide - Tom Bowman
• Criteo - Steve Dorey
• ESPN - Abeed Janmohamed
• ExchangeWire.com - Ciaran O'Kane
• IAB Europe - Kimon Zorbas
• MediaMath - Mark Mannino
• Vivaki - Nick Burcher

More details about the event are available on the Improve Digital website: http://www.improvedigital.com/23-feb-new-rules-of-revenue-event-in-london

Registration, which costs 95 for AOP-members and 195 for non-members, can be completed via the AOP: https://events.ukaop.org.uk/attendeedetails.obyx?event=1881

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Note 1:
The 'Marketing Budgets 2010: Effectiveness, Measurement and Allocation Report' was produced by Econsultancy and ExactTarget. It surveyed more than 1,000 companies, mainly from the US and UK, between December 2009 and January 2010.

About Improve Digital:
Leading premium publishers from all over the world use Improve Digital’s and PubMatic’s real time and predictive optimisation technology to increase revenues from ad networks and exchanges, balanced with their direct sales strategies. They protect their brand image and gain central insight and control. Its clients benefit from local presence, local market knowledge, and best-of-breed service. Improve Digital exclusively represents the PubMatic technology in Europe adding additional technologies, services and expertise. Improve Digital has offices in London, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Paris and is a member of the IAB and AOP.

For more information, please contact:
Kate Alexander
e: kate@alexanderpr.co.uk
t: +44 (0)20 8543 8481
m: +44 (0)7788 584413

Further information (external website)