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Advertisers, publishers and adservers work together to get through a global pandemic

The one thing that has become clear during our current pandemic situation is that we are all in this together. It is the spirit of community and shared experiences that have kept a lot of people going through what is a very tough time. While it may seem like an odd comparison, the same is true in the world of online advertising. Publishers, advertisers, and adservers are all in a situation that they have never experienced before, so it is interesting to see how it all comes together. We are going to take a look at some of the things that businesses are currently experiencing and how they can ride through the crisis.

Not all publishers are the same

Every business is affected in one way or another during a pandemic, but not all experiences are exactly the same. There are publishers who are seeing a big surge in traffic from people working at home and increased online activities. On the other hand, some publishers suffer a huge drop in traffic and ad revenues, especially if they are travel-related or are in certain industries like cruises, airlines, events and entertainment. Overall, it is safe to say that all publishers are probably having a more difficult time pulling in new advertisers.

Advertisers play it safe

It is very much the same story for advertisers. Some advertisers face more challenges than others. However, all advertisers need to be very careful about what they do during a pandemic. Many ads will have fewer clicks and conversions than before because consumers are being a little more careful with their spending. Some industries, such as those in entertainment, hospitality and travel, are probably being very careful with their marketing dollars. While they need to maintain a marketing presence, the way in which they advertise needs to be different and cost effective. On the other side, some advertisers, such as those who are in the healthcare and work-at-home industry, see a big boom for their services and products. However, they need to present their ad campaigns in a way that people do not see as taking advantage of the situation for financial gains.

Maintain relationships

While none of us are really sure when this will end or how things will look in the future, we all know that some sort of normalcy will be resumed. For those publishers, advertisers, and ad serving companies who have already built a solid working relationship with each other, it is very important that they focus on maintaining those relationships throughout the course of the pandemic. This helps to quickly respond to changes and ramp up new campaigns when the crisis is over.

Negotiate deals

One of the best ways to maintain a solid working relationship is to be flexible in troubled times. While advertisers are in a tough position, they understand that they need to get the message out to the buying public, even when things are closed down. Advertisers simply do not have the money to spend on marketing that they did before all of this started, so it might be a good idea for publishers to restructure their rates and packages, even if only for a limited time. The same arrangement can be applied for ad serving rates. For example: a smaller minimum order, temporary discount, downgrading to a smaller plan. These arrangements show good faith and will result in the relationship lasting longer and growing stronger.

Do more with less

Cost saving is important. For some businesses, it is time to go into survival mode. They can do this by focusing on the important parts of their business, while automating others and setting fancier projects aside for the time being. It’s still possible to be effective without breaking the bank.

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