Publishers are finding they can improve sustainability through supply path optimization, the process where buyers and advertisers make the path from publisher to advertiser shorter and more efficient, according to discussions and interviews at the Green Media Summit in New York this week, hosted by supply-side platform Sharethrough.
“Publishers should look who they’re working with,” said Mike Racic, president of publisher organization Prebid, when asked what publishers can do to make an immediate impact on their carbon footprint.
“Every publisher is working with too many resellers … If you start there, you’re going to get more efficient,” he added. “You’re going to see less fraud, 100% higher viewability rates, and I think you’re going to see an uptick in CPMs because you’re starting to control the narrative of your inventory to the open market as well as [private marketplaces].”
SPO initiatives are in vogue as the programmatic ecosystem shifts from a more-demand-is-better mindset to one emphasizing premium user experiences. Some supply-side platforms have recently faced economic distress as they struggle to adapt to this new reality.
A supply path that is shorter and involves fewer tech partners should result in fewer carbon emissions.
Insider is one publisher already experiencing this. It recently worked with media decarbonization firm Scope3 to assess its Ads.Txt files to look at the resellers and partners generating revenue, according to Chao Liao, svp of revenue operations and data strategy at Insider Advertising. In so doing, Insider reduced its carbon emissions by 20% in the first quarter of 2021.
Supply path optimization can help the advertising industry make strides toward media decarbonization, but the initiative is still relatively new and has many unknowns. There is no common metric for publishers and advertisers to measure their carbon impact, as industry trade bodies, holding groups and new ventures deliberate on standards.