Digital publishers rely heavily on advertising revenue to ensure their businesses will succeed.
However, managing ad operations can not only be time-consuming and costly, but it can also be a very complicated process, particularly for those who are not well versed in the nuances of the ad ops world, especially with navigating the ins and outs of Google Ad Manager.
The solution? Turning to a Google Certified Publishing Partner like OAO — a full-service, digital ad operations agency that focuses on publisher-side ad operations — for guidance and access to exclusive services.
As one of the largest and most popular ad servers and programmatic platforms in the industry, Google Ad Manager 360 is the preferred choice for most publishers to grow their business, from increasing ad revenue to creating a comprehensive ad strategy that allows them to focus on what they do best and leave the rest to the experts.
Google Certified Publishing Partners such as OAO can provide high-quality ad ops services, products, and support at multiple levels, tailored to each company’s size and individual needs, all geared toward increasing that publisher’s revenue and streamlining their operations, using the most innovative solutions Google has to offer.
Working Well with Google’s AM360
Google’s AM360 is a multi-faceted ad server that helps publishers generate revenue by assisting in managing the assets and delivery of sold campaigns while also tracking and reporting on the results. The AM360 platform runs the gamut, allowing publishers to advertise across display, mobile app, video, gaming, newsletter, CTV, and programmatic channels with ease.
This platform is indeed one of the oldest in our industry, and according to Advertiser Perceptions’ SSP report for the second half of 2021, Google is the most used and preferred supply-side platform among publishers surveyed. In fact, 73% of those surveyed said they use Google Ad Manager.
Not only is AM360 one of the best publisher ad servers available, but it is also a prerequisite to gaining access to Google Ad Exchange (AdX), which is designed to programmatically connect advertisers with high-quality publisher inventory.
Most publishers do not meet the requirements to access AM360 and AdX on their own and must select a partner company to work with in order to gain access. As an authorized Google Certified Publishing Partner (GCPP), OAO is approved to do just that.
AdX functions as a platform where buyers and sellers transact using real-time bidding. Publishers and advertisers prefer working with AdX because it is held to the highest industry standards for inventory and network ad quality. AdX is also the industry leader in uniting many different Demand Side Platforms (DSP) into its exchange, which fosters increased demand and higher CPMs for inventory.
Finding Success Through Partnering with OAO & Google
Choosing the right partner is a critical component for ensuring long-term success in the digital space. First and foremost, partnering with a GCPP such as OAO gives a publisher access to a vast amount of ad ops knowledge, skills, expertise, guidance, security, and capacity. These partners have been carefully vetted by Google, have passed Google’s product certification exams, and have proven track records for helping their publishing partners thrive.
Beyond that, in these uncertain times having an ad ops partner in place helps publishers navigate and tackle anything that comes their way. For instance, decreased team size or high turnover. For more detail on why this is important, this recent article about “The Great Resignation” from OAO further explains this concept.
Fully based in the United States and now in its 20th year of business, OAO offers its publishing partners a wealth of experience and expertise. As a GCPP, OAO has been authorized to resell both AM360 and its predecessor, DART, since 2006. Since the GCPP program was conceived in 2015, OAO has continued to meet the high standards Google has set in place, cementing its legacy of being one of Google’s premier trusted partners.
While OAO is able to provide its customers with the traditional suite of ad ops products and services, such as campaign trafficking and management, platform implementations, monetization services, and AM360 support, it has also broadened its horizons to include custom solutions that leverage AM360’s API endpoints to seamlessly integrate with the ad server. These custom solutions are part of OAO’s AM360+ offering.
“We’re constantly building and innovating at OAO, a company founded by ad ops veterans and composed of ad ops professionals who are always delivering on what ad ops does best: Finding ways to solve problems, grow business, and, as our industry is always expanding and becoming more complex, work smarter not harder. We built our AM360+ product suite to help publishers get the most out of both AM360 and their ad operations teams,” said Craig Leshen, President of OAO.
How OAO’s AM360+ Boosts Profit
The AM360+ program offered by OAO includes OAO Email Ad Connector (EAC), OAO Alpha Video (AV), and iAdOps. These three custom solutions are key to driving engagement and simplifying processes, ultimately leading to increased revenue.
OAO Email Ad Connector serves as a fundamental connection point allowing advertisers to get in front of target customers via email newsletters – a touchpoint that, according to Statista, 86% of U.S. advertisers spending at least $10k on digital advertising annually agree is a vital connection between a brand and consumers. In addition, 88% of these advertisers believe newsletters will increase in importance with the absence of third-party targetable data.
EAC integrates seamlessly into the AM360 network and enables publishers to continue serving sponsorship, rotational, SOV, network, and house ads targeted to newsletters via AM360. OAO has added the ability to target first party audience data segments and enable both direct and programmatic monetization of unsold inventory through partnerships with select demand sources, all without the need or cost of managing an additional ad server.
To help drive incremental revenue, OAO Alpha Video integrates easily with AM360 and does not require publishers to incorporate additional platforms, to manage demand source relationships, or deal with intensive integrations. This custom add-on allows publishers to monetize unfulfilled video inventory, working with almost any type of video demand source, by simply trafficking a single creative tag in the AM360 ad server.
Finally, iAdOps is an efficiency tool that helps publishers navigate the most essential AM360 and third-party campaign data quickly and with a user-friendly interface. The primary goal of this tool is to foster efficiency by reducing the number of steps required to access, display, observe, and share key campaign and performance data, across different teams and stakeholders.
The iAdOps platform enables publishers to easily monitor the health of their campaigns, track metrics, monitor discrepancies, identify unfilled impressions, check the performance of AdX and Open Bidding demand partners, and even access custom reports that OAO can develop on their behalf.
Working with Google and OAO, a trusted Google Certified Publishing Partner, can truly help your business ascend to the next level. It is also important to remember that not all ad ops providers are created equal. Google’s GCPP stamp of approval is only granted to select ad operations providers who have been carefully vetted by Google and have a proven track record of helping publishers succeed.
Learn more about OAO and read its “Ad Serving Solutions” white paper here.