Wer schon einmal für eine digitale Kampagne von Anfang bis Ende verantwortlich war, weiß, dass Verkaufen und Planen ein guter Anfang sind, die Auslieferung der Kampagne aber erst für alle Beteiligten zum Ergebnis führt. Letzlich müssen die Systeme und die Personen, die diese gestalten und bedienen, Lösungen für die unterschiedlichen Interessen der Beteiligten finden. Im Kern sind das natürlich nach wie vor die optimale Leistung für die Werbekunden und gleichzeitig eine intelligente Verwertung des Inventars zur Maximierung der Werbeerlöse für die Publisher.

Wir sprachen mit den Organisatoren von OPS Germany: Rob Beeler, Vice President, Content & Media bei AdMonsters und Jens Pöppelmann, Leiter der Unit AdTechnology Standards des OVK im BVDW.

Nicht ganz themenfremd sind auch die darauf folgenden Beiträge, zum einen von Mike Nolet, AppNexus über Demand Side Platforms und Sacha Berlik im Interview über den Mediaeinkauf per Auktion.

Jetzt aber erstmal zu den Operations-Experten:

Rob Beeler: Different companies define Ad Operations differently, but a good way to look at it is that Sales is responsible for selling and Ad Operations is responsible for delivering what has been sold. Sales generates revenue, Ops insures profitability.

** Ad Trafficking on its own is probably not the core of the business, but Ad Operations management is. Trafficking is only one responsibility of Ops and while important, the main shift for Ad Operations overall is that online advertising is increasingly complex and more system driven than relationship driven.

What do you mean by system driven than relationship driven?

Rob Beeler: More and more transactions between media buyers and sellers are done on platforms like Real Time Bidding engines or Ad Exchanges and the people who are making all of this work are operations departments. Sales is essential, but less deals will be done with a handshake than with an API in the future.

Jens Pöppelmann: That sounds to me like an American perspective. I think that the German market is still more relationship than system driven. An example is the typical German discounts like volume discounts. Agencies expect to get those and further discounts also via online booking engines. Most of the common solutions in the market do not have an answer to this challenge. They might help for low CPM campaigns. But they are not an answer to all of our needs in the German market.

Rob Beeler: Jens makes a great point. Maintaining relationships will continue to generate the most revenue and it’s important that Ad Operations make these sales as efficient as possible.

What are the challenges of Ad operations today and in future?

Rob Beeler: Complexity and resources. Ad Operations leaders have to figure out how to make processes efficient that are continuously changing. For example, mobile, devices like the iPad and video are all new platforms that are more complicated than a web page. Ad Operations needs to help seize the revenue opportunities of these new platforms and still remain efficient. From a resource perspective, there is always a need for more smart people to come into our industry and help.

How can the AdMonsters conference help the Ad staff to to keep up with developments in the industry?

Rob Beeler: OPS is unique in its focus on operations. No one can tell an Ad Operations person how to do their job better than another Ad Operations person. Our forums are designed for Operations people to share with their peers and to others in the industry innovative operational solutions that will lead to new best practices and then industry standards. Many people come to our conferences and leave with their business plans for the next 6 to 12 months.

Jens Pöppelmann:  This year Unit Adtechnology of Online-Vermarkterkreis (OVK) at Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) had organized four so called Online Ad Summits. Our major aim was to start a process and dialog together with agencies and vendors about the optimization of workflows in our online business. We are happy that we are able to present some first perspectives and methods of solutions of the future needs which are good reasons to attend this event.

Do you address primarily the publisher side or also the buy side with your event?

Rob Beeler: Both. The buy side and the sell side need to be in constant communication about new ideas and sharing not only challenges but solutions as well. Video is an example of an area where a lot of the development is on the publisher side, but all of that development should be done with the buy side being involved.

Can you name a few central topics of the event which ad Managers should have an eye on?

Rob Beeler: First, that Ops is essential. Ops is exciting and I would even make the case that Ops is sexy. That may sound far-fetched, but the most interesting things going on in the business today are all around operations. Ops is helping drive companies to profitability and it’s important for companies to realize that Ops needs a seat at the table to be successful.

Second, that the challenges that face and Ad Ops manager on a daily basis are shared across the industry and by working with others, they can improve their companies, their departments and their own jobs.

For example, Ad Operations must make sure that every ad that appears on a site is properly set up and meets the site’s specifications. This is very labor intensive and we’ll be discussing at the conference tools Ad Operations people can use to simplify this process. Similarly we’ll be discussing tools that go beyond the ad server to help with efficiency and we have a session of how to best integrate a booking system with an ad server.

You organize events in the US and European Market, can you spot differences in attitudes towards technology and their role in the business?

Rob Beeler: The US market is bigger and the role of Ad Operations has had more time to move up within their organizations and therefore certain things are more progressed in that marketplace, but I don’t think it’s so much ahead of other markets. The key is enabling operations leaders to thrive in their roles. I think companies that do that will have great success heading into 2011.

Thanks and a great start with OPS Germany!

Viel Spaß mit Adzine!