AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Voice of the Premium Publisher: Spotlight On… Jo Holdaway

Few people in the publishing industry have as storied a career as Jo Holdaway. From her early days in print magazines through the digital transition to becoming Chief Data and Marketing Officer at The Independent, Holdaway has been on the frontlines of change — often leading the charge herself.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Voice of the Premium Publisher: Spotlight On… Dr Rebecca Whittington

Female journalists face harassment and threats, both online and in the real world, at an alarming rate. This abuse is often shrugged off as “part of the job”, but Dr Rebecca Whittington, Online Safety Editor at Reach, has dedicated her career to proving otherwise. Her ‘Stop the Cycle’ campaign tackles the gendered abuse of journalists through demanding better reporting and support from the police.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Voice of the Premium Publisher: Spotlight On… Ian Dowds & James Oates

In the first of our new “Spotlight On…” series — where we shine a spotlight on pertinent industry issues and speak to those in the know — Richard Reeves caught up with Ian Dowds, CEO of UKOM, and James Oates, Head of Ipsos iris, to talk about governance in audience measurement, the need for data transparency, and the risks of an industry that has become too trusting of platform-provided insights.

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Reasons to be cheerful: Four areas digital publishing is positively thriving

As we find ourselves nearing the end of 2023, AOP MD Richard Reeves takes a moment to reflect on the brilliant work undertaken by our community of digital publishers to build a more resilient, collaborative, and valuable industry.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Bloated creatives are hitting publishers’ bottom line and third-party tags are to blame

Publishers have leapt from the frying pan of unauthorised data scraping into the fire of bloated creative sizes. AOP’s Managing Director, Richard Reeves, unpacks findings from an investigation by an AOP member and the harmful consequences of inflated creatives that often exceed IAB standards.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

We need agency and advertiser allies in our battle against publisher IP theft

In the weeks since we called out the unacceptable theft of publisher IP in our Open Letter, we’ve been heartened by the whirlwind of press coverage and discussion spurred. Now we need to keep up the momentum, which means unifying our voices to stamp out this practice for good. However, there’s one group from which I’d welcome more input — the very people the letter was addressed to: agencies and advertisers.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Publishers are fighting back against programmatic’s parasitic ad tech intermediaries

In today’s privacy-first digital ecosystem, publishers are seeking more direct relationships with advertisers, other publishers, and their technology partners. This is typically framed as an effort from publishers to rightly maximise the value of their first-party data and bolster their position at the bargaining table. Both are true, of course, but publishers are also taking greater control of the supply chain to prevent their intellectual property from being stolen.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Delays, Cookies, and Fraud: What Publishers Need to Know This Summer

Many of us may be unplugging for the summer, but industry news and developments roll on. From government and Google delays, to a growing fraud epidemic, here are three key stories of the season and what they mean for publishers.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Should we call time on black tie?

There have been powerful discussions in the publishing industry on the importance of DE&I, but perhaps an awards dinner such as this is a prime example of how we still have some way to go in cultivating a truly diverse and inclusive environment. Should we call time on black tie?

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Industry-changing conversations: Four areas publishers should be aware of

In today’s tumultuous media environment, publishers need to pull together to find ways to safeguard revenue, nurture talent, and build a sustainable future. Richard Reeves talks about four areas publishers should be aware of and the discussions the AOP is facilitating with the wider industry.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Tackling misinformation is critical to keep society and journalism healthy

The challenging tide of digital misinformation doesn’t just flow one way. As well as causing real-world consequences, it can also be driven by global events. Richard Reeves talks about how these dual influences are being highlighted by the situation in Ukraine and what the digital publishing industry can do to tackle the growing challenge of misinformation.

AOP News | Voice of the Premium Publisher

Publishers must stop being led by technology, and start taking charge

In this month’s Voice of the Premium Publisher blog, Richard Reeves reviews some of the key findings of our Meeting the Future research report and provides updates on the AOP’s work around web crawlers and cross-industry discussions on financial audit transparency, data compliance, and Google’s Privacy Sandbox proposals – drawing the conclusion that publishers must stop being led by technology, and start taking charge.

Voice of the Premium Publisher

That’s a wrap: Eight tips from 2021 to continue industry collaboration in 2022

With the end of 2021 fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to gather insights gained from open collaboration and determine which lessons we should be carrying forward. Here are eight of personal picks from our Managing Director, Richard Reeve, to continue building a better collective future through 2022

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Good times are no reason to ease up on publishing perseverance

In recent weeks, there’s a sense of ‘mission accomplished’ sweeping across the industry. But welcome as signs of ongoing recovery are, maintaining forward motion is as critical as ever, shares Managing Director, Richard Reeves.

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Publishers must start giving, and demanding, the recognition they deserve

As comedian Maisie Adams raised the roof at last week’s AOP Digital Publishing Awards, I was struck by how much shared moments of joy matter. Watching physical and virtual attendees letting off steam brought home the importance of not only easing the pandemic pressure valve, but also coming together to celebrate what we have achieved.

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Publishers need to turn the social spending tide

As buy-side confidence rises to outweigh pessimism, we can look forward to greater spending freedom that will ultimately benefit the entire ecosystem. But with social media taking a bigger share of investment, there are also questions about how digital publishers can harness this renewed prosperity.

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Third-party cookies; let’s get the job done

Since Google’s initial announcement about the demise of the cookie, the industry has poured its collective energies into finding alternatives – but though the goalposts have moved, we should remember that the journey is still the same. Richard Reeves, our Managing Director, encourages publishers can keep to their course of future-proof evolution.

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Staying adaptable is critical to future-proofing digital publishing

Last month was testament to publishers’ resilience to change throughout the decades – and even centuries! – with The Guardian celebrating its 200th birthday and The Telegraph achieving 25 years of subscriptions. Read more in Richard’s latest blog post HERE, where he explores how publishers are better placed than anyone to develop data relationships with users that trust them in their environments.

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Collaboration must be a lasting legacy of 2020

“Collaboration must be a lasting legacy of 2020, because as long as we pull together, we will continue to steer the digital publishing industry in a positive direction,” shares Richard Reeves, Managing Director of the AOP, in his latest blog

Voice of the Premium Publisher

Resilience remains the key to ensuring publishing success

We have all learnt to adapt to the changing times. And the same is true of online publishing. Read more about the importance of resilience from Richard Reeves in the first instalment of a new monthly blog series, which also provides an overview of the key industry conversations that Richard is involved in on behalf of AOP members.