Is your team ready for the technology of the future?

Technology is evolving rapidly, and it likely isn’t an overstatement to suggest that the workplace in ten years’ time will look radically different. At last month’s AOP CRUNCH: AI-volution and the opportunities for digital publishers, it was clear that regardless as to whether you thought AI was a saviour or a destroyer, now is the time to lean in. Experimenting now is the key to remaining ahead of the curve and also to playing a foundational role in shaping how these technologies develop.

However, with the adoption of new technology comes the need for new skills – both to help your team get the most out of the tool you’ve invested in, and to ensure they’re ready for what comes next. We reached out to our Associates to get their thoughts on what publishers should be prioritising to ensure their team have the skills they need to succeed in the years’ ahead.

Foster a culture of continual learning and development.

It's important for publishers to embrace AI and new technologies while fostering a culture of continuous learning internally, equipping teams with the latest skills and best practises to drive results. Publishers should prioritise mapping user journeys to predict consumer interests, and partner with the right platforms for attention measurement solutions to show the value of their audiences and placements to brands. In taking this approach, publishers can deliver more personalised content for their readers and more compelling offering for advertisers.

There’s likely to be resistance to change, but satisfying readers and brands to maintain relevancy and audiences should be the top priority and driving force behind all decisions at this time.

Stephanie Himoff, Executive Vice-President, Global Publishers, Outbrain

Everyone in your team should be an expert in audience data.

In these ever-evolving times, a key factor for success is ensuring that data expertise extends beyond just the data teams. Our walled garden “friends” are making huge leaps in rolling out new functionalities in AI and further rigging the game in their favour. These technological evolutions make it more important than ever to use data to breed loyalty from consumers, readers, brands, agencies, tech partners, and anyone else that helps to drive growth for a publisher. To achieve this, everyone in the business needs to become an expert in audience data.

Understanding who your audience is and what they are like as well-rounded humans, both within and beyond your own environment, can drive business-wide, data-led strategies. Whether it's diversifying the content being created to build stickiness with readers, or demonstrating to non-endemic advertisers why your audience are who their brands need to be in front of, data should be at the heart of all decisions. This approach helps publishers to stay ahead of and help defend against the latest technological threats in the market.

Dave Posnett, Head of Partnerships, Captify

Train your commercial team in storytelling to help advertisers understand new opportunities.

As technology solutions become more sophisticated and complex, it becomes increasingly difficult for publisher commercial teams to understand all the developments, let alone be able to communicate them to their advertisers. But in a time of increased complexity, one of the most valued qualities is that of simplicity. Advertisers don’t want to know how much you know; they just want to know what it means for their brands. What are the benefits? What is working well? What should they do next? Simple, practical solutions are an antidote to complexity.

There’s a big opportunity for publishers to train their commercial teams in storytelling. We work closely with these teams, helping them to understand their brand lift data and turn it into proactive and actionable recommendations. They can then distil their data and use it to advise their advertisers on what has worked and what they should do for their next campaign. Publisher teams who can address the challenge of turning masses of data into a compelling story have a great opportunity to differentiate themselves and become highly valued advisers to their advertisers in future.

Sean Adams, Chief Marketing Officer, Brand Metrics

Also published in: AOP