The AdNews end of year Perspectives, looking back at 2024 and forward to next year.
By Luke Spano, CEO, Avid Collective
For the first time, global advertising spend is set to hit $US1 trillion in 2024. It’s a milestone number, but for publishers, it’s going to feel more like an asterisk than a trophy. That’s because over 51% of that spend is going directly to the ‘Big Five’ tech giants - Alphabet, Meta, ByteDance, Amazon, and Alibaba. Of that spend, publishing houses are expected to secure just 27.2%, and online publishers focused on news, sports, lifestyle, and passion points will only get a fraction of this allocation.
Typically, publishers’ commercial strategies have revolved around fighting each other for scraps. But the problem isn’t which publisher gets a slightly bigger slice of the ad spend pie - it’s the size of the slice itself.
Looking to 2025, the focus has to shift. Publishers need to stop competing with each other, and focus on growing the size of the slice, together. That means working collaboratively to make working with publishers directly more competitive as a channel. Collaboration, not competition, is the only way forward.
The pressure is real
As new channels like retail media and ads on streaming platforms emerge, and ad dollars stretch thinner, publishers are left grappling with declining returns from traditional formats like display, video, and programmatic. At the same time, audiences are turning away and switching off from intrusive ads. This means that the real question isn’t whether Publisher A is better than Publisher B - it’s why advertisers should choose channels like publisher-created branded content over programmatic platforms like Meta or Amazon.
If publishers want to reclaim both revenue and relevance, they need to evolve their offering to become a unified, compelling alternative to other media and advertising channels. This evolution depends on two key things: quality and accessibility.
- Quality
We know that advertisers want more than impressions - they want meaningful engagement, deeper connections, and measurable outcomes. Similarly, audiences will opt-in to advertising that offers them value in a meaningful way. This is where branded content sits as a highly unique solution for publishers. It offers something that the big tech platforms can’t replicate: genuine storytelling that is immersive, not disruptive, and leverages the unique relationship the publisher has with their audience. Publishers are uniquely positioned to provide this.
But quality alone isn’t enough. Particularly in digital, advertisers and marketers are (rightly) demanding transparency and measurability to justify spend. Publishers need to get serious about proving their value with hard data - metrics like active attention, dwell time, and brand lift are no longer nice-to-haves - they’re essentials. Getting their campaign data to be part of the growing popularity of Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) might become the next.
- Accessibility
Let’s be honest - buying from publishers can often be complicated. Each publisher has its own processes, formats, and reporting standards, which makes the entire category harder to navigate, particularly compared to the streamlined ad buying experiences offered by the likes of Meta and Google.
To change this, publishers need to work together to simplify how they sell. That means standardisation and aggregation. By standardising formats, pricing and products, and reporting processes, it will make it easier for advertisers and agencies to invest. Aggregation makes it easier for advertisers to buy, through a one-stop shop for premium environments across multiple publishers.
Publishers don’t need to sacrifice their individuality to achieve this. The goal isn’t to become the same but to make the category as a whole more attractive, scalable, and competitive.
Collaboration is the competitive edge
These big tech platforms aren’t going anywhere. That means that the fight for ad dollars shouldn’t be thought of as publisher vs. publisher, but publishers versus big tech. And the right time to band together is now.
We are seeing both advertisers and audiences grow increasingly frustrated with the limitations of intrusive ads. Trust is low, attention spans are fleeting, and relevance is harder to achieve than ever. What this creates is an opening for publishers who have a better alternative: authentic, high-impact content that audiences actually choose to engage with.
But no one publisher can shift the tide alone. It will take the collective to lean into these strengths and work together. In doing so, publishers can transform the perception of content in media from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-buy.”
And collaboration doesn’t mean losing individuality. It means agreeing on what makes the category compelling and leaning into it, together. By prioritising quality and accessibility, publishers can transform how they’re perceived and make branded content the obvious choice for advertisers.
This evolution won’t happen overnight, and it won’t be easy. But publishers can’t afford to wait. By acting now and collaborating rather than competing - they can future-proof their businesses, secure sustainable revenue, and prove their value in an advertising media landscape dominated by global digital platforms.
2025 is the year to stop competing and start driving the necessary change collectively through collaboration. The question is: are publishers ready to take that step?
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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