Two things that can be true at the same time:
- Too many organizations are developing solutions that affect publishers, but publishers aren’t in the conversation, or the wrong publishers are driving it, or the right people from publishers aren’t included. The result is never good for publishers.
- Too few publishers meaningfully participate in organizations where these conversations happen. They don’t show up. They don’t speak up. Some are instructed not to say anything – just listen. The result is never good for publishers.
I’m not sure of the solution, in part because there isn’t just one thing for us to fix.
The IAB just requested comments on the IO Direct Buy Specs for the new Terms and Conditions. Did I just lose you, programmatic pros? Ha! It’ll impact you, so read it.
The MRC Finalizes Ad Auction Standards went over like a lead balloon within the Beeler.Tech community (subscribe to The Stack if you’re not in Slack to learn more). Meanwhile, several organizations are working to address the many ways AI will impact us, from bots to seller agents.
I have no idea what the W3C is up to. Some major decisions are being made, and there aren’t enough publishers in the room rolling up their sleeves and making sure they are protecting themselves, even when the group is operating with the best intentions.
But it’s not like the publishers weren’t invited. Yes, many associations require hefty fees to join, and at a time with budget restraints, that’s a tough one. However, many organizations have waived those fees in exchange for contributing participants.
I’m frustrated.
I can only make one recommendation, and it’s a tough one: sustainable businesses don’t rely on others to completely determine their value - they listen to the market, but they also help define the market.
Publishers, you can’t just focus on your business. You have to engage in these broader discussions and send your top talent to represent you. Since you can’t be in all the discussions, I recommend that you band together. If there was a time for a true publisher coalition, it’s now.
What can you expect at Base.Camp? Well, let’s take a trip down memory lane to Base.Camp Red Rock Canyon…
The list of publishers attending Base.Camp San Antonio next month grows every day:
CVS Media Exchange, People Inc. Lyft, Advance Local, Brittanica, WebMD, TextNow, Formedics, Tripadvisor, Golf.com, Better Collective, The Washington Post, Sightline Media, Yahoo, Trusted Media Brands, Farm Journal, Black Enterprise, TeamSnap, Dextero, Condé Nast, Major League Fishing, GSTV, CNN Brasil, Cox Automotive, Fandom, Graham Media, Hearst, MediaNews Group Inc, Mirror Digital, NASCAR, New York Post, POLITICO, The New York Times… just to name “a few.”
Want in? Here’s you need to do:
- Check out the packed agenda.
- Raise your hand to join us now.
- Review the pre-event prep call with our community.
Time is almost up. Your voice is needed to drive these conversations.
Hot off the presses, we’ve got three juicy reads for you this week:
- AI Publisher Response Live: Publishers have a brand problem ICYMI, this session featured Rob Beeler, along with Amanda Sabreah of Thought Factory. Amanda comes into this conversation from the brand side to tackle a clear reality: publishers have a brand problem. We dig into what “think like a brand” looks like in practice, and how that shift changes how audiences, partners, and the market recognize publisher value.
- How adops.com helped a global publisher simplify ad operations and unlock newsletter revenue Elsevier boasts a global portfolio of scientific and medical brands. That reach brings scale, but it also brings complexity: multiple audiences, markets, and workflows that all need to run smoothly. In this conversation, Hazel Broadley speaks with Travis Ayer, Director of Business Development at adops.com, to find out how Elsevier approached consolidation, made email advertising workable within existing tools, and created flexible support for peak workloads – without adding headcount.
- We’ve got trust issues: ad quality, trust, and revenue Rob sits down with Danielle Koffler, Director of Product at Confiant, to unpack why ad quality has become a core business concern – not just a technical one. Drawing from Confiant’s H1 Mid-Year MAQ Index 2025, they explore how today’s ad quality landscape has become more pernicious and less predictable, and how publishers can mitigate risk, protect revenue, and restore trust.
Want to get caught up on everything we’ve published? Start here.
Here’s the latest news, and yes, it’s all true:
- Your first look at the AI Publisher Response agenda is now live! Publishers from POLITICO, TeamSnap, Weatherbug, Thomson Reuters, The Weather Company, Automattic, Better Collective, Graham Media, Cox Automotive, PGA TOUR, Hearst, New York Post, and The New York Times will be joining us in NYC on May 6. If you’re interested in attending, let us know now.
- Camp.Fire on Feb. 19: Building a resource for publisher revenue Camp.Fire is where publishers and partners come together to talk about the top topics within our community monthly. This month, we’re focused on coming together as a community to build a tool publishers can use to source ideas to create more revenue. Camp.Fire is exclusive to our existing publisher and partner community.
- Today is the last day for early bird pricing for Advertising Economic Forum! On March 18 & 19, 2026, AdEF New York will convene executives, investors, and analysts from across the global advertising economy to examine where capital, innovation, and strategy intersect, and what those shifts mean for the future of the industry. View the full agenda and register today before space runs out!
- Digital Day Camp early bird pricing is also almost gone! This April, Digital Day Camp is returning to Toronto… and by popular demand, we’ve expanded the format to two days. Day 1 is built for decision-makers. Day 2 is built for next-gen leaders. Leaders and strategists from Omnicom Media, Nestle, The Globe and Mail, Connected, Friends & Enemies, Postmedia, Pelmorex Corp., twenty6two International Inc., and Navigator will be there (just to name a few). Will you?
- Join us for AI Publisher Response Live: Automation vs. AI on Feb. 20 Yes, the comparison is the headline, the real opportunity for ad operations sits in the middle: seller intelligence. Seller intelligence is how you connect what you’re learning from direct sales efforts with programmatic performance data to understand current customers better, and spot the next ones sooner. It’s not the simplest place to start. It’s a smart one anyway.
- Navigator NYC isn’t as far away as you think! And we have publishers from Automattic, NASCAR, Time Out, Weatherbug, MediaNews Group, Tribune, Yahoo, and Crain are already committed to joining us this May. Will you?
A full list of all 2026 events we’re involved in, all in one nice little package:
- Base.Camp San Antonio - March 1-4, 2026
- Advertising Economic Forum NYC - March 18-19, 2026
- Digital Day Camp: Spring - April 15 & 16, 2026
- Navigator NYC - May 5, 2026
- AI Publisher Response Event - May 6, 2026
- Navigator London - June 9, 2026
- Base.Camp La Jolla - October 4-7, 2026
- Digital Day Camp: Fall - October 21 & 22, 2026
- Base.Camp Madrid - November 8-11, 2026
Chicago AdTech Happy Hour - a good turnout for a chilly mid-February!
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