No, not another AI diatribe on my part, though I have to say that I got a lot of compliments on the fresh vs processed food analogy. Still, I did receive a few notes that publishing is doomed. Whatever. I guess in the future, my AI agent is going to be arguing with your AI agent over who’s right.
No, the reason this was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week is the other things that kept our community from doing the work they want to work on this week:
- Dan Murphy passed away. Dan helped build the role of ad operations and certainly was a champion of the cause. Dan was a friend to everyone and will be missed.
- Clawbacks are back. Yea.
- Google Ad Manager lost its mind this past week with campaign pacing all f’ed up. Just in time for monthly reconciliations. Yay!
- Amazon TAM issues for many publishers.
- No one can name a good outsourced direct-sales company.
- Ads.txt continues to confound as there are some scenarios it doesn’t solve for. Is ads.txt still being developed?
- SSPs are rolling out new products through opt-out emails. Perhaps this is necessary because amending contracts would be too costly and time-consuming. However, publishers don’t always know what they are agreeing to. This isn’t great.
- Redirects are back, as we have been receiving reports of instances every week for the past month or so. Ugh.
- Privacy-consent-related issues are time-consuming and never satisfactorily resolved.
Yes, it’s a lot. We’re moving forward into a new week and a new month. But before we do, we need to sit with something else that has been weighing on us (and on a lot of folks) coming out of Cannes.
Melissa has some thoughts on that, and they’re worth your time.
Hi all, Melissa here this week.
I wasn’t at Cannes this year. Actually, I’ve never been to Cannes. But I have seen several posts about inappropriate behavior this year. Now, I don’t know if it was worse this year, or perhaps more people are talking about it. I also don’t know what happened or to whom, and a friend of mine who was there had a positive experience.
Frankly, however, that doesn’t matter for this conversation. There were many voices on LinkedIn last week raising concerns around harassment, including a couple that resonated with me in particular:
- Sophia Westrich summed it up quite well for me when she said, “If we want change, we need to send a clear message: this behavior doesn't belong here.” Sophia also provided ideas on steps we can all take, if we’re unsure where to start. Thank you, Sophia, for your thoughtful post.
- Geoff Wolinetz was disgusted and angry “... we treat people with respect, we lead with kindness and empathy and most of all, we don't harass or demean people because we believe them to be weaker than us or we don't think they deserve respect.” Geoff, I appreciated your visceral reaction.
From my point of view, our collective first step is a simple one, but it requires bravery.
If you see or hear something, say something.
If you hear an inappropriate comment, say something.
If you witness inappropriate touching, say something.
If you experience or witness unwanted ogling, say something
If you see someone leveraging power dynamics inappropriately, say something.
The more we speak up, the less we normalize this behavior, the less it will happen.
Don’t assume the person that this is happening to is responsible for waving a flag. Sexual harassment and exploited power dynamics are real and often cause those who experience it to freeze, internalize what’s happening to them, and stay silent in an effort to “Just get through it.”
Sometimes the right thing to do in the moment is to help create distance, to help someone get out of the situation, or to stay present and ensure they aren’t separated from the group. Ask the person what they need.
Let’s shine light on bad behavior and hold people responsible. In the workplace, at conferences (ours or others), at events like Cannes, and in non-work life. Past tolerance shouldn’t breed future tolerance for inappropriate behavior. Zero tolerance should be the norm.
Summer in the City Rooftop Happy Hour with Intent IQ on July 15
📅 Tuesday, July 15, 6:00–9:00 PM ET
📍 Monarch Rooftop, 71 W 35th St, NYC
We’ve got a rooftop, a summer night, and a solid crew coming together, thanks to our friends at Intent IQ. Together, we’re hosting a night of good people, good conversations, and one of the best views in the city. Think “low lift, high vibe.” If you’re a publisher, agency, advertiser, or SSP looking to connect (or an excuse to purposefully ignore your inbox for a few hours), this one’s for you.
Invite-only. Request an invite here!
You know what we’re working toward this fall. Three big events, all worthy of your attention. But we’re going to need a mulligan this week, because with so much going on, we are still finalizing a few important details before we pull back the curtain on everything we’ve been planning. We have big updates coming very soon, so don’t take your eye off the ball. Start planning now:
- First, Base•Camp Savannah kicks off October 5. If you’ve been to Base•Camp, you know the deal: sleeves rolled up, honest takes, and a group of people ready to work through the challenges we face as an industry, not just rehash what’s broken.
- Next, Digital Day Camp returns to Toronto on October 22. One day. One room. Shared ground with Canada’s digital media leaders. Registration is open. If you’ve been looking for a place to cut the spin and get clarity, this is it.
- And finally, Base•Camp Lisbon closes out the season November 2-5. We’re bringing the magic of Base•Camp to Europe. Bring your context, your open questions, and your willingness to collaborate.
Want to join us? Tell us now. The earlier we hear from you, the better. And we’ve got exciting agenda announcements dropping soon!
Scott Messer (Principal & Founder of Messer Media) and Angelina Eng (VP Measurement, Addressability & Data Center & Center of Excellence Operations of the IAB) joined us for the June Camp.Fire conversation to walk through the IAB’s updated General Terms & Conditions, which are now open for public comment.
And yes, you should comment.
As Scott said so well:
“I am in the IAB working group and let me tell you: this is not settled, there are many open areas of discussions, and YOU can play a role in this document that is likely to dictate digital transactions for another decade!”
Get caught up. Make your voice heard. Now is the time.
Read Scott’s article about the changes. Make your voice heard. Now is the time.
Jonathan Taylor and Erik Salinger from TV4 sat down with us to unpack what really happened when they launched their self-serve platform with DanAds. The results (more clients, new types of buyers) made the effort worth it, but they learned valuable lessons through the process.
The tech worked, but that wasn’t the hard part. Getting new buyers to activate, letting go of sales-rep gatekeeping, and shifting internal mindsets? That’s where the real work started. If you want an honest look at what it takes to modernize a legacy sales model, this is the one to watch.
Watch the TV4 Virtual Roundtable with DanAds.
Programmatic Optimization Training
Hosted by Helene Parker Consulting
July cohort starting July 7, 2025
Especially useful for publishers, ad ops teams, and media owners who want to understand how traders make decisions. This is the “why” behind the “what” buyers see and do—and it’s especially helpful for those on the supply side looking to align and collaborate better.
Details:
- Week 1 – Intro to Optimization & Analysis.
- Week 2 – Optimizing Sites, Supply & SSPs.
- Week 3 – Decision-Making to Inform Analysis.
- Week 4 – Writing Reports (With & Without ChatGPT).
Sign up for the July cohort for $750 only (non-Beeler.Tech audience pays $975)
Questions? You can contact Helene.
A full list of our 2025 events all in one nice little package:
- Base•Camp: Savannah, GA - October 5-8
- Digital Day Camp, Toronto - October 22
- Base•Camp: Lisbon, Portugal - November 2-5
More things to keep your eyes out for:
- Read our take on the top updates/news items from around the industry.
- Beeler.Tech’s highlights of July Industry Events.
- Look for your next job on our job board. Also - sign up for our Jobs Newsletter (delivered every Thursday). Subscribe here.
- Fill your open positions by helping us help you: Submit a job and check out a job seeker like Job Seeker 28, just search “Job Seeker 28” to be taken directly to their description.
The stripe-themed Chicago AdTech Happy Hour last week - Connie Walsh, Sarah Wagner, and Catherine Beattie.
Woman’s Space
Beeler.Tech is all about Community. We want to make space for our community in ways that are helpful for you. To that end, we have created a Slack group and invited many. The WhatsApp Women’s group exists but needs more friends. Please reach out to Melissa if you would like to join one or both.
Join the Community!
Thousands of professionals, of all ages, worldwide turn to Beeler.Tech as their meeting place for all things publisher revenue operations. Join the Beeler.Tech Community here! Your teams and colleagues are welcome, too.
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