Interesting to get the perspective of a large publishers in a market where ad networks don't dominate, and where most of the selling is done directly. With few third parties in sight. Will automation work in this type of environment? Is it really in the publisher's interest to put inventory on open exchanges? Here Toby Ross, the Head of Strategic Alliances at Fairfax Digital, gives an overview of how one publisher is approaching the data driven display market.
Can you give an overview of Fairfax Digital, its companies and offering in both the Australian and international markets?
Fairfax Digital is a leading Australian publisher network with over 250 owned and operated sites spanning news, business, lifestyle, travel, property, automotive and employment. The network features the online presence of some of Australia's most prominent brands such as the Sydney Morning Herald, Business Day, Essential Baby, Stayz, Domain, Drive, and MyCareer.
Late last year we launched a new ad network – drx – following a partnership with ValueClick Media. The incremental reach provided by ValueClick provides drx with a reach figure in excess of 10 million unique visitors monthly making it one of the largest ad networks in Australia. This strategy enables us to monetise any remnant inventory across Fairfax Digital’s owned and operated sites, meaning we have no unsold inventory across the network. We don’t sell any of our domestic inventory to 3rd party ad networks.