But, he admits, there’s a lot of noise being directed at publishers and it’s invaluable that your information—in this case how revenue can be boosted via Acceptable Ads—make it through what can too often be cluttered with spam and the words of bad actors.
For a native New Yorker like Hart, being heard through the noise is something that comes almost naturally. Especially, as he tells it, since he learned about the AAX solution by seeing it take place in the wild, on a friend’s computer.
That, explains Hart, was the aha! moment, when he realized what Acceptable Ads could actually, as he puts it, “make the pendulum swing.”
AAX: Let’s begin at the beginning. You mentioned that you learned about AAX by seeing it operating in the real world—can you run us through that?
Hart Gliedman: Well, being in the industry I always had a certain view of ad blockers—and I had certainly never installed one. But I certainly knew people who used ad blockers. And, in fact, I was coworking with a friend who had an ad blocker installed, and I looked at his screen and saw…ads being served. And not only that, but there was no annoyance, no frustration.
This was my introduction to ad filtering. My first thought was “Wow, this is a no-brainer. Everyone is searching for that extra revenue boost, but it’s next to impossible to do that without negative impact or downside—except this. I was seeing how Acceptable Ads worked, and understanding it could change the future.
AAX: So you had gotten a sense from working in the industry of what was needed, and the fixes that had been tried already?
Hart Gliedman: Yes, and that history gives you an amazing sense of perspective. When I was working in the past with publishers, I learned all about all the day-to-day pain points—bandwidth, resources, everything going into monetization, etc. And now, with that perspective, I can see what a publisher really needs; I can explain that what AAX is doing really is completely different.
I can say: “Look, AAX is so relevant because it allows publishers looking for that extra revenue boost to add entirely incremental revenue stream with no negative impact. It’s the cleanest, simplest way forward for publishers that might be looking for extra revenue.”
My word of advice to publishers is: don’t fall back into old, bad habits! There’s revenue right under your nose.
AAX: And this seems like especially urgent advice in 2020, I’d imagine. The pandemic is impacting everyone, publishers included.
Hart Gliedman: Absolutely. What we’re offering is value for publishers that need it; what publishers can to tap into in a low maintenance, sustainable way.
But the reality is there’s so much noise about adding value. Publishers are constantly confronted with “double your revenue with a single line of code,” and it’s oversaturated, obnoxious, and intrusive. This was true even before the pandemic, but it’s intensified.
One of the challenges has always been education: separating what you’re saying from what bad actors are promising. And when it comes to AAX, as soon as the publisher hears and understands, they want to get involved. AAX is that unique; and Acceptable Ads users understand the value exchange.
AAX: How does that understanding impact their behavior, exactly?
Hart Gliedman: These users know that not all ads are bad; not all ads are created equal. And when they’re served Acceptable Ads, everyone is suddenly benefiting from that situation. The users feel respected; they’re staying longer on sites; they’re even clicking on ads. And not just by accident.
Acceptable Ads is really hitting the reset button on the entire industry.
AAX: And what does that mean for the future of AAX, looking into the second half of 2020 and into 2021?
Hart GliedmanWe’re going to continue to bring incremental value to publishers that need it in these uncertain times. And I’m excited about the project of educating not just publishers but also DSPs. I think we’ve gone so far and we still have so much potential moving forward.