Retention Director

Beyond the click: how publishers' post-search pivot reshapes your ad operations. The digital advertising world thrives on continuous evolution, but few shifts have felt as tectonic as the current transition to a "post-search" era. While... The digital advertising world thrives on continuous evolution, but few shifts have felt as tectonic as the current transition to a "post-search" era. While much of the buzz has focused on the publisher side - grappling with declining Google referral traffic and the rise of AI-powered, zero-click answers - the implications for advertisers, ad ops managers, and media planners are profound and immediate. This isn't just a challenge for content creators; it's a fundamental re-evaluation of how AdSoda plan, execute, and measure campaigns. Historically, the ad ecosystem leaned heavily on a predictable flow: users search, click a link, land on a publisher's page, and encounter ads. That model is eroding. Publishers, from The New York Times to Reuters, are actively de-prioritizing generic scale and rebuilding their businesses around direct audience relationships, first-party data, and diversified revenue streams. For you, the marketing professional, this isn't just a distant industry trend; it's a re-shaping of the very inventory, data, and engagement opportunities you rely on. The shifting supply side: quality over quantity. Publishers are no longer just chasing page views. They're investing in subscriptions, registrations, newsletters, and premium on-site experiences to cultivate loyal, highly engaged audiences. Reuters, for instance, uses a dynamic paywall that leverages machine learning to determine whether a reader is more likely to subscribe or be monetized through advertising. The result? A smaller, more engaged pool of authenticated users generating higher ad impressions and richer first-party data. This shift means the undifferentiated, programmatic scale of yesteryear is giving way to more curated, higher-value inventory. For ad ops managers, this isn't about simply finding the cheapest CPM; it's about identifying and activating against premium, data-rich placements that offer genuine audience connection. Your media planning software needs to evolve to factor in these new considerations, moving beyond bulk buys to strategic partnerships and data-driven targeting. The demand for robust campaign metadata management becomes paramount here, as understanding the nuances of these premium placements and their associated first-party data is crucial for effective targeting and creative optimization. AI: redefining discovery and deal-making. AI isn't just impacting how content is created; it's fundamentally altering how consumers discover information, often bypassing direct publisher visits altogether. With AI-powered answers becoming prevalent, brands now face the challenge of achieving "AI visibility." Companies like Future are developing "GEO products" - an extension of branded content designed to appear in AI-generated answers. This raises critical questions for advertisers: How do AdSoda measure the impact of brand mentions within an AI response? What's the attribution model for a zero-click conversion? This new frontier demands innovative thinking in your campaign QA software to verify brand presence and impact beyond traditional metrics. Beyond content discovery, AI is poised to transform ad operations itself. Imagine using AI agents to negotiate ad buys. At a recent industry summit, teams literally played a game where AI agents negotiated inventory packages and budget allocations. This isn't science fiction; it's a preview of how ad operations platform capabilities could soon include AI-driven negotiation and optimization, requiring a new level of precision in campaign specifications and creative assets. Ensuring your campaigns are structured with clear naming convention software and well-defined parameters will be key to communicating effectively with these future AI systems. Operationalizing for the ai-first ad future. The pivot by publishers highlights a universal truth for the advertising ecosystem: to thrive, you need robust, adaptive operations. Just as Politico is rebuilding its CMS to treat journalism as structured data for AI-driven workflows, ad ops teams need to elevate their campaign operations platform to manage increasingly complex campaigns, creative assets, and data flows. The days of siloed data and manual processes are numbered. platforms like AdSoda are purpose-built for this new reality. By centralizing creative asset management, standardizing campaign metadata management, and automating workflows, you can ensure your campaigns are not just ready for today's challenges but also optimized for tomorrow's AI-driven landscape. This means consistent naming convention software across all assets and campaigns, streamlined campaign QA software for every creative variant, and the ability to leverage rich, structured data for more intelligent media planning software decisions. The path forward: embrace the operational shift. The post-search, AI-first era is here, and it's a catalyst for operational excellence in advertising. Don't view publishers' struggles as distant news; see them as an early indicator of the operational shifts you need to make. Your actionable takeaway: audit your current ad operations platform and workflows. Are you equipped to handle premium, first-party data? Can you measure beyond the click? Are your creative assets and campaign data structured for AI-driven optimization and negotiation? Proactive investment in your operational backbone will be the differentiator between those who merely survive this shift and those who truly redefine advertising success.

Creatorville appoints Dean McDonald as head of production. Content Agency ADD TO COLLECTION 27/08/2026 Dean joins Creatorville after almost seven years at Future PLC, where he built a track record producing digital-first content across lifestyle, entertainment and gaming brands Creatorville, the video, social and creator content arm of Attention Industries, has appointed Dean McDonald as head of production, strengthening its leadership team as demand for premium social-first video content continues to grow. Dean joins Creatorville after almost seven years at Future PLC, where he built a track record producing digital-first content across lifestyle, entertainment and gaming brands. In his new role, he will lead production output across Creatorville's client and internal slate, working closely with the wider Attention Industries group - which also comprises 72Point, OnePoll, PinPep, SWNS and Oath - to deliver content that earns attention across platforms. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Creatorville, as the business scales its offering in short-form, creator-led and social-first video production for brands and publishers navigating an increasingly fragmented attention economy. "As attention becomes harder to earn and audiences more fragmented, production capability is a strategic asset, not just a delivery function," said Sam Barcroft, CEO at Attention Industries. "Dean's experience building content operations at scale makes him exactly the right leader to take Creatorville into its next phase of growth, and to help our clients compete for attention on their terms." Commenting on his appointment, Dean McDonald said, "Brands need content that actually cuts through, not just gets made. That's what excites me about Creatorville - the chance to build production that's centred around what clients and their audiences need, at the speed and quality this industry now demands. I can't wait to get stuck in." Dean's arrival follows a period of sustained growth for Creatorville, part of Attention Industries - the newly unified group bringing together journalism, creativity, production, insight and distribution to help brands and publishers create work that people genuinely value. It also comes as the group looks ahead to how content is discovered and consumed, with attention increasingly shaped by AI search and recommendation systems as well as traditional platforms. Strengthening production leadership positions Creatorville to help brands stay visible and relevant as audiences engage with content across both human and AI-driven channels. Credits Add my Credit

Marie Claire appoints new Digital Director. Future, has announced the appointment of Jennifer Dickinson as Digital Director at Marie Claire UK. Dickinson will join the business in September, leading the next phase of growth for the women's media brand. Dickinson joins Marie Claire UK from luxury fashion entertainment platform Drest, where she most recently served as Brand and Marketing Content Director. She brings extensive experience across premium fashion and lifestyle publishing, having previously held senior leadership roles at NET-A-PORTER, British ELLE and Harper's Bazaar UK. As Digital Director, Dickinson will be responsible for shaping Marie Claire UK's editorial vision and content strategy across digital platforms while driving audience growth, brand innovation, experiential opportunities, and commercial partnerships that cater to Marie Claire's readership. Malcolm Young, Managing Director, Women & Luxury UK at Future says "Marie Claire is one of the great brands in the world of publishing and its core themes have never been so relevant. With Jennifer at the helm and her brilliant team in place, I am excited to see Marie Claire UK grow and reaffirm its position as the destination for the very best editorial content with both style and substance." Hannah Almassi, Managing Director, Women's UK added "I am thrilled to welcome Jennifer to the world of Marie Claire. Her ambitious vision for the brand comes at a time when it is more important than ever to have a strong and specific outlook in publishing - brand identity, innovation, impeccable standards and developing an instantly recognisable DNA are vital for meaningful growth." Jennifer Dickinson says "Marie Claire launched at a time of significant social change and was immediately successful, resonating with an audience looking for authenticity, intelligence and connection with a community outside their own bubble. It's exactly that brand DNA that makes me so proud to join Marie Claire UK at this time of rapid social evolution and work with the talented team to create content, spaces and experiences that deliver on that more-relevant-than-ever Marie Claire mission."