The Yield Doctor with James Deaker

The Discounting Trap: How Pulling Demand Forward Breaks Your Business

The Perils of Predictable Discounting | Yield Story with The Yield DoctorIn this Yield Story, James Deaker (The Yield Doctor) shares a cautionary tale about the dangers of predictable discounting and pulling revenue forward — a trap that many pricing and yield leaders fall into.Based on real (but anonymized) consulting experiences, this story dives into how one company’s quarter-end discounting habits trained customers to delay purchases, eroded pricing power, and created operational chaos.You’ll learn:✅ What "pulling demand forward" really means✅ How predictable discounts damage long-term revenue✅ Practical strategies to break the cycle and retrain your customers✅ Why sales incentives must be designed with cautionIf you're a pricing, sales, or yield management leader, this is a must-watch.🔔 Subscribe for more insights on digital pricing, yield strategy, and monetization: [Your Channel URL]📧 For consulting inquiries, reach out at [Your Email or Website]#PricingStrategy #YieldManagement #RevenueGrowth #B2BSales #EndOfQuarter #Discounting #TheYieldDoctor

Lauren Weinberg - CMO Scorecard

What Do CMOs Really Care About? | A Candid Conversation with Lauren WeinbergWhat does a CMO actually look for in a media partner? And what publisher metrics matter... or don’t?In this exclusive interview, James Deaker (The Yield Doctor) sits down with Lauren Weinberg—former CMO at Square and Peloton, and co-author of Self-Made Boss—to explore how top marketing executives make media investment decisions.Lauren shares tactical insights on:✅ How CMOs evaluate publisher performance✅ What drives budget shifts mid- and post-campaign✅ The role of MMM, MTA, and incremental ROI✅ Why impressions and CPMs may not mean what you think✅ What actually sets a media pitch apartWhether you're a publisher, ad tech pro, or just trying to understand how to win a marketer’s trust, this is a must-watch conversation.🔗 Connect with Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenweinberg13/📘 Her book: Self-Made BossChapters0:00 – Introduction: What CMOs value in publishers0:56 – Audience fit and planning considerations2:22 – Metrics that matter: Performance vs. brand campaigns4:48 – How brand media impacts lower-funnel performance5:30 – Mid-flight vs. post-campaign optimization7:49 – Decoding MMM and MTA8:30 – Publisher metrics: What’s meaningful vs. table stakes10:14 – Disconnects between CMOs and publishers12:03 – Do CMOs care about “premium” publishers?13:06 – Custom ad formats: Barrier or opportunity?15:10 – A winning pitch: Peloton × Twitch case study17:30 – CPMs vs. ROI: What really matters19:05 – The reality of measuring incremental ROI20:25 – Wrap-up and how to follow Lauren

What Happened to Publisher Pricing Software?

Why don’t publishers have good pricing software anymore?Back in 2007, Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft used a tool called Rapt to optimize rate cards in real time. Today? That software is gone—and no one has replaced it.In this video, I explain why Rapt disappeared, why nothing has filled the gap, and what it would take for a new solution to emerge. Drawing on my own experience working at Rapt, I break down the key challenges—including programmatic dominance, product complexity, and the lack of transparent market signals.📈 If you're a publisher or ad tech leader grappling with pricing, yield, or programmatic strategy, this one’s for you.⏱️ Chapters00:00 – The 2007 Era: When Rapt Ruled00:20 – Why I Know This: My Time at Rapt00:47 – What Pricing Software Should Do01:32 – How Rapt's Price Director Worked02:16 – Microsoft Acquisition and Decline02:23 – Why No One Replaced It: My Take02:34 – Reason #1: Rise of Programmatic03:25 – Reason #2: No Public Pricing Signals04:11 – Reason #3: Ad Products Are Too Complex05:38 – The Need for Customization (Compliance)05:58 – Why Ad Tech Hasn’t Solved This Yet06:16 – What the Future Might Look Like06:35 – Closing Thoughts & Call to Comment🔔 Subscribe to stay ahead of yield management and ad tech trends: youtube.com/@jamesdeaker📬 Need help with pricing, inventory, or programmatic strategy?Reach out via LinkedIn or at theyielddoctor.com#DigitalAdvertising #YieldManagement #AdTech #RateCards #JamesDeaker #TheYieldDoctor #Programmatic #PricingSoftware

How AI Is Actually Changing Ad Operations — with Nagarajan Chakravarthy

There’s a lot of hype around AI in ad tech — but where is it really having an impact today?In this episode, I speak with Nagarajan Chakravarthy, Chief Digital Officer and founding team member at iOPEX Technologies. We go deep into practical examples of AI transforming advertising revenue operations — from media planning to campaign optimization, and even creative generation.You’ll hear:What “Agentic AI” really means in Ad TechWhich parts of the ad ops workflow are being automatedThe biggest cultural and organizational blockers to adoptionWhy AI may actually level the playing field for smaller advertisers📧 Contact Naga: naga@iopex.com🌐 Learn more: https://www.iopex.com—Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction: Why AI in ad tech needs more real examples1:01 - Meet Nagarajan Chakravarthy, CDO at iOPEX2:07 - What iOPEX does and their approach to transformation3:35 - What are “command agents” and how do they work?3:52 - AI use cases in advertising revenue operations6:41 - How AI accelerates creative and campaign execution7:35 - From media plan to standardized IOs8:02 - Speed vs. oversight: the new trade-off10:08 - Skill shifts: From execution to prompting11:08 - Quality control and changing error patterns13:02 - Real-world example: AI-generated media plans16:07 - Where AI still falls short: the EQ of creative17:22 - Where human judgment remains indispensable19:02 - Common misconceptions about AI in ad tech21:31 - 4 areas where AI will be most disruptive24:35 - Internal blockers: Skills, data, and expectation-setting27:39 - Will AI level the playing field or boost the giants?29:41 - Why AI is a net positive for publishers31:38 - Final thoughts and how to connect with Naga—If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe.More content coming soon from the front lines of ad tech and monetization.

Meta Goes All-In on AI Ads: What It Means for Advertisers & Agencies

Meta Goes All-In on AI Ads: What It Means for Advertisers & AgenciesMeta just announced plans to fully integrate AI into its advertising platform by the end of next year — enabling brands to create and target ads using artificial intelligence with little to no manual input.In this video, I break down what this shift means for:Facebook/Meta advertisersAgencies whose value lies in creative and targetingThe broader digital advertising ecosystemI’ll also share my perspective on how this move fits into the long-term trend of AI in ad tech, and why it might give Meta — and other walled gardens — an even greater advantage.Timestamps:0:00 – Meta’s AI Ad Announcement0:42 – Implications for Facebook Advertisers2:10 – How Agencies Should Respond3:45 – Industry-Level Disruption5:20 – My Speculation: What Meta Might Do Next6:30 – Final Thoughts + Your InputIf you’re in ad ops, media buying, or agency strategy — this one’s for you.Let me know in the comments: Do you think this makes Meta more effective — or more dangerous?

How AI Is Reshaping Digital Advertising – A Deep Dive with Alanna Laforet

In this episode of The Yield Doctor, James Deaker sits down with Alanna Laforet—CEO of Laforet Productions and former head of the IAB Tech Lab—to unpack where AI is actually transforming digital advertising today, and where it's headed next.With experience spanning DoubleClick, Google, Omnicom, and Conde Nast, Alanna brings deep insight into how AI is reshaping media planning, creative optimization, and the ad tech stack itself.We explore:What’s real vs. hype in current AI implementationsHow startups and holding companies are approaching AI differentlyWhether AI will democratize the industry or entrench the big playersThe potential for AI tools like ChatGPT to act as publishersThe risks of fraud, fake content, and over-optimization in a post-AI worldWhether you're a publisher, advertiser, or just curious about the future of ad operations, this conversation is packed with insight and candid perspective.📌 Chapters included in the description below🔗 Connect with Alanna Laforet:LinkedIn: [Insert Link]Email: alana@stillmagazine.xyzAlanna discusses the areas where GenAI will have the most impact on the AdTech ecosystem00:00 Introduction & Guest Background 01:07 Current AI Impact in Digital Advertising 03:01 Real AI Adoption Inside Companies 04:45 Startup Frenzy & Market Fragmentation 06:00 The “Layer Cake” Problem in Ad Tech 08:13 Toward End-to-End Systems with AI Plugins 09:45 Where AI Will Have the Most (and Least) Impact 11:08 Could AI Platforms Become the Next Big Publishers? 13:36 Democratization vs. Walled Gardens 15:33 AI and the Return of Imagination 16:54 Publishers: Winners or Losers in the AI Shift? 17:38 The Ethics & Dangers of AI-Generated Content 19:53 What Excites Alanna About AI's Future 21:31 Where to Find Alanna + Closing Remarks

Alex Roucourt on Adverting Uplift

Alex Roucourt discusses the challenges to effective advertising measurement in a post-cookie environment and offers solutions to address these challenges

Shiv Gupta Earnings May 2025

Shiv Gupta from the U of Digital breaks down the trends from the Q1 Earnings cycle in Digital Advertising and Ad Tech

Yield Stories - Sell Out The Homepage!

A short story on the problems with setting a "sell-through" goal for a website and what should be done instead to maximize revenue through good Yield Management

House Ads Explained

Publishers struggle with when and how to run their own ads ("House Ads"). This video outlines the best approach to run House Ads for maximum efficiency