Switch has transcended the traditional “Premium and Remnant” approach by actively trading 100% of inventory through automated and direct channels on a per impression basis.

Switch is a data driven realtime decision making engine. Switch has empowered The AA to take full control of its inventory and use data to more than double revenues – with continued growth forecasted.

By bringing data to the sales decision, Switch enables The AA to control both the inventory and the data – maximising the value of the inventory and avoiding leakage of data to third parties. This is a powerful combination.

Data mobilised by Switch on The AA includes:

  • Anonymised user profiles
  • Third party data on user behaviour
  • Local and regionalised geographic data
  • Context, environment and intent

This graph below shows growth in key income metrics between Month 1 and Month 9:

The AA RTB graph

Since the introduction of automated trading on The AA’s inventory, revenue from this channel has increased dramatically. It now rivals the direct sales income for the site, without compromising those efforts. The automated trading is powered by technology, so human and discrepancy costs are drastically reduced too.

The AA is well positioned to capitalise on the accelerating shift in online advertising budgets towards automated trading, currently termed ‘Real Time Bidding’.

“Since working with Switch we have seen a steady and sustained increase in revenue, across the board. But it’s RTB that is really taking off. We are seeing a good proportion of our revenue coming from this market, and I expect it to keep growing. Our direct sales have not been affected, in fact they have pushed the RTB rates up, as they are also competing for inventory.

Switch’s technology and service means we are really getting the best revenue available for every impression. Switch is much more than a supply side platform. It is a realtime trading desk that gives us full visibility of the site’s performance and our revenue as well as giving us a better understanding of our users.” – David Watchus, Head of AA Media, theAA.com