In September, Adnami welcomed leading publishers from across Europe to Copenhagen for the third annual Adnami International Publisher Summit. The gathering has quickly become a cornerstone event for the industry, and this year’s edition was no exception. Attendees described it as “insightful, vibrant, and generous” - a day where every session felt relevant and where collaboration and openness defined the conversations.
From market consolidation to attention metrics, from AI to video-first strategies, the summit reflected both the challenges and opportunities facing publishers today. And, as one participant put it at the end of the day, “It really is a good day to be a publisher.”
Navigating market consolidation & growth – BCN’s experience
The day kicked off with Timo Braam (Senior Programmatic Product Manager at sales house BCN), who shared the realities of their recent merger while trying to serve diverse publishers. BCN’s challenge was balancing individual publisher needs with scalable, standardised workflows - managing formats, data, and measurement across a complex stack of ad servers and SSPs.
Timo explained how BCN’s custom operating system streamlines forecasting, delivery, and reporting. Crucially, Adnami’s role came into play in harmonising high impact formats across domains, providing “one creative fits all” flexibility that reduces complexity for advertisers and publishers alike.
The session sparked nods across the room, with attendees praising its practicality and honesty. One publisher remarked afterwards that hearing BCN’s story reassured them that others were facing - and solving - similar operational hurdles.
Pandora on attention as a growth driver
Attention emerged as a central theme of the Summit, and Pandora’s case study made the concept tangible. Lasse Jakobsen (Global Display & Video Marketing Specialist) explained how the brand applied Sonar by Adnami to measure and act on attention outcomes.
Pandora tested standard campaigns against attention-optimised ones and the results spoke volumes: a 34% lift in Attention per Mille (APM), stronger click-through and engagement performance, and a measurable increase in qualified product page views.
Attendees described the session as both eye-opening and inspiring. For many, Pandora’s test underscored a growing industry truth: attention is becoming the new currency. The message was clear - quality reach outperforms broad reach. By focusing on high-attention environments, Pandora didn’t just drive better metrics but also gained a deeper understanding of how to optimise creative and placement choices. Many attendees called this case study “the most actionable example of the day.”
WPP on the Ad Analysis study & the attention paradox
The insights deepened with Simone Pedersen (Insights Director at WPP Media), who presented findings from “The Ad Analysis,” a long-running study of Danish consumer attitudes toward advertising. Simone painted a nuanced picture of today’s advertising landscape. On the one hand, only 6% of ads truly capture attention, and irritation levels - especially on social platforms - are rising. On the other hand, digital advertising’s impact on purchase decisions remains undeniable, proving that creativity and placement still make a difference.
Her findings revealed a generational split:
- Younger audiences are more ad-positive than expected, provided campaigns feel authentic and engaging.
- Video dominates, with short-form and interactive experiences outperforming traditional formats.
- AI is accelerating experimentation in production, targeting, and personalisation, raising both opportunities and ethical questions.
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway was Simone’s framework for effective advertising: the three R’s - Relevance, Resonance, and Reward. Ads must be relevant to the audience, resonate emotionally, and offer a reward, whether that’s entertainment, information, or utility. Without these three elements, attention is fleeting; with them, campaigns drive both engagement and brand growth.
The applause and follow-up discussions made it clear that this was one of the day’s defining sessions, striking a chord with many in the room. Attendees appreciated its mix of long-term perspective and future-facing advice, with one participant noting, “This gave me a clear reminder that irritation doesn’t mean ineffectiveness — but relevance is the key to bridging that gap.”
The Attention Paradox Panel
A lively panel followed, hosted by Carl Söderblom (COO at Adnami) and featuring WPP, IAB Denmark, and Adnami voices. Together, they tackled the imbalance of budgets between social media and publisher environments, the lack of cross-domain identity solutions, and the crucial role of certified, compatible ad formats.
Simone Pedersen (WPP) emphasised the dual responsibility of maximising ROI while respecting user privacy, while Lau Jeppesen (WPP) called for publishers to collaborate on data strategies, such as single sign-on solutions across domains. Thomas Lue Lytzen (IAB DK) stressed that although pageviews are falling, video views are soaring, particularly among younger audiences.
Attendees were struck by the constructive, solutions-oriented tone. Rather than dwelling on challenges, the panel focused on collaboration and creativity. As one guest noted, “It felt like everyone was pulling in the same direction - toward a healthier, more balanced media ecosystem.”
Adnami keynote: “It’s a Good Day to Be a Publisher”
Adnami’s CPO, Thomas From, delivered one of the most memorable moments of the day with a keynote that was equal parts strategic overview and motivational rallying cry. His central message - “It is a good day to be a publisher” - echoed throughout the rest of the summit.
Thomas unpacked the broader forces shaping the open internet, laying out why publishers are entering a period of renewed opportunity. Advertisers are increasingly frustrated with the opacity and inflated attribution claims of platforms like Meta, while regulators and consumers alike are pushing back against monopolistic practices and data misuse. At the same time, premium publishers are seeing renewed trust and recognition for the quality of their environments.
Using a striking five-point comparison between the open internet and Meta - reach, targeting, creativity, measurement, and activation - Thomas scored the contest at 3:3. His takeaway: publishers may still need to strengthen in areas like activation and targeting, but they already lead in creativity, transparency, and trust. The balance of power is shifting.
He also highlighted how AI is accelerating potential opportunities for publishers. AI-powered optimisation and audience insights can offer publishers powerful levers for growth if deployed strategically.
The tone was not just analytical but also optimistic. Several attendees later pointed to Thomas’s session as their main takeaway: a reminder that publishers have tailwinds of trust, creativity, and advertiser demand on their side. As one guest put it afterwards: “Hearing Thomas lay it out so clearly made me realise - we’re not playing catch-up anymore, we’re competing on our own terms.”
SAS: Scaling high impact campaigns with agility
Next, Artie Rudnik (Media Specialist at SAS) brought an advertiser’s perspective to the stage, sharing how the airline leveraged Adnami’s high impact formats and curation services to simplify and scale campaign activation across the Nordics. Instead of negotiating individually with multiple publishers, SAS could activate premium inventory through a single deal — allowing them to go live within just one day.
His advice to publishers was clear: don’t wait for advertisers to ask - be proactive in showcasing your formats and inventory. By presenting new opportunities early, publishers can help brands innovate, while also differentiating themselves from the standard programmatic offering.
The presentation tied neatly into the day’s recurring theme around attention as performance currency. For SAS, measuring video campaigns on attention outcomes, not just reach, has proven more valuable in understanding how brand messaging lands. Many attendees said they especially valued Artie’s practical advertiser perspective, noting that it offered concrete guidance on how publishers can make their inventory more attractive.
Roundtables: From consent models to AI & video
The afternoon roundtables gave participants the chance to discuss pressing topics in smaller groups. Key themes included:
- Consent-or-pay models:
Complex trade-offs between user experience and revenue models, with experiments in micro-payments and survey-based exchanges generating curiosity. - AI in publishing:
Both exciting and unsettling, with projects ranging from AI-generated video to article databases. Concerns lingered about Google’s AI Overview diverting traffic. - Video-first strategies:
Publishers agreed that vertical video, podcasts, and in-read formats will dominate, alongside attention-based optimisation.
These discussions reinforced earlier sessions, with several attendees remarking that the trends were consistent across publishers: AI and video are reshaping the landscape, and attention is becoming the key performance metric.
Celebrating publishers & closing the day
The summit closed on a high note with dinner and drinks, where conversations from the day flowed into the evening. We were overwhelmed with the praise from attendees, who highlighted the hospitality, the atmosphere, and the openness that set this event apart. Many told us that every single session at the Summit felt relevant and insightful.
Adnami also honoured standout partners with awards:
- Newcomer of the Year 2025 – Traffective
- Most Innovative Use of Adnami Formats 2025 – TV2
- Publisher of the Year 2025 – Maxetise
- Excellence in Attention 2025 – Politiken
- AdOps Appreciation 2025 – iq digital
Looking ahead
The Adnami International Publisher Summit 2025 was more than a conference - it was a celebration of collaboration and a showcase of innovation. From attention-driven results to reflections on relevance, from advertiser-side lessons to the panel’s call for unity, the event reaffirmed that publishers have both the creativity and the momentum to thrive. As one participant put it best: “This is the one event where everything feels relevant — and where you leave believing the future of publishing is bright.”
If you were there, make sure to share your photos and experience using the hashtag #AdnamiPubSummit25
