Effects of a global pandemic on ad serving
                     Effects of a global pandemic on ad serving
John Z
Writes on ad server software, involved with Adspeed 
adserver platform/ Adspeed ad server software.
We all expect to get sick at some point, as that is just a natural part of 
life, but what we don’t always expect is a new virus to appear for which 
there is, as of yet, no cure. These viruses lead to a global pandemic 
where we see entire countries grind to a sudden halt, with people 
staying indoors until the virus has run its course before slowing down. 
The arrival of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is more commonly 
referred to, will go down as one of the scariest times in our lives, as it has 
had a major impact on everything. That includes the online advertising 
world of publishers, advertisers and adservers in between. Let’s take a 
closer look at the effects on ad serving during a global pandemic.
Negative effects on a global scale
This current pandemic is one that is not isolated to a single nation, as it has now spread across 
the globe at an alarming rate. While some places certainly have it worse than others, it has had 
a huge negative impact on everyone and everything. Many businesses that are considered to 
be non-essential are temporarily closed, while citizens are being asked, or in some cases 
ordered, to stay indoor to help prevent the spread. Supply and demand are disrupted. Travel 
and hospitality industries have no demand while grocery supermarkets and cleaning supplies 
have a surge in demand to a point that supply cannot meet the current demands. This is a 
situation that might get worse before it gets better. Therefore, marketing for these products or 
services must change as well. Some ad campaigns are terminated or must change immediately 
to reflect business disruption.
Uncertainty
The belief is that this virus will run its course and be brought under 
control, but there is absolutely no definite time frame in place for that 
happening at this time. Because it is so new with no known cure, things 
and policies change on a daily basis. With many businesses now losing 
money or unable to open to the public, we are seeing advertisers 
looking ahead and thinking about postponing future ad campaigns, if 
they have not done so already. That has a ripple effect across the entire 
advertising industry for both advertisers and publishers.
Stay-at-home
With so many people forced to stay home for weeks, and potentially 
even months, certain types of industries and ads become more 
attractive to the buying public. We are going to start seeing fewer ads 
for businesses that are forced to suspend operations, such as 
restaurants, theme parks, or events. At the same time, we see an 
increase in advertising for online-only services. People are going to be 
spending a lot of time online in order to pass the time and be productive 
at home, so this shift is not surprising at all.
Discretionary products and services
We are in a time where common sense gives way to panic buying, which 
is why we are seeing empty shelves in grocery stores across the world. 
People are focusing more on items that they consider to be essential, 
which means that ads for luxury items and travel will probably not be 
getting a lot of action. These advertisers likely stop their campaigns to 
conserve cash for surviving the lockdown.
Staple products and services
Given that we are seeing staple products and services get scooped up at 
an alarming rate, you might think that ads for these types of products 
would rise. The opposite, though, is often the case, as manufacturers 
are in a position where they don’t need to advertise at all to sell their 
goods because they cannot restock products fast enough even at full 
price. In the short term, advertising has a lower priority than other 
business operations. Advertisers might want to maintain a minimum or 
basic campaign until outlook becomes clear.
About Adspeed
AdSpeed ad server is a reliable & powerful ad serving and ad 
management solution that serves your ads, tracks impressions & clicks 
and reports ad statistics in real-time. Driven by the latest ad serving 
technologies, the goal of Adspeed adserver is to provide a reliable 
platform that can help in executing online advertising strategy more 
efficiently. 
Thank you for spending your precious time in reading this article.