As we all may know by now, earlier this year, Google revamped its Scaled Partner Management (SPM) partner program that smaller publishers use to access its Ad Exchange and replaced it with the Multiple Customer Management (MCM) program. MCM is designed to simplify the relationship between publishers and their partners and to enhance the overall Ad Manager experience.

The reason for this shift is, in a nutshell, is to provide more visibility to publishers so they can more clearly see where and how their inventory is being sold.

Brightcom, a long time trusted Google partner, have been selected and approved as an MCM partner and we will be working with our publishes to ensure a smooth transition. 

Here are 3 key tidbits to know about the MCM program:

1. Expect a complete phase-out of SPM by end of September 2021. While there’s currently a transition period, Google intends to phase out the SPM program entirely by the end of September 2021. This means that those smaller publishers currently using the SPM program may risk losing their access to Google’s Ad Exchange – and consequently lose out on revenue – unless they switch to a Google-approved MCM partner.  

1. No changes to existing sites. Despite the forced change from SPM to MCM, publishers won’t see any changes to their existing sites. This means that site safety, security and privacy will remain the same. Again, the main reason for the switch is to provide more transparency on the Ad Exchange between Google, advertisers, and publishers.

1. There are two MCM options. These are “MCM Manage My Account” and “MCM Manage Inventory.” Under the former, the channel partner provides the publisher with the ability to take advantage of the full functionality of the Google Ad Manager without having to pay a direct ad-serving fee. This means that the publisher turns over full control to the channel partner. Additionally, that publisher can only work with one MCM partner at a time.  Meanwhile, the Manage Inventory MCM offers a broader relationship between the channel partner and publisher; publishers can work with up to 15 different MCM partners simultaneously.  In either case, both the publisher and its partner(s) need their own Google Ad Manager 360 accounts.

Under our Publisher-first policy, Brightcom will support both options through its customer and account managers.

The bottom line is that publishers, even those who already, through the SPM program, work with channel partners to access the Google Ad Exchange, will need to re-align with a certified MCM partner.

Be it a policy change or a new technical standard, Brightcom is dedicated to helping its publishers make the most of any opportunities or challenges that our dynamic ecosystem presents, with as little friction as possible.