PPA Demo Day: How publishers unlock revenue through direct partnerships

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On Tuesday 28 April, there was a PPA Demo Day, a free event for PPA member aimed at those working in commercial, sales, or direct partnerships in B2B or B2C businesses.

The opportunity

Direct partnerships are the perfect marriage of creative and commercial. Advertisers want to tap into your trust and authority by accessing your high-quality audiences – and it’s a win-win as they get campaigns that deliver, and you’ll get revenue that compounds year on year.

This event gave a clear view of how leading commercial teams are tackling the biggest challenges in direct partnerships today, including:

Reducing friction in the sales process
Improving reporting and ROI visibility
Streamlining campaign delivery
Building relationships that deepen each year

Come for the content, stay for the networking

PPA Demo Days not only give you the chance to be inspired by your peers, they are also the perfect opportunity to connect with commercial leaders and industry experts during the networking session. Plus, breakfast’s on us!

Speakers

William Allen,
Head of Campaigns, Nat Geo Traveller (UK)

William Allen is the Head of Campaigns at National Geographic Traveller (UK), where he has spent the last decade shaping the commercial and creative direction of one of the world’s most iconic media brands. Based at APL Media in London, William leads the strategic execution of multi-platform partnerships, bridging the gap between high-end editorial storytelling and commercial results.

With ten years of experience navigating the evolving publishing landscape, he specialises in building high-margin direct partnerships that leverage deep audience intent. William is an expert in scaling “high-touch” bespoke campaigns into efficient, revenue-driving products, ensuring that brand integrity and commercial innovation work hand-in-hand to deliver results for global travel partners.

Nicola Martin-Smith,
Head of Publishing and Audio, Zenith UK

Rachel Haron,
Group Publishing Director, Goodstuff Communications

Rachel‘s media career began eight years ago in the publishing team. With experience in print, digital and partnership activity across a very varied pool of clients, the exposure lends itself well, enabling her to sit across all clients within Goodstuff. She is passionate about print and enjoys planning with a creative flare.

Rachel continues to plan with the client’s best interest, driving maximum value and maintaining strong levels of investment. Current publishing client roster includes Dunelm, Hain Daniels, Yeo Valley, Taylors, Insignis, to name a few. She has also started buying publishing media internationally with Perk and Airalo, spanning across US and German markets.

Neel Desor,
Strategy Director, Haymarket Automotive Studio

Neel heads up Automotive Studio, the content agency of Haymarket Automotive. Automotive Studio is among the fastest growing area of the business globally, and works with car manufacturers and auto-related brands to create multi media content including video, social, articles, sponsorship, and podcasts.

He is also responsible for Haymarket’s automotive consumer research. Previously Neel worked in media agencies including MediaVest, Starcom, AMV, and PHD.

Tom Gunter,
Co-Founder & Director of New Markets, Avid Collective

Tom leads the company’s global expansion and strategy. With over six years at Avid, Tom has played a key role in shaping the platform’s evolution, helping publishers navigate the changing digital landscape with innovative branded content solutions.

Tom is passionate about empowering publishers to drive growth and thrive in a world dominated by tech giants and traditional, often intrusive, advertising. His expertise has been crucial in supporting publisher partners to create meaningful, revenue-driving content while staying true to their unique journalistic integrity.

After successfully driving Avid’s growth in Australia, Tom is now focused on the UK market, where he works closely with publishers to unlock new opportunities and support long-term revenue growth.

Moderator

Mel McVeigh,
Strategy Consultant (Digital & Product), PPA

Mel is a product and technology leader with creative DNA launching digital products across converging worlds – storytelling and commerce.

Mel leads major digital transformation programmes, reimagining digital customer experiences to reach the widest global audience with inspiration and delight.

Previously, she was VP Consumer Product at Condé Nast. She led the digital portfolio across nine brands in 11 markets: Vogue, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller, Architectural Digest, House + Garden, World of Interiors, Allure, SELF, Glamour. She was also responsible for the e-Commerce Platform – Retail Media, Storefront, and Affiliate.