Bastiaan Heerkens

Sales, ad ops and engineering each tune their own system. Revenue pays for the gaps.

I'm an independent, vendor-agnostic advisor for publishers, broadcasters, saleshouses, agencies and monetization platforms. I look at the commercial and the technical side of the same problem, and work alongside your team from first diagnosis until it runs.

In AdTech since 2005, on the publisher, broadcaster and agency side.

Tell me where it stalls See services

A first conversation: 30 minutes, no cost, in confidence.

What I hear

Situations from practice, not client cases.

A CEO or CCO, with next year's plan on the table

We've committed to a growth number for next year. Can our AdTech carry it, and what has to change first?”

The commercial side

Which part of the ambition is new revenue, and which is the same revenue sold better? Each asks something different of the stack.
Which buyers and routes have to carry the growth, and what do they need from you to put you on the plan?
What does the business have to decide before engineering can plan: priorities, rules, the trade-offs between routes?

The technical side

What does the current stack decide well, what does it decide badly, and what can it not decide at all?
Build, buy or partner, per layer: ad server, SSP, data, measurement. And in which order?

Engineering can plan once the business has made these choices. Most plans stall because nobody did.

Where I would start: an advisory track, from revenue model to architecture. Then interim to land it with your team.

This is my situation

At a saleshouse, agency or monetization platform? Your questions are further down.

Three ways in, depending on where you stand

Most engagements start with an audit. Some go straight to a track or an interim role.

Audit

Know where you stand

Traffic holds, revenue doesn't. Is it demand, setup or the partner?

Commercial and technical review of your monetization
Stack, vendors and partner contracts
KPIs across channels

Scope: Fixed, agreed up front
You get: The decisions in front of you, in order of impact

From revenue model to architecture

IO, PG, PMP, open auction and now agentic buying. Which route gets which inventory?

Revenue model and buying routes
Architecture and vendor selection
Data, consent and privacy-first targeting
New media such as CTV and FAST

Scope: One question, worked through over weeks or months
You get: A model, an architecture or a vendor choice, with the trade-offs on paper

From plan to running

A migration is planned. Who decides when revenue and the timeline pull apart?

Leading migrations and rollouts
Interim leadership in AdTech or monetization
Coaching your team

Scope: A lead role for a set period
You get: Your team runs it, and the hand-over is part of the job

Questions I hear

Publishers
Is your ad network or platform still the right one, and what would a switch cost?
Broadcasters
Linear, BVOD and addressable all sell the same audience. Who decides which inventory goes where?
Saleshouses
You sell for several publishers, each with its own stack. Who turns that into one package buyers can trust?
Agencies
Curation, supply paths and agentic buying arrive at once. Which do you build, and which do you buy?
Platforms
A deal is signed. Can onboarding deliver what was scoped?

For monetization platforms

Background

I have worked on the publisher, broadcaster and agency side, so I see quickly whose interest sits where

Before AdExcelerate: DQ&A, Sanoma Media Group, RTL Nederland, GroupM / Xaxis and Rakuten TV.

See where I have worked

Tell me where it stalls

A first conversation takes 30 minutes, at no cost and in confidence. Send me a few lines on where it stalls, and we find a time that works. After that call you know whether an audit, a track or interim help fits.

bastiaan.heerkens@adexcelerate.com

Email me