During the ?Unpacking Pangaea: Premium Programmatic at Scale with Transparency at the Core? session, the executives explained that Pangaea is a network of publishers that offers advertisers a combination of programmatic data from publishing brands such as The Guardian, CNN International, Financial Times, Reuters and The Economist to create more informed and accurate advertising material that coincides well with the publishers? content. The alliance focuses on offering solutions for these advertisers involved, to develop relevant and transparent marketing content. 

"From my perspective, media stock is becoming increasingly valued around quality or trusted quality," said Shane Cunningham, global commercial director of consumer media at Reuters. "Certainly to me and to the alliance members, quality is in quality of delivery; it is quality of the audience data solutions you use and as importantly, the quality of the environment. 

"There is certainly some concern around that and we believe that, as publishers we are representing in this alliance, we are able to achieve that quality at scale," he said. "So I'd certainly say that is the rationale behind why we did it.

"I'm getting a lot of concern around transparency. You have to forge that trust and that transparency to move forward in that relationship and it falls on us as publishers to ensure that we do that; once you've got that quality it feeds onto the transparency side."

It is important for Reuters that quality publishing content is paired with advertising material that is just as proficient. The ad solutions use the combined data to reach consumers with the most relevant and high-valued content on each respective Web site and mobile site that is best for all brands.

Pangaea also has a large focus on creating quality content. All the data in the world could go to waste if authentic, quality content is not created from it. 

"I cannot have questionable real estate sitting next to top quality content," Mr. Cunningham said. "I'd say the big focus is tying that up.

"I'm happy with the results as to where we've gone."

However, the main challenge for those involved in the Pangaea Alliance is attempting to hurdle challenges that arise in transparency. The content should forge trust with consumers, brands and advertisers. 

"The thing for us is the continual reminder that we are in the very early stages of this market shift we are in," said Quentin George, co-founder and principal at Unbound. "I know we are all very excited about the numbers, but it shouldn't come as a surprise to us that we are all suffering the consequences of growing pains. 

"Depending on where you are on the continuum, there are various levels of challenges as well as various levels of opportunity," he said. "Many of our clients on the supply side have this challenge with disclosure and transparency. 

"So, I think from the brand perspective, it is important to understand the fundamentals of how the agency is making money and the second being is they want some level of transparency."

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily