MediaPost | Online Publishing Insider

An Open Letter To The Open Letter Writers

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:05:27 -0400

The recent NewFronts sparked a lot of interest and subsequent debate about the value of digital video advertising. It was exciting to read about all of the publisher presentations and hear about the parties. Apparently Snoop Dogg was in the house. Post hysteria and hangovers, two "open letters" appeared in the digital advertising trades. The first was from a group of high profile digital buying directors. They shared succinct points for "publishers" to consider in order for digital video advertising to improve and prosper. Immediately responding to this letter with an "open letter" of his own was IAB President-CEO Randall Rothenberg. He outlined his comfort with what these buyers were looking to achieve while adding to the dialogue with forward thinking initiates of his own. Both letters were incredibly well written, both made so much sense, and both reminded me of how much we talk to each other and how little we listen to the consumers we are meant to serve. As it were, I stumbled across this "open letter" to buyers and sellers of digital video advertising from the consumer who is supposed to be watching all this stuff. Dear Internet Advertising People; We don't pretend to understand your business but we do understand you want us to watch digital video content and that, in order for this content to be "free," there will be some form of advertising to deal with. Now we would like you to understand a few things about us. 1. First, the Internet ain't free. We pay a lot of money to access the Internet and although the individual publishers we visit don't get our money directly, it doesn't mean we are not spending any. So to make business decisions on the assumption that ads are an accepted part of this exchange for content, because the "Internet is free to us" is misconceived at worst, and disingenuous at best. 2. Pre-roll ads are the same to us as pop-ups. We see ads two ways; either they are the ones we see and then ignore or they are the ads that act like a spoiled five-year-old who inappropriately hijacks our attention. Sure we give the latter our time but only enough to scold them. Any parent who knows this feeling understands how we consumers feel about ads that appear before the digital video content we made a choice to watch begins. You're hijacking our attention, not earning it. Television has it right. We love our TV shows because over time we learned to love the characters in them. So we sit on our couches drinking in the content until we are drunk with anticipation on what will happen next. Then a commercial break occurs. We might change the channel, but there is no way we are staying anywhere else for any significant amount of time and risk missing when our show returns. So many of us end up staying put and watching the ads. Digital video content has not earned our passionate attention yet because we don't know your characters well enough. Asking us to watch an advertisement first, and then stick around to meet them starts this relationship you want us to build on the wrong foot. It also invites and incites us to abandon ever meeting them in the first place. Think of it more simply; who benefits most from a pre-roll ad? You guys. Who benefits most from a commercial break after we get to view a portion of the content we chose to watch? We do. When you show ads before content starts instead of during it (or after for short-form videos), you're placing our needs so obviously behind yours that we will resent you. It's not more complicated than that. Any research that says otherwise doesn't source enough common sense. 3. Video auto-play with sound When this happens, we must work very hard at restraining ourselves from yelling at you from the top of our lungs, but for sure, you are going to your room for a time out. Finally, we want you to understand one more thing about us; we are not dummies. We don't buy things just because we saw your ads. Do media buyers buy advertising from sites because they saw the publisher's ads while reading MediaPost? When was the last time you bought something in your personal life because you saw an ad? Our buying decisions are like yours; they are based on conscious and subconscious instincts based on a lifetime of experiences - not ads. Would love to write more but I am getting ready to host a party for the final episode of "The Office." I hope the ads are good too. Yours truly, The Consumer

Apple To Sell iMacs At NJ Turnpike Rest Stops?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:28:52 -0400

Timothy Cook, Apple's embattled CEO, announced that Apple iMacs are now available for sale at all New Jersey Turnpike rest stops. The deal sent shockwaves from Exit 18W all the way down to Exit 1.

Optimization Beyond Ad Ops

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:58:54 -0400

Mention the word "optimization" in the online advertising world, and images of the ad operations team instantly come to mind. However, the combination of new technologies, evolving campaign success metrics and increasing advertiser demands means that optimization can no longer fall solely on the ad ops teams' shoulders. Rather, in today's ecosystem, optimization is central to every campaign and must be looked at holistically by sales and ad ops, at the start of each campaign and straight through until the campaign is delivered in full.

A Dose of Reality

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:55:00 -0400

We have industry journalists writing articles saying "banners" are meaningless and the clicks they elicit mean even less. We have industry pundits putting their weight behind attribution models and native advertising solutions in an attempt to move away from performance metrics and closer toward the brand ad dollars that have escaped us. Then we have the programmatic marketplace promoting greater performance through sophisticated audience targeting. Then, of course, there is Google, a company that earns a whole bunch of money selling ads, based on clicks.It's official: online advertising is schizophrenic. We are 19 years old and we don't know who we are.

Five Lessons Search Can Teach Display

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:12:34 -0400

While the online advertising industry is frantically developing methods to combat banner blindness and adapt display for rapidly diminishing user engagement, little has changed in search engine marketing. Search keeps humming along, taking a healthy share of the marketing budget and delivering reliable results. Of course, it's not all up to the advertisers. Publishers play a huge role in advertising success, and can actually drive the movement to make display advertising more effective. If we look at search sites like Google, Yahoo and Bing, there are several of lessons we can learn.

Developing A Real-time Strategy In The Age Of Twitter

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:16:08 -0400

Brands are unquestionably shifting to "real-time" marketing. For some, this means accelerating from "brand as publisher" to "brand as newsroom." The word "newsroom" conveys the commitment to high-quality storytelling and the urgency required to keep pace with the social landscape.

Who Said Publishers Don't 'Get' Tech?

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:32:38 -0400

It's not your grandfather's, or even your dad's, publishing company any more. Publishers are now embracing technology and learning to unleash new solutions that can give them a leg-up on monetizing their audience relationships and contextual value.

Sales Isn't Always A Contact Sport

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:02:31 -0500

I remember when someone first presented the idea of "flag" football to me. My first thought was, "Why?" If I'm not risking a broken bone -- or, more importantly, striking fear in the hearts of others -- what's the point? Where's the excitement if there's no contact? Similarly, a connection is required to make sales happen. However, that connection does not have to be preordained.

Have You Heard The One About Online CPMs?

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:10:03 -0500

CPMs reflect a medium's perceived value. While other media like television have experienced significant growth over the past ten years, "ours" has completely nosedived over that same time period.

Content Marketing's Revolution: From One-Offs To Continuous Storytelling

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:23:00 -0500

Content marketing is not a new tactic. From the days of advertorials in print, to content hubs built by online publishers, to brand integration within programming on television and digital media, brands have long recognized that content can often be more powerful than advertising to deliver a story. But content marketing is undergoing a revolution as brands move beyond "one-off" executions to full-blown continuous storytelling. When a brand is in a position to capitalize -- in real-time -- on the lights going out at the Super Bowl, we've reached a new level of marketing agility and impact.

Content Publishers: Read 'Em And Weep

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:53:56 -0500

Content publishers not only make up my current base of clients but are also where I "came from" in this business. So it breaks my heart to say this, but this game is just about over -- and content publishers have only themselves to blame for losing it. The simple reason why they have lost this battle may surprise you.

In Search Of Authenticity

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:21:18 -0500

Content marketing is all the rage these days. Why not? Until further notice, Google is directing the greatest number of eyeballs every day, in every way. Why not build some content that will attract those eyeballs at just the right time?

Is 'The Market' Ever Wrong?

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:41:57 -0500

We don't have to go back to the Dutch Tulip Mania in 1636 & '37, or the South Seas Bubble in the early 1700s, to know that markets can be wrong. In my humble business lifetime we have had the Internet stock bubble, and the market gave us a housing bubble. Gas station attendants got mortgages to buy McMansions. Math geniuses made presentations at investment conferences on how data about past default experience proved the default rates would be low and the returns would be high.

Woe The Digital Sale: What Happens To ROS?

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:50:44 -0500

Question from a buyer: With viewable impression standards coming as a soon-to-be reality, why would premium sites even have "run of site," as the ROS impressions go into the exchanges for real-time bidding anyway?

Taking The 'Hype' Out Of Hypertargeting

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:08:18 -0500

For the past several years, I've been fortunate enough to take part in the "Hypertargeting" panel at Digital Hollywood. The session is always well-attended and generates a wide array of perspectives. Even though technology to identify, optimize and deliver to appropriate audiences is constantly improving, the fundamentals have remained largely unchanged for more than a decade. In our panel last Friday, I aimed to provoke discussion about the ways marketers and publishers can leverage smart targeting to obtain a better result.

Every Ying Has A Yang, And Every Problem A Solution

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:17:33 -0500

Newton's third law of physics says that very action has an equal and opposite reaction. It's a principle that can very often be applied in the world of business. One example of how Newton's law impacts the marketing business is how low-display pricing has driven online publishers to focus on custom marketing solutions, "complete solutions" that combine webinar sponsorships, microsites, promotions, social media marketing etc., and simple "native advertising."

Woe The Digital Sale: Proper Storm Behavior

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:45:04 -0500

Question from a seller: We have a dramatic increase in page views because of the recent hurricane. That caused a spike in impressions, and many campaigns fulfilled earlier than their scheduled end dates. What should I say to those clients?

The Project Devil Relaunch: It's Not Just About AOL

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:29:04 -0400

Recently MediaPost's Online Media Daily ran a story announcing the relaunch of AOL's Project Devil, featuring closer integration with the company's Pictela management platform. It's exciting news for AOL, which promised to "wow the industry" with Devil in late 2010. We're genuinely happy for our colleagues at AOL. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and as one of the larger portals in the industry, AOL can help attract big brand budgets to the online channel with their retooled offering. But in my opinion, the story shouldn't be about the relaunch of Project Devil as an AOL achievement. That may be big for AOL, but it doesn't do much to attract branding dollars to the web. The real story here is about ad unit itself, adopted by the IAB as a new standard ad unit: the "portrait."

Publishing Management In An RTB World

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:01:54 -0400

One thing I have learned in 18 years of working in digital publishing is that the Internet is so big that every idea will be tried. Many, many bad ideas along with good ideas are launched and fierce market forces will sort out the winners from the losers. Then the winners will immediately face new competition, forcing them to evolve to survive. One example of this evolution is the metamorphosis of advertising networks developed to serve and track advertising, and then to fill unsold inventory for publishers.

Woe The Digital Sale: Data Domination

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 04:10:34 -0400

Question from a buyer: It seems lately I'm finding it harder to justify buying inventory on premium content sites. So many options exist to buy audiences based on data; I wonder if the content around an ad really matters any more. And the premium sites tell me that they can use data so that is like an endorsement. Is reaching audiences through data the only way to go now?

Why Facebook Bought Twitter

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:51:25 -0400

In news that hasn't happened, Facebook has acquired Twitter. Consumers drove this deal not yet struck between two millennial CEOs who will delete their egos and download uncanny common sense to make this merger happen. The combined company may be renamed "Facetweet."

Online News: Where The Second-Minute Story Counts More Than The First

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:35:15 -0400

With the 24/7 ecosystem of information and content available online, it's safe to assume today's readers know most of the top and breaking news stories of the day before they even reach your site. Perhaps they caught the basics in a podcast on the way to work, on Twitter or Facebook, or maybe in a newsletter or an RSS broadcast. In today's world, how people come across news is irrelevant; all that's important is that if they are interested in a certain topic, they are going to want something new the next time they go searching for a subject.

The Trouble With Social Media

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:52:30 -0400

What is the lifespan of social media? Having been working in digital media for 18 years now, I've seen so many social media applications come and go that I wonder if there's a construct through which we can view social media to help us understand its sustainability.

Woe The Digital Sale: Where's The Business?

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 10:01:51 -0400

Question from a digital seller: I was expecting a bit more action before fall hit, but it doesn't seem like my deals are coming through. Last year was easier than this, and I thought the economy was better now. Why am I having so much trouble closing?

Why Clicks Will Always Matter

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:30:15 -0400

Clicks will always matter -- and when premium publishers tell clients and buyers they don't, these publishers make the very problem they are trying to solve even worse.

Open Or Private Marketplace? How To Decide

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:35:55 -0400

We've continued to see private marketplaces as the preferred model for facilitating programmatic access to impressions from major publishing companies, with new announcements from the likes of Hearst, Federated Media and Cond Nast, along with many that have been in market for over the year (NBC Universal, Quadrant One, etc). However, while evaluating whether or not launching a private marketplace makes the most sense, there are three things every publisher should consider in the context of programmatic selling: relationships, data and transparency.

The Death Of Solution Selling? No, Birth Of Problem-Solution Selling

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:57:30 -0400

Entrepreneurially driven new-media companies are redefining our clients' needs for them, not waiting to be told what the client needs. Established media needs to step up to the plate to plug the hole in its leaky boat by taking the same approach. Let's define the needs of the marketers we work with, rather than let others do it.

Woe The Digital Sale: Summer's Gone?

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:27:02 -0400

Question from a digital seller: It seems like every year I expect to see some kind of summer slowdown where I can gear up for Q4; didn't happen again. Are we getting ready for a big end to the year for digital advertising?

How To Create More Content Without Spending More Money

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:55:05 -0400

Online publishers often generate new content daily (which is expensive and taxes already overburdened writers), then wonder why revenues are flat. Instead, publishers should harness the power of their content to drive subscriber engagement and generate incremental revenue. To do this, online publishers need to better understand their audience's needs and preferences, then plan content that can be delivered in various formats via a mix of channels over time.

Get To The Top!

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:50:56 -0400

One of the enduring truths about business is that successful managers must have the ability to retain two conflicting values in their mind simultaneously, and to balance them appropriately on an ongoing basis. Bankers must maintain depositor safety and loan out money to risky businesses in order to generate a return for the depositors. Manufacturers must balance the need to maintain or increase product quality while at the same time driving down costs. And successful salespeople must listen well to their clients, but also bring new solutions to clients that they don't even know they want.