Media Buyer For Hire

What Do Advertisers Think of Ad Networks?
June 29, 2006
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/10236.asp

By Dawn Anfuso More by this Author
We asked some of our Amelia Island Agency Summit attendees about their usage and opinions of ad networks. Here's what they had to say.

At the present moment, do you work with ad networks? If so, what is the benefit? If not, why not? What has to change for you to work with an ad network or networks?

Stephen D. Kempisty, Director, Business Development, Flatiron Media:
Currently no, they don't fill my clients' needs, but I have extensively in the past. The benefit is that they do provide the ability to reach a large scale of consumers at a fairly competitive price.
Technology has to improve for targeting, and publisher quality needs to increase. Also, transparency of placements needs to become more apparent-- blind networks are only good for half of the equation.

Lee Slovitt, Media Supervisor, Heartbeat Digital:
I do not. I need full disclosure-- many Rx clients are unwilling to run on ad networks, and quite honestly my budgets aren't big enough to exhaust targeted media.

Mark N. Dorf, Managing Partner, Acuity Media Group:
The benefits are the ability to buy large reach very efficiently. Additionally, the ability for networks to optimize campaigns by placements across their publisher list and look at click and viewthrough conversions are beneficial.

Jack Goldberg, President, Windy City Advertising:
Yes. Benefits: reach, diverse categories of consumer interest, lower pricing than stand-alone sites, ease of buying at one place instead of trafficking to several additional sites.

Erik Harbison, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
Yes, we are using networks. Benefits are the ability to provide a 'low risk' solution to a client that is already familiar with CPC/CPA type media (i.e., paid search); the ability to provide a measured amount of qualified traffic on a CPC basis; and optimization by back-end performance.

For what sort of campaigns are ad networks best? What about the converse: what might you change or improve if you could?

Stephen D. Kempisty, Director, Business Development, Flatiron Media:
Ad Networks have worked best for DR campaigns where some specific targeting can be applied (behavioral, contextual, retargeting, et cetera).

Mark N. Dorf, Managing Partner, Acuity Media Group:
Networks have the ability to offer lower price points and take advantage of their technology. Additionally, the major networks also have historical data that they can use to help new campaigns benefit from past historical data. I would like networks to be open with whom their publishers are. Some are doing this already which is making others move to this as well. I would like them to allow an advertiser to block certain sites if they deem them inappropriate.

Jack Goldberg, President, Windy City Advertising, Inc.:
Mass reach, low-cost programs and some pay-for-performance opportunities from time to time. Also, transparency of which sites are running our ads.

Jason Weidner, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
High volume, consumer-focused campaigns. In some instances, branding-oriented campaigns. I would increase the level of disclosure regarding network partners and placements.

Erik Harbison, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
Ad networks tend to work best for 'reach' or 'awareness' campaigns. When executed on a CPC campaign, networks must run significant amounts of impressions to obtain contracted click amounts.
What I would change-- become more transparent as to where ads will appear. Full disclosure is optimal.

Dawn Anfuso is Senior Editor, iMedia Connection