Why the world needs branded expert networks
It's been a dramatic few weeks in the online advertising world. News Corp. bought the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118463978304868582.html. AOL bought Tacoda http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6198613.html. Adify announced that over 35 branded expert ad networks have launched in under six months http://www.adify.com/Pr7_30_07_35Networks.htm.
OK, so the Adify news wasn't in the same league as AOL or News Corp./Wall Street Journal. But interestingly, Adify and our offering were often mentioned in stories about these transactions. Is the world (at least the online advertising world) recognizing the need for branded expert advertising networks?
First - examine Tacoda. Tacoda offers better targeting within remnant inventory. AOL recognized that Ad.com sells a great deal of remnant inventory by broad (or not so broad) category and saw that higher rates could complement these sales with Tacoda. AOL has always been a direct marketing powerhouse and this fits their core competency. And AOL is offering brand advertisers premium position and integrated sponsorships throughout the AOL properties. AOL could aggregate more audience for those brand audiences by creating expert (i.e. an edited, selected, premium collection) ad networks where advertisers have the visibility and control they like with AOL premium and the reach Advertisers like with Ad.com and Tacoda.
Sramana Mitra, on SramanaMitra.com wrote a compelling analysis of the Wall Street Journal deal and followed up with an answer to the question - What Next, Wall Street Journal? http://sramanamitra.com/2007/07/31/murdoch-gets-dow-jones-now-what/ and her advice - leverage your compelling brand and ad sales prowess to create expert branded ad networks. This would enable the Wall Street Journal to bring more of the valuable audience their advertisers crave without sacrificing the control and visibility their advertisers demand.
The web is expanding. Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, captured this dynamic in his analysis of why it good to be quality content and build expert ad networks. http://venturebeat.com/2007/07/24/ad-networks-why-it%e2%80%99s-better-than-ever-to-be-a-targeted-content-site/. Advertisers want to reach their audiences in premium settings where the audience is engaged and the content is compelling. Media companies (and entrepreneurs) are recognizing the opportunity to leverage their editorial expertise and advertising relationships (and brands) to transform this expansion into an opportunity to build next generation networks - where content is not necessarily owned, but is high quality and attracting an audience. Adify is working with many media companies and entrepreneurs who are seizing this opportunity - and it's been exciting to see the deals that reinforce the role of branded expert networks in the next evolution of the Internet and advertising. What's the most exciting new branded expert network you've discovered?
Comments (1)
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Best regards