Are you ready for AdTech: New York?

Next week, at the Hilton hotel in Manhattan, the online ad world will
converge to scope out what's new, hot and creative at Ad Tech: New York.
There will be insightful speakers and colorful exhibits. Just in case
your bags aren't packed, here's a quick check list to make sure you are
Ready for Ad Tech:

1. Break in your shoes - the show is big and there's lots of walking to be done
2. Grab some business cards - less nerdy than beaming your contact info at someone
3. Pack some Tylenol and Advil - headaches and backaches are common
4. Read through the online program - create your own conference schedule
5. Make an exhibit map - who do you most want to see?
6. Set a meeting place - where real world friends can find you
7. Create a Facebook Group for your new adTech friends
8. Twitter about the different panels and exhibitor booths
9. Check the schedule for ice cream and beer - you never know...
10. Test your luck at Adify's Wheel of Chance - entry to America's Hall

(Shameless plug) - Over 20 networks powered by Adify are on display at
the Adify entertainment center and many of them have sponsored cool
prizes like Margarita Makers, Nintendo Wii with SIMS PETS, airline
tickets and more. You cannot win if you don't play. Just like you
cannot reach your passionate, niche audiences without quality, vertical
ad networks. Are you ready to Adify?

Welcome to the world of premium ad networks

There’s been a lot of buzz this week about the proliferation of ad networks with reporters and pundits asking the question – why are there so many networks and doesn’t this seem like the bubble du jour? There certainly are a great number of ad networks and many of them are seemingly undifferentiated performance networks. But what’s been announced recently represent a different type of network – the premium ad network integrated with and anchored by high quality online destinations.


Martha’s Circle, for example, is a community of quality decorating, living and lifestyle websites who create content that meets the stringent editorial standards of Martha Stewart. The Martha Stewart Advertising team offers that extended community of sites in conjunction with programs that leverage MarthaStewart.com. The sites invited and accepted to join Martha’s Circle highlight their participation in this exclusive community and often can both feature content from Martha Stewart and have their content featured on MarthaStewart.com and throughout Martha’s Circle. Martha’s Circle is built and run on Adify.


MomLogic Network, a new Warner Brothers Television Venture, designed their destination site to feature content from the best online “For Moms by Moms” content creators. The Editor-in-Chief of MomLogic, Sabrina Weill, sets the standard for sites to be accepted into the MomLogic community – ensuring a consistent editorial tone, high quality and passionate audiences. The MomLogic Network is built and run on Adify.


For Advertisers, networks such as these offer a different and complimentary value proposition to the large performance networks – Advertising.com, ValueClick, Tacoda and even Google. Premium vertical ad networks offer reach into passionate audiences congregating on high quality sites. Premium vertical ad networks are editorial selected and this selection process ensures quality and shared audience passion. Advertising on these sites is vetted carefully as well – by the Network Builder and by the site publisher. Accepted campaigns have the implicit acceptance by thought leaders, brand champions and opinion makers in key audience segments.


Adify’s premium ad network management platform is expediting the creation of these valuable communities – making it easier for advertisers to reach their most passionate and influential audiences while enabling new and emerging media companies to build compelling assets. There are over 65 premium vertical ad networks already launched on Adify – using our technology to manage their publishers, serve, target and optimize their ads, report on their performance and compensate their partners.

Distinguishing unique premium ad networks and repackaged premium ad networks

There is a new category of ad network – the premium ad network – that delivers very engaged, passionate audiences on high quality sites selected by editorial experts who associate their valuable brands with the sites they associate with (see blog post). These premium ad networks address the problems of fragmentation for advertisers and publishers – efficiently bringing the highest quality, unduplicated publishers to quality, brand advertisers.


Except when they don’t.


Caveat Emptor – let the [media] buyer beware.


Most premium ad networks – like Martha’s Circle, JumpStart, MomLogic Network, Shelter Media, Hot Chalk Network, Active Athlete – genuinely build unique media communities. These media companies spend the time to understand what mid and small size publishers attract an audience compatible with their brand. They review every site invited or applying to join their networks for editorial quality and consistency. They associate their valuable brands with these sites. Networks powered by Adify even share detailed, real time reports about where campaigns are running and what’s being delivered across their transparent, premium ad network.


There are some chameleon premium ad networks – networks with interesting content that they rebrand under different names but are exactly the same inventory from multiple sellers. What’s unique about that? When premium ad networks (or vertical ad networks) expand beyond a shared community and have common, shared inventory, they lose focus and they lose distinction versus performance networks. And they cannot deliver the passionate audience of brand champions promised to advertisers.


Caveat Emptor – let the [media] buyer beware. Target your premium ad network budget towards those networks that are truly unique and deliver engaged, passionate audiences. And target your performance ad network budget as you do now. But don’t let a generic performance network masquerade as a premium ad network.