Roger Williams, Director of International Marketing at Right Media, was able to place a nice article in UK’s Net Imperative on online advertising exchanges entitled, “Platforms for Change“.
Within the advertiser-focused article are the basics to the Right Media Exchange story including providing tools to advertisers that allow efficient targeting through an open auction. Williams provides examples of ad exchange platforms developing online for other mediums such as MediaEquals, “an online trading platform for offline media covering press, inserts and display, as well as outdoor,” and Bid4Spots which “hosts a weekly online auction of radio spots available the following broadcast week.”
What’s missing in this article is a cohesive argument for brand-safe opportunities for the advertiser. Near the end, Williams takes a shot at it:
“For any online business, brand sanctity is a real concern, which makes the controls offered by exchanges very important. Without this level of control, the dramatic level of growth in exchanges would not have been possible.”
If ad exchanges want the premium opportunity (brand dollars), they are going to have be less DR-focused in their sell and maybe less about technology. Yes, we know – technology is what enables the opportunity. It’s a tough one. But, the publisher inventory on exchanges, for now, is remnant. So, show us the “premium,” ad exchanges!
Ideas!
Ad exchanges need a few, easy-to-understand case studies where a couple of known publishers out there who have a premium spot on their home page that they can’t sell, make it available on the exchanges and sell it for a decent rate.
Another idea: certain publishers commit to a year of selling premium space thereby building the market for premium and ultimately outperforming their direct sales from a bottom line perspective. (Perhaps exchanges offer certain minimum guarantees initially.)
It would assist in bringing a flood of new inventory from all web publishers, and help the brand advertiser buy off on the brand-safe, premium opportunity of the exchanges.
Eventually, all of this will happen – we’re talking about jump-starting online media buying of premium inventory through exchanges.
