Brad Berens: Is the leap from a big-name digital media shop to a vertical ad network as significant as it would appear?
John Durham: For me, it is a great opportunity and one that I can hopefully bring some ideas to what is already a well-established niche network run by some smart folks. It is a different beast, but it is still selling and that is what I enjoy.
Berens: We've been covering ad networks intensely for the last year or so, and one of the things that have constantly surprised me is how often big brands and their agencies are resistant to using ad networks. What is your take on why this is so, and what is it that makes the autos vertical different?
Durham: Jumpstart is in a category with big-ticket buyers, so a great deal is at stake -- especially for the U.S. domestic auto industry -- so they will spend on the kind of third party sites that are in our network. I can't think of another industry where people spend so much time researching online before making a final decision. Our job is to help automakers grab the attention of these in market buyers as they gather data that will drive their final decision. I think the OEMs work with us because we have proven we can deliver in market buyers, and they know we understand their business as well as anyone else in the online industry…right down to the dealer level.
Berens: What is Jumpstart's competitive advantage in a crowded auto ad marketplace?
Durham: They have great people who came out of the auto business and have been doing this for over five years. Being there first, being consistent, being well connected with auto makers and dealers and innovative are the key advantages.
Berens: How did Jumpstart's recent move into behavioral targeting influence you to come on board?
Durham: I have been a long-time proponent of behavior and see its implications for marketers. As a board member I championed our entry early to help Jumpstart grow, and this is exceeding even my wildest expectations.
Berens: Coming from a non-auto background, what do you make of the eight to 12 week window during which average consumers are said to make their car buying decisions?
Durham: Sometimes as marketers we often forget that we are consumers and we all understand that online has become an integral part of our car shopping experience. As with any big ticket item, there are lots of different touch points in the decision-making cycle and Jumpstart helps auto makers talk to customers all along the purchase funnel.
Berens: What goals do you expect to achieve in the short and long term?
Durham: Short term, to assess all of the things that we are doing right and look for some ways to take us to the next level in revenue. Long term I will help the team achieve some aggressive revenue and profitability goals-- and then exceed them.
Berens: What do you think of the current state of "outsourcing" web sales?
Durham: I liked it then, I like it now. Every company has to look at all ways of achieving revenue in a cost-effective manner. Sometimes it is with a third party ad sales team of quality professionals; sometimes it is a network.
Berens: Let's talk mobile for a minute. Near as I can tell, the combo-platter of pervasive WiFi, RFID and GPS chips installed in every mobile phone are all combining right now to insert geography into the internet and therefore into interactive marketing. Since so much of a prospective auto consumer's experience with researching and buying a new car is local (kicking the tires, the test drive), how do you think the growth of a geographically-based internet will impact auto marketing? Perhaps it's unfair to ask the new guy this, but Jumpstart does have this prominent and interesting "Emerging Media" tab on the Publishers section of its website.
Durham: We are already equipped to provide buyers with local resources (all they have to do it give up their town or zip code), and we can deliver messaging that is from local dealers and dealer associations. If mobile emerges as a viable means to get buyers into showrooms, we will activity explore it as another means of helping OEMs sell cars. But for now our primary focus is online.
Berens: You're what one might call an old new media guy, considering what you've been involved with online sales/marketing for over 10 years. What are some mistakes you see made again and again, and how can they be avoided?
Durham: I think that the market has gotten got rid of the trash, the dumb and the dumber, and what has survived are strong smart nimble companies with incredibly talented people. We are looking at the best and brightest in digital marketing right now. It is about asking the same question five times instead of once, making sure that your business mission is doable, achievable and your revenues are realistic. I think all members of the online community are smarter, wiser, today. Recently I heard a guy from Google talk about what they worry about, and it is not their obvious competition, but what "two guys in a garage are doing," and that is what and where they are!
Berens: Even for a digital agency, Carat Fusion -- where you were EVP of Business Strategy until making the move to Jumpstart -- is experiencing dizzying turnover. Would you venture an explanation as to why?
Durham: Well not really, my move to Jumpstart is about the opportunity that is being afforded to me. Carat Fusion is one heck of a place to work, but this was presented to me and one that I am excited about.
Berens: You've taught advertising/marketing since 1992-- currently at the University of San Francisco. How much weight do they place on current online marketing trends like SEO and behavioral targeting?
Durham: A lot. Every book, every journal, every piece of literature that academics are using are so deep in the weeds with digital as its core-- after all the students are digital in their souls. So it is easy for me to use my practical experience (as well as academic involvement) to discuss how these trends will change their professional lives.
Berens: You're a long-term San Francisco resident and founder, or is it co-founder, of SF/BIG. Are you sticking in the city by the bay or moving elsewhere?
Durham: I will be based right here in san Francisco, working with Jumpstart's other offices in Detroit and Santa Monica and am still involved in BIG as a co-founder. I will step down at the end of the year after two years as president. I really like what we did and what we have and our affiliation with the AAF. BIG has grown to be the premier voice for digital marketing in the bay area.
Berens: In addition to your work at Carat, you're also a partner in Pericles, the political marketing agency. Will you continue to work with Pericles-- particularly given the upcoming presidential race?
Durham: Yes Pericles is still operational, but put on hold for 2006. We have been approached on some campaigns, but the money we think they should spend to do the job the right way tends scare politicos away.
Brad Berens is executive editor for iMedia Communications. Read full bio.
