In recent articles, marketers revealed their concerns about ad networks, and columnists provided solutions.
As an agency or marketer, the opportunity no doubt has presented itself to you to work with ad networks for the placement of your online advertising. You've heard they provide benefits, but also challenges. You're right.
In a previous article, I asked some brand marketers what their biggest fear about relying on ad networks for the placement of their ads is. The overwhelming response was having their ads appear on inappropriate sites or next to questionable content.
It's a rational concern. Erica Schultz, online advertising manager for The Home Depot said, "I can't tell you how many times we end up on a 'random' site, that the VP's wife's best friend saw us on, or the IT's buddy Mike found us on XXX site. I know they can't release all sites that they have contracted with. But please just stop serving my ads on those sites."
Andriana Thro, marketing specialist for Enterprise Rent A Car, admits this is a potential downside of using ad networks that don't divulge all their sites, but says that as long as you can stipulate that your ads not appear on sites with questionable content from the get go, it shouldn't be an issue.
In his article, "Take the Risk out of Ad Networks," Mike Cassidy, Undertone Networks' CEO, explains how to do just that.
"Any reputable network will allow language in the contract to ensure the quality of the sites on which your ads appear," he says. "In addition to the standard clauses excluding adult or hate-oriented content, be sure to include clauses stating that your ads will only appear on comScore Media Metrix top 500 internet properties, and/or that your ads will not appear on sites that contain social networking or user-generated content.
"Additionally, make sure that you have a no spyware and no re-brokering clause in your agreement; oftentimes one network will purchase impressions from another in order to fulfill buys they have oversold. In this situation the network is just focused on getting the media buy and doesn't care about your performance or the quality of the placement."
Cassidy adds the caveat that if you have a good working relationship with your ad network and have not experienced inappropriate placements, you may not need to request such language.
Or, as ConAgra Foods' Kevin Doohan said (quoting someone from ValueClick): "It's like lost luggage; it usually doesn't happen. Sometimes it does. The pros of air travel make up for the occasional lost bag. The pros of ad networks make up for the occasional inappropriate placement."
To reap the benefits of an ad network, Undertone Networks' Cassidy suggests doing your homework to find a reputable partner.
In Robert Moskowitz' In Focus article, "What Kind of Ad Network is Right for You?" he explains that ad networks differ markedly in several ways, including:
- How the audience is selected or targeted
- The range of publishers' sites on which the advertisements may appear
"A network can also be categorized according to the nature of the financial arrangement between the advertiser, the network and the publisher," he says. "It may be a true network based on revenue-sharing agreements across a wide range of sites, an arbitrage network that buys unused or unwanted inventory at bargain prices in hopes of repackaging and reselling it profitably, or a broker network that simply manages the transactions and adds no value for advertisers."
In the end, the network you choose should provide more benefit than concerns. As Media Strategies Editor Jim Meskauskas stated in his recent piece, "I love ad networks. You can have your ads run in some great properties and, more importantly, reach great audiences. And it won't cost you too much."
Dawn Anfuso is senior editor, iMedia Connection. Read full bio