Agencies have traditionally fought an uphill battle with their clients to include networks on a media plan. Many clients have understandably been reluctant to advertise on them due to the lack of site transparency. Agencies have also been disinclined to expend the energy to re-educate clients on the value of ad networks, which the agencies themselves are often wary of as well. With the current consolidation, however, the environment is ripe for agencies to do just that.

The early days of the ad network space quickly became synonymous with extremely cheap inventory and an utter lack of transparency. Networks such as Advertising.com, as part of the AOL family, gains more credible brand equity and cachet. The acquisition of ad networks by larger media brands lends legitimacy to the model, in addition to improving the convenience of the network model.

Consolidation means greater transparency for advertisers as well as a more refined marketing solution. The networks are finally beginning to deliver on early promises of sequential targeting across a large swath of sites and the ability to pull users down the purchase decision tree, as well as both reach and frequency. The current consolidation spree means networks have the opportunity to re-enter the fray as a legitimate solution and offers buyers a more streamlined, elegant solution.