Beware Of The Demigods
Posted by Kevin Mannion on Nov 25, 10:11 AM
Did you hear about Rupert Murdoch's calling out of editors who have long acted as "demigods" when it comes to content strategy? He sees the audience migration from print to online as tied in large part to, well, a print mentality. Essentially he is talking about the arrogance of not paying close attention to the needs of newspaper and magazine readers. By extension, this kind of "complacency," as Murdoch calls it, can become a disease that encroaches upon the online version of the publication too.
» 4 Comments
Display Advertising Needs To Die
Posted by David Koretz on Nov 20, 11:26 AM
Online display advertising has become the bucket for all forms of terrible advertising. Pop-ups, interstitials, banner ads, Flash ads, and countless others litter our Web sites in lame attempts to generate revenue. We continue to develop new ad formats without any thought as to who is buying them or why. It is time for publishers to stop sitting on the sidelines while the needs of our customers evolve beyond us. We have allowed a lack of clarity to exist for far too long.
» 32 Comments
And the Next Contestant Is...
Posted by Kory Kredit on Nov 13, 9:40 AM
As we enter an age of government bailouts and buyouts for investment banks, mortgage companies and auto manufacturers, one begins to wonder who the next contestant will be in the Uncle Sam Handout Sweepstakes. While the Internet juggernaut is showing signs of slowed growth, it is hard to imagine the kind of meltdown the financial industry has experienced in recent months taking a similar path in our industry -- or is it?
» 10 Comments
Is User Path Analysis The Right Path?
Posted by Srishti Gupta on Nov 6, 3:55 PM
How many times have you heard the term "User Path Analysis" being mentioned as something you should conduct for your site? If you have anything to do with managing a Web site or Web analytics, chances are, you have considered it... or maybe gone down that path! It does, thus, seem intuitive to want to analyze this user path -- to determine the most common path users take before a desired outcome (a purchase, a request for information, etc.). This information can then be used to modify site navigation or copy to push visitors down that trusted, successful path. This approach, however, is not as efficient as it sounds.
» 2 Comments
Our Core Value Problem
Posted by Ari Rosenberg on Oct 30, 1:10 PM
I don't mean to sound like a pessimist or set off alarms for the sake of hearing a bell ring, but we have a core value problem that will only get worse, not better, based on the tracks the online sales train is running. Two weeks ago in this OPI offering, David Koretz pointed to the dramatic disparity between the spending allocated to online advertising versus the time consumers spend on Web sites. Why does this disparity exist? One simple answer: Online inventory is cheaper, so advertisers don't have to spend as much as they do with other media. And I can't think of a worse label for a medium to bear than "cheap."
» 8 Comments
A Meaningful Engagement Story
Posted by Kevin Mannion on Oct 23, 3:46 PM
In previous articles I created a hypothetical example to illustrate how to make a compelling engagement story work in an advertising discussion. I have also done the same with CondeNet. To cite an actual case study, I will turn to a company I worked for several years ago, CNET Networks. Now part of CBS Interactive, the company has a rich history of telling powerful engagement stories that lead to actionable insight for advertisers. I spoke recently with Dave Morris, CBS Interactive Chief Client Officer (now there's a great title!), who outlined how the company is using site data to provide advertisers with actionable site intelligence.
» Comments
Stop Blaming The Economy
Posted by David Koretz on Oct 16, 9:26 AM
It is our fault. The current growth issues facing online advertising are problems that we created and have let persist. There is no question that the economy has been completely mismanaged. There is no denying the $14 trillion in U.S. debt, and there is no sugarcoating the 40% drop in the Dow over the last 12 months that wiped out trillions in shareholder value. Yet, much as we would like to believe, the growth challenges in online advertising have little to do with the recent economic struggles.
» 24 Comments
What's in A Name?
Posted by Kory Kredit on Oct 9, 11:40 AM
For those of you old enough to have watched the '70's television classic, "WKRP in Cincinnati," you will remember the straight-laced, bumbling and insecure newsman from the lowest-rated radio station in Ohio. In one episode, he is having a discussion with a man named Steel in which Steel makes the comment that he feels a man's name says a lot about who he is. He then asks the geeky, balding newsman what is name is. The reply: "Les. Les Nessman." In the same way that "Steel" was a fitting name for the steroid-enhanced deliveryman, "Les" perfectly described the diminutive and incompetent news director.
» 7 Comments
Promised Panel Placements Pollute Conferences
Posted by Ari Rosenberg on Oct 2, 2:47 PM
The heart of what's wrong with our industry can be found beating at our industry conferences. This is where we stand on stages; beat our chests as self-anointed media pioneers celebrating our own kind, while missing the entire big picture.
» 3 Comments
The New Engagement Mashup, Part 1
Posted by Kevin Mannion on Sep 25, 11:58 AM
The interactive dimension of the Web continues to deepen and broaden. Social media, professional communities, user-generated content, games, widgets, video -- all attest to richer levels of audience engagement. How do publishers make the most of this heightened interactivity?
» 4 Comments
|
|
|
RSS FEEDS • PRIVACY/TERMS & CONDITIONS
