Adify's Russ Fradin maintains vertical networks have been "accurately hyped." The gap between hype and value is much greater on social media and vertical networks, which have relatively modest goals, he adds. Adify itself hasn't lacked for aggressive PR efforts over the last two years. On the other hand, social properties like Facebook, Twitter and […]

Are vertical networks still relevant in the age of audience targeting? Adify CEO Russ Fradin rejects comparison of horizontal and vertical networks. He argues vertical networks aren't offshoots of horizontal ad networks but more the evolution of Web portals, explaining why CPMs are more like those on portals than traditional ad networks. Travel Ad […]

Are vertical ad networks standing up to their own hype? No doubt, says Brian Silver, President & CEO, Travel Ad Network. Why? “We have exclusive representation,” he says, adding, “It’s not just about reach and frequency … it’s about understanding our [publishers] and bringing them [the appropriate] products and services.”
Speaking for the horizontal network community, […]

How do you measure brand? “There is a lot of data in the market that targets brands,” said Dave Helmreich, VP, Interactive Marketing, TARGUSinfo. “There are subsets [of consumers] that prefer particular brands … You look for people that tend to buy specific brands and services … That’s the starting point … You start with […]

Brand should be treated as just another attribute along with pricing, convenience, and others, according to Peter Fader, professor of marketing at the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. He added that brand gets "put on a pedestal" it doesn't deserve. Loren Grossman, chief strategy officer for Rapp digital, disagreed, saying brand encompasses all the […]

With so many companies represented in the stack, who should sit in meetings with the advertiser? Publisher, angency, ad networks?
Corinna Calhoun, Sr., director of Ad Networks at Microsoft says brands should come to Microsoft with agencies, and "then we can bring to bear all technology offerings we have." Baker of DataXu says agencies may […]

Mike Cassidy, President & CEO of ad network Undertone Networks has a warning for publishers with ad network aspirations: “You’re going to lose your core competency, which is selling premium inventory,” he says. Still, Cassidy understands that publishers are having a tough time these days, and that their desire to branch out is understandable. […]

Mike Cassidy, president & CEO of Undertone Networks said the ad network industry is plagued by the perception that everyone is making tons of money. You see people on panels like this and you think they're billion dollar companies and then find out "its only three guys in a garage living on food stamps." So […]

In an agency panel focusing on simplifiying the stack, Joanna O’Connell, Manager of Strategic Development, ATOM Systems at Razorfish, says the company tries to help simplify agencies understanding of the different components that go into building a campaign by telling them that they're partnering with "best-of-breed" technology partners, and they can take that assurance back […]

“Real-time matters a lot,” Scott Spencer, Group Product Manager at Google, said with regard to yield optimization. Unlike search and other areas, the parameters that determine what you want to buy change continuously, says Spencer. Being able to look at every parameter and know in real-time what is the best buy for any given advertiser, […]