• Ad Age, Thursday, May 21, 2009 11:49 AM

Gawker Media's Nick Denton talks shop with Ad Age's Michael Learmonth, and reveals that the downturn hasn't been quite as bad as he predicted-so far, at least. "I still think most companies should have -- and should still now -- plan for the contingency of a 40% decline across the cycle," says Denton. "Let's face it: there are plenty of properties-Wired down by half!-that have already suffered. But I'd assumed that marketers would just cut spending across the board in an undiscriminating panic. They've been much more strategic."

What about Gawker's properties? Denton says that entertainment industry advertisers like HBO and Showtime have boosted Gawker and Jezebel, while the likes of Sprint, Samsung and T-Mobile continue to anchor Gizmodo. He adds that some clients, like Symantec, are simply advertising more aggressively than ever. Bigger ad formats have helped, he thinks.

"People have faster connections and bigger screens-and the editorial images are getting larger," says Denton. "It's about time that the advertising caught up." He adds: "And I do wonder whether online marketers are finally distinguishing between crappy networks and online properties with genuine followings."

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