Commentary

Beating Google to Air

While Google struggles to spin off its online ad-management system to offline media, other companies are erecting beachheads on the digital market shore. SoftWave Media Exchange ("SWMX Radio") reports that net revenues from its Web-based radio and TV ad ordering system more than tripled between the first and third quarters of 2006, from $208,755 to $704,725.

"We started in the remnant space, but that is migrating to more flighted business, more regular rate card business," says Josh Wexler, SoftWave CEO. Marketers can buy radio ad time in 41 of the top 50 markets and upload spots as MP3s for radio stations to grab and put on air.

Wexler says that online management of offline campaigns is moving quickly into the mainstream, with major agencies like OMD and Starcom MediaVest making big buys. "They start with one campaign for $10,000 to $20,000 and now are running into the hundreds of thousands. We buy 300 to 400 radio stations in any given week."

SoftWave is testing the TV marketplace with several cable operators; Wexler expects to have hundreds of stations on board soon. While the market waits for Google to integrate its dMarc acquisition, companies like SoftWave are already leveraging the Web to order and track offline campaigns.

"If we were Google, this would be headlines," says Bill Figenshu, SoftWave's COO. "But we suck at search."

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