In my May 22 column, I reviewed some of the good news that we've been able to enjoy in the interactive space of late. Today, I'd like to take a look at some recent individual success stories, each of
which leverages targeting marketing via content in a way that is unique to the Web, but creative even beyond what I've seen so far.
Empire Media is among the many lean, successful companies
that were founded after the spring of 2001. With Empire Magazine as its flagship, the company has grown quickly, with subscriptions and print runs doubling recently, then again for the next issue.
How are they doing so well?
Some of the methods are straightforward enough, things like partnering with major brands like Dell, American Express, Hewlett Packard, and the New York Times Digital.
But, what Empire Media seems to do better than most is to extract the most value from their media assets via these brands. Some would call this "Brand Protection." Ever notice why consumers don't seem
to mind the email solicitations they receive from major media brands? Because these brands wouldn't allow it since they understand that it would diminish their value. Such opt-in email, via their
co-registration network, is among the most effective marketing solutions anywhere and is the counter to those who point to spam and complain that email marketing doesn't work. It can REALLY work when
it is coordinated with other campaigns and delivered from a friendly place - like the New York Times, or another consumer or business publication that has such a strong brand.
Empire Media manages
these relationships creatively, automating new revenue streams for marketers and media - without alienating consumers. That's what they've done for these partners - created revenue streams where none
had existed.
Another fast-growing area for them is in affinity broadcasting. One of Empire Media's portfolio companies is Mode Eleven, which provides broadcast screen savers to affinity
networks. What's the big deal about screen savers? Mode Eleven's can stream and cache video, with the client retaining the ability to publish across networks through their interface. With broadband
starting to really grow, such affinity networks should become the norm in the next year, just as Yahoo! home pages did a few years ago. Imagine having your favorite team's video-enabled, fully
customizable homepage greeting you every morning. It won't be long.
Punchline is another company that is creating revenue streams where none existed. What's the first thing you do when
you get your weekly issue of the New Yorker in the mail? If you're like me, you scan the cartoons. Punchline has the exclusive right to use the acclaimed New Yorker Cartoons for commercial email use.
This isn't simply a content revenue opportunity for The New Yorker Cartoon Bank, it also presents a major opportunity for the cartoonists, advertisers, consumers, and, of course, Punchline.
Punchline seized the opportunity to take valued, high interest content -- humor -- and expand its reach and revenue potential. They went to the source of some of the best cartoons in the world, The
New Yorker, and worked out a deal that works on a multitude of levels. For Punchline, the New Yorker Cartoons are the creative basis of the establishment of a solid marketing business that meets
the needs of the publisher, cartoonists, advertiser/sponsors and consumers. For the New Yorker, the Cartoon Bank and the cartoonists, Punchline extends the cartoons' reach and revenue. For Punchline
sponsors, the use of the New Yorker Cartoons as part of email marketing programs enables them to connect to consumers and prospects in a universal language, humor. It's a great idea, being well
executed. And, I'll bet that I forward most of the cartoons I receive.
Prism Media Networks provides us with another great idea that leverages that relationship between eyeballs and content
in a new way. Their Concert delivers branded content right in the banner, taking published Web news articles and embedding them within the ad unit. Sponsors become associated with the delivery of
information, making them a provider of insight, much in the same fashion that Punchline sponsors are providing humor. Concert is already delivering content affiliated with major publishing brands such
as Business Week, TechWeb, and the Wall Street Journal; marrying them with marketers' messages to capture consumer mind share. Look for these unique ad units, especially in high-end trade and business
publications online. The Concert solution negates editorial concerns with intrusive ads and brings the contextual nexus of online advertising to a closer perspective. I'll bet they drive results that
are at the high end of all page-based rich media ads.
That's what I like most about all of these companies, and probably why they're enjoying so much success. The promise of the Web for marketers
has long seemed to me akin to the promise of special interest magazines, only with far more precise delivery. To some, ad networks and profiling defeated that. But, the kinds of solutions that these
companies are providing subvert the clutter and ill performing models that helped drag us down. They also reflect the kind of evolution that has made our business exciting again.