• Media for the Online World: Getting Down to Business
    Consider that just one year ago newyorkjets.com employed an ad sales rep firm and was being pitched as “media” to agencies and you’ll realize how much the free flow of dot-com ad spending distorted the fundamentals of online publishing. In that respect we should all be glad that the bubble burst. Now that the shakeout is nearly complete, online media can go back to being media and compete on the basis of 1) brand strength; 2) quality of audience; and 3) advertising solutions available within each distinct editorial environment. The best online publishers attract loyal audiences who come often …
  • Dispatches from MediaPost: Off to a Good Start
    If you ask me, 2002 is off to a good start as far as the online advertising industry is concerned. For one, the Interactive Advertising Bureau finally came through on a promise they made in mid-1997 and put some measurement and auditing guidelines in place for us all to follow. The guidelines deal with issues that have long plagued the online ad industry: measuring ad impressions, clicks, page impressions, and visitors and verifying ad delivery. Granted, the industry’s response to these has so far been very mixed, but at least things are moving in the right direction: consensus. More …
  • That's Rich: The Pit and the Pendulum
    By the end of last year I was spent, drained of anything new to say. My personal pendulum had swung all the way over and it was time for a rest so that it could begin to swing back. Now that everyone’s back to work, I’ve also begun to notice movement in the advertising industry’s pendulum. I read in the Wall Street Journal, for instance, that investors believe that there is going to be a big turnaround in the advertising community: Omnicom and Interpublic stock prices are both up over the last quarter, and there was a rally in the …
  • Research Behind the Numbers: Holiday Sales
    Was online holiday shopping a disappointing ‘lump of coal’ or a breakthrough that doubled the e-tail traffic in ’99? Because of a slow start in the November measurement period, Forrester Research lowered its projection for 2001 online holiday sales from $11 billion to $8 billion, signaling a potential 20 percent drop from last year’s $10 billion. Based on last year’s forecasting model, when sales peaked early in the season and declined thereafter, early projections gave the appearance of a bust (“a lump of coal,” said Reuters). But in an ensuing report, Charles Buchwalter, vice president of Jupiter Media Metrix, …
  • Case Study: Cross Into the Blue
    To attract new recruits, the U.S. Air Force made a quantum leap into state-of-the-art interactive web marketing. This is the doorway to another world. A world where everything is different and important. Especially you. Cross into the blue. And see the difference between the ordinary & the extraordinary, the everyday & the exceptional, standing still & moving forward, today & tomorrow, getting a job & having a career. With over 150 careers in the Air Force, there’s bound to be one for you. —Rich media message delivered by U.S. Air Force home page Interactive marketing has become the doorway …
  • Agency Profile: VML
    The largest interactive agency in the Midwest is a strategic-marketing think tank focused on solving clients’ problems. When most people think of the top interactive agencies in the U.S., they focus on the Silicon Alleys and Valleys of the East and West coasts. So it might come as a surprise that the ninth largest interactive agency, according to a recent MEDIA Magazine ranking, hails from Kansas City, in the nation’s heartland. With total online billings of $95 million (over $135 million for all media billing), VML is the largest interactive agency in the Midwest, more than double the size …
  • The Best Online Publishers: CNET
    The place to go for news about cutting-edge technology has also been the place to find cutting-edge online advertising. CNET has dominated this category since its inception, in part because of its extreme relevance to the high-tech online world. “We live in a very fast-paced economy driven by digitally related products and companies,” says Barry Briggs, president of media. “There’s always something happening with the ramp-up of products, and users turn to us to keep up to speed and understand what to buy.” Besides CNET.com, the company’s tech-related sites include Techrepublic.com, which it purchased last year, and ZDnet.com. It …
  • The Best Online Publishers: Amazon
    It’s a jungle out there, and the online megastore has figured out how to put advertising messages in front of consumers. There isn’t any banner or other static advertising at Amazon. Instead of selling online space, the company establishes strategic alliances with companies to co-brand their products. Deals have been made with a number of companies, including Toysrus, Proflowers, Borders Books and Target. In the deal with Toysrus, the companies agreed to assume responsibility for specific aspects of the store. Toysrus would buy and manage inventory while Amazon would handle site development, order fulfillment and customer service. In …
  • The Best Online Publishers: ESPN
    In a tight field, the strong brand association with its wildly popular print companion gives ESPN.com the edge. ESPN.com draws on the popularity of ESPN TV for its own success, and even works with the network on advertising campaigns, such as one for Wendy’s that combines an online poll with ESPN’s popular nightly SportsCenter show. Visitors to the SportsCenter showcase at ESPN.com vote on the sports highlight they want to see on TV. After they vote, a Wendy’s pop-up ad appears. The winning highlight appears on SportsCenter, with advertising from Wendy’s, of course. “The brand association with ESPN is …
  • The Best Online Publishers: Expedia
    Though challenged by established competitors and a powerful newcomer, this travel hub remains a must-visit destination. Expedia isn’t really a content site, it’s a travel store. “The whole site is designed as a market platform where users search for and price travel, and find information to plan trips,” says Mitch Robinson, marketing manager. Thus, the advertising isn’t a separate element, as it is on content sites--it is the content. Offers from travel suppliers appear as content on Expedia pages and can be clicked for more information or to purchase. The site features deals pages, store pages, and search …
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