Re: Interesting Twist to BANNER ADVERTISING

From: Matt Magri <matt_at_netmeg.net>
Date: Tue 18 Jan 2000 11:48:48 -0500

MALCOLM MCKINNON WROTE:
> We've heard the two camp's arguments extensively,
> however, I'd like to offer a third: partnership. By
> sharing consumer information, the two groups could
> increase consumer security, get a higher price for ad
> impressions and garner a greater share of overall
> (online and offline ad budgets).

While I have posted extensively in this thread about
the benefits of the ad sources and the ISPs working
together to produce a legitimate ad-replacing proxy
model, I have to say that your approach doesn't work
for me. Any plan that involved routinely passing info
about the customers to folks elsewhere on the net would
be the kiss of death to just about any ISP. The only
exception that I can think of off-hand would be one of
those paid-for-by-ads ISPs that already sell ads based
on your demos.

For nonroutine replacement, OTOH, it has some
potential, since it would be akin to the voluntary
email ad services (like ChooseYourOwnMail.com, etc.)
that let users sign up for ads they want to see.
Customers that signed up for the targetted ad
replacement would get it while the rest would not. I'd
be concerned that it would be nontrivial to code up the
proxy so that it could tell which user was making the
request, however. At any rate, it would mean that end
users saw ads for the kind of things they expressed an
interest in, and might allow advertisers to get more
detailed in their banner ad offerings, and that's to
the good.

If it can be done, I think it should be done as an
option to the low-impact 'routine proxy' I've sketched
out elsewhere. An ISP is not going to want to run every
request through two proxies without a really good
reason. You could have the customers who are
participating in the nonroutine scheme point their
browser at a separate proxy, I suppose. The more you
have them do to participate, however, the more they are
going to wonder why they aren't seeing a reduction in
their monthly ISP fees for their trouble...

> As an ISP, imagine having content easier to adjust
> and recompile on the fly. Imagine also having access
> to site database activity patterns.

An easier thing to imagine (since it's commonly done for
similar services) is being paid a certain amount for each
ad replaced, or some similar compensation.

> Imagine also increasing the monthly bill by including
> online charges. [ ... ] and access speed. Imagine also
> higher security of online transactions because your
> credit card is never transmitted online (charged to the
> ISP bill).

No, thank you. We have enough fun collecting the relatively
low fees -we- charge. I have no interest in going after
hundreds of somebody else's dollars because a customer
decided to make a DVD player impulse buy, etc. Now, if
the plan was combined with having someone else taking over
our collections, that would be very intriguing.

> In short, lets focus on partnership because its
> through this, the opportunity grows and the customer
> experience improves.

Agreed.

Matt
--
Matt Magri
Netmeg Internet




Received on Tue Jan 18 2000 - 10:48:48 CST