RE: Is CPA vs. CPM the issue?

From: Terrell Mitchell <Terrell.Mitchell_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Wed 20 Jun 2001 14:12:51 -0500

I have been reading this list for a long time and have
learned quite a bit. This last discussion is something
I would like to comment on.

It seems many people are missing the point. People
mention the ROI the buyers need. Or the fact that
publishers and buyers don't trust each other.

The simple matter is that the publisher is not selling
the buyers product. He is selling his product, which
is an opportunity for a buyer to put a message in
front of someone. That is it. What the buyer does with
that opportunity is his business.

Of course, there are all the standard things like
measuring how many people see the ad and if the
viewers are appropriately qualified. But that stuff
can be measured, just like it is for magazines and
television.

Buyers are taking advantage of the situation now because
they can. They would with regular media, but the media
won't let them. They are in business and know it.

To Brandi's question, in the print world if you sold
performance engine parts and was choosing between 100K
insertions in Time (with 1M subs) or HotRod (with 300K
subs) how difficult would it be.

I believe the important thing is being able to audit
your viewers to prove numbers and demographics. With
that, a serious ad buyer will pay to get his message
in front of them, if they are his target audience. If
you cannot convince someone wanting to buy ads that
putting his message in front of your viewers is in his
interest, then maybe it isn't. Of course it will be
hard, but who said business was supposed to be easy.

Hell, if it was easy everyone would be doing it.
Oh wait, this is the "Internet". Everyone IS doing it.
And a lot will fail when they find out it isn't "easy"
to run a successfull business.

I believe things will shake out, and good quality sites
(or electronic publications) will go back to making money
on advertisements.

Terrell Mitchell



Received on Wed Jun 20 2001 - 14:12:51 CDT