Re: Lack of respect for internet advertising
A considerable part of the problem with unpaid
advertising on content sites is the fact that space
is simply not being sold. I did a little research on
ad availability on major search engine sites and
found many with 80% unsold banner space. It's no
wonder the search engines have changed business
models to focus on payment for submissions/listings.
With banner click-through rates below direct mail
response rates and poor click-through conversion
skills it's no wonder agencies and companies focus
on media they understand. There have always been
media associations that have promoted various media.
They have served to educate agencies and ad
departments in the use and results they should
expect. Internet advertising needs an aggressive
association if it is going to compete for serious
advertising dollars. Everyone is still trying to
figure out where internet advertising fits in the
media mix. Very few media buyers have been trained
in internet advertising. Even fewer are willing to
piece together 3-5 million impressions across
50-100 unrelated web sites to make an effective media
buy. It's far easier to buy a rating point in
television or a mailing list than it is to buy a
million web site impressions. Consider the human
aspect too. Many media buyers are young and they
have to present a media plan to gray haired brand
managers. The brand managers don't trust the internet
and they don't want to risk their budget on
"unproven" media. Who wants to risk their job on an
Internet buy?
As content site owners we have to prove our value if
we want advertising buyers. So far the record hasn't
been inspiring.
Don Lokke Jr
LokkeAdvertising (We own over 8000 sites)
Received on Wed Nov 28 2001 - 12:17:13 CST
