NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> "Media Buyers" NOT "publishers' advertising representatives"
ONLINE-ADS>> "Media Buyers" NOT "publishers' advertising representatives"
Mark J. Welch, Esq. (markwelch_at_ca-probate.com)
Thu, 02 Jan 1997 17:23:07 -0800
At 09:46 AM 1/2/97 -0800, gkatz_at_dnai.com wrote:
>here are a couple of other 'media buyers'. they represent some of the most
>active sites on the web.
>http://www.i-traffic.com/
>http://www.simweb.com/
Whoa -- I think there is a difference between a web publisher's agent (like
Softbank/SIMweb) and a media buyer's agent. A media buyer's agent
represents the buyer, not a small pool of publishers (sellers).
The difference, I think, is that a "media buying service" should tell you
about the best places for you to place your advertising on the web --
while a publisher's representative or ad network will try to sell you the
sites they represent, and not other sites that might give you a better return.
That doesn't mean that one is "better" than the other, but that they serve
different roles.
This doesn't mean that a media buying service is somehow unbiased --
they may focus too much on paid (vs. free) media, and they might target
only web sites with effective advertising representatives (and thus miss
many relevant sites that sell ads directly or have not yet accepted ads).
(They also might ignore sites that won't pay them commissions.)
Every company on my list at http://www.ca-probate.com/comm_net.htm
(including SIMweb), will help you buy ad space. I'll do that too, if you
want to buy ad space on MY web pages. But that doesn't make them (or
me) "media buying services."
I think the original question was seeking references to companies that
would NOT be beholden to some limited pool of web sites, but would
represent the ad buyer more objectively. If you call SIMweb, they'll
tell you about advertising opportunities on ZDNet (owned by the same
company), as well as other companies' sites whom SIMweb represents.
They won't mention better advertising opportunities on sites they don't
represent.
It does look as if iTraffic fits the description of a "media buying service"
since the company specifically says it does NOT sell web ads, but
advises sites about the best way to use links, referrals, search placements,
and advertising to promote online brands. Likewise, AllMedia looks like
a media placement company.
Arguably, every "advertising agency" is a media buying service, since
the function of an ad agency is to represent the advertiser (not the publisher
or media site). Unfortunately, most ad agencies have a very limited grasp
of the internet as an advertising media.
-- Mark J. Welch, Attorney at Law, Pleasanton CA
-- http://www.ca-probate.com 510-462-8483
-- Email is not legal advice, and is not confidential.
