Re: Text Banner Standards: Isn't it about time?

From: adam boettiger <ab_at_eyescream.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 06:42:44 -0600 (CST)

MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
> I would like to know which lists, apart from Online Ads,
> allow text banners.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most all do, actually. It is very common for a moderated
list or newsletter to take on daily sponsors to compensate
them for some of the time that they put into moderating a
list and the fees associated with Web hosting, mailing list
management costs for throughput and other fees.

MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
> What actual returns do advertisers expect?

They typically expect the same as banners or slightly
higher, depending largely on text ad copy, whether or not
the advertiser also includes phone and email address along
with a URL and a number of other factors. It also depends
on how close of a match the sponsor's ad is to the list's
audience.

MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
> Is it because banners don't work?
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No. Text banners have been around for a number of years.
Advertisers are now moving toward text banners because they
are a safe and effective way of targeting a specific niche
community by email.


MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
> nobody subscribes to a list in order to read
> adverts. Do we
> need to commercialize every available bit of
> empty space on
> the Net?
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had to read your post three times just to make sure I
wasn't misinterpreting it. I think you're confused. You
are on a forum that discusses online advertising. This is
the last place that I would think to find a statement like
that. Of course nobody subscribes to a list in order to
read the adverts. Nobody subscribes to a newspaper just to
read the adverts. Nobody watches television or surfs the
Web just to read the adverts, yet still the industry of
advertising is flourishing.

Perhaps you don't know how much time and effort Richard
invests into this list to maintain its content, keep spam
and off-topic posts out of your mailbox and to make sure
that the content level is interesting to you? It typically
takes between one and two hours a day every day to moderate
a list such as this one. That's not including promotional
time or advertising costs to drive subscriptions or the
maintenance of an associated Web site. It costs money to
pay for a Listserv to send out posts to 7,000 list members
each day. It costs money for site hosting and the
moderator's time is also money.

Your post suggests that you expect content with no sponsors
or ads, that you do not have to pay a subscription fee for,
but that is of the highest quality possible. In the real
world, it just doesn't work that way. Despite what you may
think, content online is NOT free. Someone pays for it.
Whether it is you paying a subscription fee (proven not to
be the optimal or preferred model with email discussion
lists or newsletters) or you accepting the fact that there
are costs associated with the production of a Web site or
list and accepting a sponsor ad, knowing that sponsors are
absorbing costs so you do not have to pay for the use of a
quality forum. The last thing I would have expected to hear
on a list that discusses online advertising is a post that
complains about commercialization.

Given a choice, would you rather pay money to subscribe to a
forum completely ad free? If you say yes, know that you are
in the minority. The subscription model does not work with
email newsletters and discussion lists.


MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
> At first glance it appears that advertisers would target
> lists because their other systems failed. Why
> lists? It's
> easier than coming up with an original idea that will
> actually bring rewards.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Why advertise in discussion lists and newsletters? That's
an easy one.

1. You're reaching a specific niche audience by email at a
time when they are expecting to receive a publication and
read it with great scrutiny. Your ad is likely to be read.

2. Text banner sponsorships are not considered spam. They
are a safe and reputable alternative to direct email.

3. Your ad is distributed immediately directly into
readers' email boxes and is more likely to be read and acted
on than ignored.

MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
> Who said that lists were designed to make money?
> Conversely, my opinion is they serve to attract
> attention to
> a property -- a Website usually.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are correct. Most moderated lists are NOT designed to
make money. Still, there are costs associated with
production that *someone* must pay for. True, many lists
do attract attention to a Web site, but how many really good
quality lists do you know of that do NOT have paid sponsor
advertisments in them? I've been online since 1995 and
cannot think of one. The ones that don't are usually
unmoderated with poor content. If you can name one, please
do. Wall St. Journal Interactive, The Industry Standard,
ClickZ, I-Sales, I-Advertising, The Silicon Alley Reporter
are all quality email lists and all of them accept paid
sponsors to compensate for production costs. It is *very*
common.

I'm still puzzled by your post. Nobody is proposing that
text banners should be included in email discussion lists.
That's a given. Have a look at the bottom of this post and
you'll see the list's sponsor message. That's a non-issue.
What we're discussing is creating a standard to make it
easier for advertisers to sponsor text lists.

AB
List Moderator, I-Advertising
http://www.internetadvertising.org/

----------e/y/e/s/c/r/e/a/m interactive, inc.------------
adam boettiger, vp biz development 503/292-6987 x16 tel
mailto:ab_at_eyescream.com 503/296-0945 fax
traffic building | strategic partnering | new media planning
e-commerce | online branding | interactive direct marketing
 killer creative and design that will make you s/c/r/e/a/m
                      portland, oregon usa
--------------< http://www.eyescream.com >-------------


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Received on Mon Feb 01 1999 - 08:00:21 CST