publishers | Internet Marketing Blog

Native advertising: whatever it is, it shouldn't be PR

More and more publishers are rushing to embrace native advertising, and for good reason: advertisers are eager to spend money on it.

While there's debate and discussion around the exact definition of 'native advertising', publishers and advertisers are quickly learning that ads integrated into the user experience, often to the point that they're not immediately distinguishable as ads, come with challenges.

by Patricio Robles 19 February 2013 15:14pm 1 comment

Is the CPA model holding real-time bidding back?

Despite the fact that real-time bidding is a complex and sometimes confusing space, media buyers and sellers alike continue to flock to RTBs, a trend that experts don't believe will end any time soon.

Real-time bidding, of course, isn't the end-all and be-all of digital advertising, and there are numerous areas for concern.

But is the entire model for how ads are bought and sold via RTBs broken?

by Patricio Robles 24 January 2013 18:46pm 0 comments

The Atlantic's Scientology advertorial shows the risks of native ads

With advertisers set to pour more and more money into native ads, 2013 could be a great year for well-positioned publishers.

But publishers looking at native ads as a solution to ad blockers and paltry display CPMs should tread carefully.

Native ads aren't a panacea and the premiums advertisers may be willing to pay for them shouldn't distract from the fact that native ads can be risky ads.

by Patricio Robles 15 January 2013 17:24pm 2 comments

Will Wikivoyage shake up online travel?

Wikipedia is one of the world's most popular websites and, in the eyes of some, was largely responsible for the demise of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The good news for publishers: the market for encyclopedias is relatively small, so Wikipedia's popularity has had a relatively limited commercial impact.

The bad news for players in the travel space: the Wikimedia Foundation's entry into online travel may have broader commercial implications.

by Patricio Robles 11 January 2013 13:19pm 7 comments

AOL bets the farm on responsive design

With publishers serving more and more of their audience through mobile and tablet devices, it's no surprise that responsive designs are growing in popularity.

From the BBC and Guardian to Metro and Express & Star, the number of publishers jumping on the responsive design bandwagon is growing rapidly and for good reason: there's a lot to like about responsive design and done right, it's pretty compelling.

by Patricio Robles 10 January 2013 15:13pm 2 comments

FTC: Google search bias is a part of innovation

Has Google altered its algorithm to favor its own properties in vertical search results?

Numerous publishers which now find themselves competing with the search engine they rely on for valuable traffic have accused Google of doing just that. Some in the industry have even petitioned antitrust regulators to look into the matter.

by Patricio Robles 04 January 2013 12:30pm 1 comment

Microsoft refuses to back down on Do Not Track, wants more complexity

More than a decade ago, Microsoft was branded by the United States government as a greedy monopolist and the company's existence was threatened by an antitrust lawsuit that could have resulted in the then-world's largest software company being broken apart.

Today, memories of Microsoft's past may have largely faded but the Redmond company is still trying to convince consumers that it's cool, and perhaps more importantly, that it's on their side. One of the ways it's doing that: declaring its support for consumer privacy.

by Patricio Robles 14 December 2012 18:59pm 2 comments

Are pre-roll video ads going the way of display ads?

Despite its many critics, television advertising is a $100bn-plus a year market. So it's not entirely surprising that the market for online video ads has evolved to look a lot like its offline counterpart.

There's the desire, now being realized, for digital up-fronts. There is a growing focus on channels. There are Hollywood-like deal structures. And, of course, the pre-roll is the dominant ad unit.

by Patricio Robles 11 December 2012 15:28pm 4 comments

Publishing plus: managing inventory to the publishers and advertisers benefit

Recent research from Google put some solid figures behind a notion that has been common knowledge in our industry for some time - consumers are using a mix of phones, tablets, computer and TVs to consume digital content.

However, a point to consider beyond this isn’t just the number of devices that are commonly used to digest content, but the sheer amount of content consumed in total.

by Spyro Korsanos 01 November 2012 10:23am 0 comments

VEVO turns to real-time bidding to move unsold pre-roll inventory

Despite challenges and turbulence, adoption of real-time bidding (RTB) is growing and expectations are still high that RTB will be able to deliver on its promise.

One of the big questions that lingers, however, is just how big an impact will RTB have on the online advertising ecosystem outside of display. Take video, for instance. Skeptics make interesting points about RTB's potential shortcomings in the video space and suggest that RTB may not be as applicable to video.

Are the skeptics right? That remains to be seen, but in the meantime, RTB continues to make inroads in video. The latest example of that: yesterday VEVO announced the launch of an RTB platform that it will use to move unsold pre-roll ad inventory.

by Patricio Robles 31 October 2012 12:00pm 0 comments