Pugdog,
This may well be off-topic (I'm not sure if you're looking for 'program' thoughts or about advertising in general), but:
My biggest bug-bear with internet ads is "commission" based campaigns. In effect someone has to do the following: 1) View the ad - 2) Click on the ad - 3) View the merchants products - 4) Select the products - 5) and purchase them ... ALL IN ONE SESSION!!!
I've found, through over a year of trialing and testing such campaigns that they simply don't work for the publisher (the site displaying the ads) as the requirement for someone to do all the above in one sitting is extremely rare. Ask yourself when was the last time you bought something without shopping around first?
What effectively happens is that for 99.9% of the time the publisher gives away ad-space and helps the merchant increase their branding - all for little or nothing in return! I've dropped virtually every one of my 'commission' based ads, in favour of CPM and CPC (at least you get something for CPM and CPC ads).
Despite all that, the CPM market is currently in a down-turn because the investment in new .com's has decreased, and the increase in the number of new sites offering ad-space means there are currently more ad-spaces than ads. The CPC market also doesn't earn you a great deal unless you have 'massive' traffic, but it is a way of getting something for your ads when someone clicks on them (unlike the commission based ads where the clicks earn you nothing for the majority of the time).
The best source of advertising revenue comes from a 'direct' campaign where you deal directly with an advertiser or agency for a specific 'buy' from you site. You get 100% of the campaign value since there is no middle-man (most CPM networks take a 'cut' of the revenue for supplying you with ads - which is fine if you can't attract the 'big' advertisers).
I often look-in on the following forum where publishers talk all the time about the various campaign types, agencies/networks, and the state of net-advertising in general, and its a good place to go for an all-round perspective on what's happening:
http://gethighforums.com/...ne=30&LastLogin=
I've personally taken the time to setup 400+ target regions within my Qango sites and provide a full and comprehensive set of information pages for potential advertisers. If you want to have a look at how I approach my ad-sales, take a look here (there's lots of info on what I offer, and a rate card so that people can see what's available right away without having to email for info!):
http://www.qango.com/...cs/info/advertising/ - this isn't a sales pitch, rather an example of how I approach my ad-sales for Qango.
I'm of the mind that as a publisher my ad-space has real 'value'. Newspapers and magazines don't run ad campaigns and then ring the client afterwards asking "Did you make any sales/leads?", and then bill the client based on the sales/leads that the ad generated. In the same way, I want advertisers to pay for using my ad-space. But, whilst it is always best to 'sell' the space and earn revenue each time you display an ad for a client, the reality is that you need to be really 'big' to earn the top-dollar for your space, otherwise you have to make the best of what's available and take what you can!
All the best
Shaun
This may well be off-topic (I'm not sure if you're looking for 'program' thoughts or about advertising in general), but:
My biggest bug-bear with internet ads is "commission" based campaigns. In effect someone has to do the following: 1) View the ad - 2) Click on the ad - 3) View the merchants products - 4) Select the products - 5) and purchase them ... ALL IN ONE SESSION!!!
I've found, through over a year of trialing and testing such campaigns that they simply don't work for the publisher (the site displaying the ads) as the requirement for someone to do all the above in one sitting is extremely rare. Ask yourself when was the last time you bought something without shopping around first?
What effectively happens is that for 99.9% of the time the publisher gives away ad-space and helps the merchant increase their branding - all for little or nothing in return! I've dropped virtually every one of my 'commission' based ads, in favour of CPM and CPC (at least you get something for CPM and CPC ads).
Despite all that, the CPM market is currently in a down-turn because the investment in new .com's has decreased, and the increase in the number of new sites offering ad-space means there are currently more ad-spaces than ads. The CPC market also doesn't earn you a great deal unless you have 'massive' traffic, but it is a way of getting something for your ads when someone clicks on them (unlike the commission based ads where the clicks earn you nothing for the majority of the time).
The best source of advertising revenue comes from a 'direct' campaign where you deal directly with an advertiser or agency for a specific 'buy' from you site. You get 100% of the campaign value since there is no middle-man (most CPM networks take a 'cut' of the revenue for supplying you with ads - which is fine if you can't attract the 'big' advertisers).
I often look-in on the following forum where publishers talk all the time about the various campaign types, agencies/networks, and the state of net-advertising in general, and its a good place to go for an all-round perspective on what's happening:
http://gethighforums.com/...ne=30&LastLogin=
I've personally taken the time to setup 400+ target regions within my Qango sites and provide a full and comprehensive set of information pages for potential advertisers. If you want to have a look at how I approach my ad-sales, take a look here (there's lots of info on what I offer, and a rate card so that people can see what's available right away without having to email for info!):
http://www.qango.com/...cs/info/advertising/ - this isn't a sales pitch, rather an example of how I approach my ad-sales for Qango.
I'm of the mind that as a publisher my ad-space has real 'value'. Newspapers and magazines don't run ad campaigns and then ring the client afterwards asking "Did you make any sales/leads?", and then bill the client based on the sales/leads that the ad generated. In the same way, I want advertisers to pay for using my ad-space. But, whilst it is always best to 'sell' the space and earn revenue each time you display an ad for a client, the reality is that you need to be really 'big' to earn the top-dollar for your space, otherwise you have to make the best of what's available and take what you can!
All the best
Shaun
