Brand advertisers get their day

Emily Riley | September 12, 2007, 04:13 PM

Many of my most recent briefings have been with companies who are focused on making online advertising more enticing to brand advertisers. I don’t think there is a pattern yet though; each seems to be focusing on a different need and offering a different solution. I’m probably most excited about MySpace’s new offering, since it breathes some life into the puffy and overtired social network category. MySpace has done a comprehensive keyword categorization of member-posted content and found enthusiasts in ten major verticals (travel, auto, etc.) They now allow advertisers to target banners to these groups as they move around the site. The offer, currently in a “charter period” with about 40 advertisers, really does seem to target only the most enthusiastic MySpacers, but still manages good reach.
Next up, Glam.com showed us their ad strategy, which is really the opposite of a massive free-for-all site like MySpace. They’re one of the very few sites out there that refuses all performance based (i.e. non-premium brand) advertisers. They have decided to take the high road and model themselves after top tier fashion magazines, where the advertising itself helps define the entire brand. Sure, they still use banner ads, but they’ve managed to convince luxury goods, couture and cosmetics companies to pony up, so it seems like its working.
Finally, a technology company called Traffiq. These guys bill themselves as an exchange (currently in beta,) but are really more like a contract management platform with a bidding structure. They allow sites to join and publicly offer slots on their sites, which advertisers can browse and bid for. It has the same appeal as Atlas or MediaVisor rolled up with site panel data, pricing, and other important bits of info. If many good publishers choose to offer their inventory, it could improve the lives of media planners everywhere.