So let’s go!
It all seems too good. Well, like anything there are kinks, but it really does seem so. The inevitable challenges arise mainly out of the complexity of the possibilities created and, of course, the technology. Frank highlights a few key puzzlers for advertisers and media agencies.
Like Adobe Flash, asynchronous JavaScript and XML, (Ajax) is already prevalent in many sites; it enables easy interaction with sites by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes—the entire web page does not need to refresh each time a visitor clicks.
Ajax creates the possibility for more engaging ad content and practices such as rotating ad content (in line with inventory requirements) but it also creates problems for established Internet advertising models, making it difficult to measure the stats relating to an ad. Where the page isn’t refreshed it introduces grey areas in assessing page view metrics. Existing methodologies do not sufficiently reflect the real-world impact of advertising by such methods.
Furthermore, Franks says to create ad content suited to this sort of highly targeted and engaging format will tend to require site specific implementations and so are of little use to advertisers that require a broad approach. Customised sponsorship is, naturally, a luxury for many.
Consider also that interruptive ads are still common—pop ups and so on. Ajax-based ads increase a user’s ability to focus on a particular task (and likewise an ad) and so also hold far less tolerance for interruption.
Another core symptom of evolving websites that also creates advertising challenges is what Frank describes as the phenomenon of “mashups”. These, he explains, refer to the occurrence of application programming interfaces being made available on websites that allow developers to mix services to create new interactive tools. Although commonly non-profit, he points out an example of US job search portal SimplyHired combining Google Maps, LinkedIn and PayScales.com to create a richer service for job seekers. This successful site sells contextual advertising—enough to attract the interest of New Corp to the tune of $3.5million.
Advertising in these kinds of sites becomes tricky. Separation rules (designed to ensure competitors aren’t advertising right beside each other) become awkward to maintain. Syndication of content is likely to suffer the same problems.
Another feature signposting the advance of websites is the popularity of consumer-generated media. By its nature, it can often exhibit offensive content and ignore copyright which could make some advertisers hesitant to associate their brand with it. But what many advertisers have also discovered is that it can be far better to pay a few well-connected contacts to seed advertising in these sorts of environments. Virally spreading advertisements can prove much more effective than buying ad placements on such pages.
This makes it difficult to charge commercial organisations that, for example, use these methods on a social networking or media sharing site. Some sites have attempted to charge commercial interests for the same access that consumers get for free, but the difficulty in scaling, measuring and actually implementing this beyond an honesty-based policy is problematic.
What is interesting is that while many of the new web—social networking and media sharing sites—dominate in page views and hold inherent design advantages for converting traffic into ad opportunities, these sites have amongst the lowest click-through rates of all other possible categories.
the future web
For those looking to advertise the opportunities to leverage these new techniques are promising, but be aware of the implications. Syndication, mashups, separation rules—managing your brand could be tricky. It is already looking complex and these are just the beginning.
Those looking to develop their websites to create better opportunities for advertising need to consider how to accommodate advertising standards and metrics throughout their features—especially for some of these more dynamic and interactive components. Content does not equal advertising success, so a strategy of how to introduce it and quantify it needs to be developed as more than just an afterthought.
“I think that we’re going to see volatility in the media and marketing worlds for at least the next five years or so,” says Frank. “I don’t see all of these problems being worked out and us returning to a world of stable media marketing for at least five years.”
There is plenty to consider, and media size alone is not necessarily a good predictor of advertising value. New examples of websites and advertising models will mushroom in the coming months and years.
Bubble 2.0 talk seems a little hasty but everyone in the industry recalls a not-so-distant bubble bursting, so some scepticism might be healthy—as long as you’re also preparing because
there is going to be plenty to interact with.
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