AD blocker a decisive?

It's sometime now, quite abuzz surrounding the wide spread of Ad blocker softwares.And due to this, Online players are much worried about the gaining functionality and popularity of Ad blockers..

But Ad blockers a real threat to online advertising?

What do you think when something is ruining your 13.7Bill display advertising market?
Perhaps I’ll say NO for now. But I cannot deny the fact that the situation might soon change.

What is the possible outcome from Ad Blockers?

• It Limits the reach of Audience for the online marketers (Users blocking ads)
• Leads to revenue loss of Ad server providers (Impressions does not count)
• Again, revenue loss to the publisher and also losses advertisers (No conversions)

So, the list continues...

To stress on, recently launched firefox addon "Ad block Plus" is creating panic waves as it blocks about 90% of ads on a website. I tried it and found blocking all 3 rd party ad server links and re-direct links. It works well with Firefox, so I dug out on details about Firefox.See the image below the market share of all web browsers

Provided by: www.netapplications.com

The Firefox share is 14.85%, the total online population is 6 bill, so we have 976 mill Firefox users, which is Huge population. Among this 976Mil how many users have active ad blocker is my Question? Unfortunately, unable to get the answer.

How do we override this problem?

Many publishers have created redirects to pages asking Firefox visitors to disable Ad blockers so as to see their website. Some Publishers annoyed to such extent that they have totally blocked their Firefox visitors.I see this situation similar to the one online advertising industry faced in the development of pop up blockers. Lots of pop up blocking tools have come, but equal amount of anti blocking code has been associated with pop up ads to override.

Online players must realize the importance of breaking this clutter. Publisher/Ad server should associate Anti blocking codes along with actual ads for display. When new ad blocker comes, proportionally Anti ad blocking software should be updated.

I, strongly feel this is the wakeup call for all online players/online advertising governing body, to think about this serious problem in the making and help us with an effective Antidote.

Interstitial Ad-the Ambush

Penned down lines would find its usefulness for those, who's wanting to know what an Interstitial ad is.

Interstitial ad, is one of the most popular Rich Media ad type.Also, commonly known as Metastitial ads or transition ads.Interstitial ads are those, which would appear when an user navigates from one page to another page.There are some interstitials that would appear, when an user closes the web browser session.Technically, all these interstitial ads gets downloaded to the user's cookie, when an user visits a web page, which has an interstitial ad scheduled.And so, the downloaded interstitial ad would begin to monitor the user's behavior and when it finds that the user navigates to someother page or closes the browser, instantaneously the ad gets triggered and appears to the user.Depending on how the interstitial are programmed by the creative team, the interstitial appears either while navigating between pages or closing the browser.

Below is an example for an interstitial POPUp ad

In general, an interstitial ad type would be deployed for branding campaigns.Many people normally gets confused between an interstitial and superstitial ads.Actually, the nature of how these ad loads in both the ad types are the same, the only difference is being, a Superstitial ad appears on the background.One more thing on interstitial ad, I am not sure though is, some interstitials works on web browsers which has "Java Virtual machine" installed, a software addon for the web browser.

Traffickers !!!

Points to be noted While Trafficking Interstitial ads

Traffickers, normally interstitial ads would be of Tag form and you would need to make special settings on your ad server to traffic intersititals unlike normal ads.Moreover, you may need to make additional modification the interstitial creative tag before uploading on the Ad server so as to ensure impressions and click recordings.I would highly recommend the Traffickers to check with your Ad sever manual to know how to traffick interstitial ads.

Relevancy of Online advertising, a disaster?

In our industry, throwing up advert much relevant to the content and to the Targeted Audience is the prominent factors which determines a good advert.But sometimes, it might leads to disaster.One such case which, I came across today when, I happened to check my email on my 30gigs account.When I opened up the 'Inbox", I saw a leaderboard(728x90) Google Adsense advert on the Top, campaigning to create a gmail account.

Refer to the screenshot below

So whose loss, whose gain?

• Can we blame GoogleAdsense for showing this advert?
• Should we blame the 30gigs team for placing google adsense on their inbox ?

We cannot blame either of them as, GoogleAdsense does not know the 728x90 property details on 30gigs.At the same time even 30gigs does not know what are the Scheduled ads that would be displayed.So sometimes things are inevitable.

So whats the lesson in the store?

Too much of Relevancy not only gets you conversions, but also eats your cake :-)

Trafficking Text Ads containing Special Characters

Trafficking Text ads, ain't simple as they appear.One have to be utmost cautious while dealing with such ads.Important point is, when you Traffick a Text ad, which contains special characters or any Double byte characters such as "$,#,.." would be truncated on the web site.Because web browser might not properly interpret the special characters pushed through an ad server, so the aftermath would result in either Special characters not thrown up on the web site or the character would gets altered.

Example:

Actual Text creative: Buy TV for 430£ HURRY NOW !

Displayed Text Ad: Buy TV for 430 HURRY NOW !

Observation:The "£" is missed in the Displayed Text ad.

There's a work around for this.All you got to do is, replace the special characters with its HTML equivalent while setting up on your Ad server.Download document which contains Special characters and their HTML Equivalents " Click Here to download "

Note:

• Once you replace the special characters with its HTML equivalent, Please preview the ad and ensure it displays properly.Also run a Test campaign on a Test page before you Turn the actual ad live

• I would highly recommend that you check with your ad server vendor or refer to Ad server manual to know whether you need to replace with HTML Equivalents.
  

Ad Serving on YouTube

You Tube has started to ad serve.Mainly after much speculations among advertisers and YouTube fans, the GoogleTube now officially started their adverts.

So far on the site, below were the ad units, I have noticed

• 300x35 gif/jpeg banner
• 300x250 gif/jpeg banner
• In line video along with a 300x250 companion gif/jpeg banner

All the adverts are pushed through Doubleclick's DFP.I have taken few screen shots of the same

• A small banner ad below the main video content is displayed(as highlighted at the left hand side), refer screen shot below

• A click on this banner ad, would expand to a Video ad and starts to play which is clickable to the advertiser's page

• A static companion 300x250 banner is displayed at the right hand throughout the main video, which is again clickable
  

Pros:

• Video ads here are less intrusive in nature, and video plays ONLY when the user clicks on the small banner below main video

• When a user clicks on the ad, the acutal video is paused

• YouTube is serving ads only on the popular videos which are rich in quality.Advertisers get big relief by this, as many were doubting, whether would their adverts be displayed on all lousy video uploads by Youtube users

Facebook's New Profile based Ad Targeting System

Facebook, the most popular social networking site has revealed its plans, to monetize through online advertisements which would be targeted based upon it's user's profile. Technically this targeting is known as Profile Targeting.

Facebook works on this profile based ad targeting system with full priority.According to sources, the ads would be Text based and not display banners.Facebook also plans to conduct surveys among its users to evaluate the response for its advertisement program.The company hopes that it would bring them tremendous success like Google by their contextual based targeting system.

All these trends are clear indicative that Web2.0 sites are creating platform for marketers an easy way for indentifying their target audience.Moreover with already available various targeting options such as Geo location, keyword, Zone, Browser, operating system, Time and date in the industry, profile Targeting has better chance for marketers for reaching their potential audience which results in higher conversions.

Cache Busting -a closer look

Cache busting

It is nothing but a technique to override caching of online advertisements. Cache busting is done primarily to stop caching of online advertisements in local system because when a previously visited page is requested again, the browser would retrieve the webpage content along with online advertisements from the cookies(refer to my earlier article on cookies ), thereby creating revenue loss to the ad serving vendors.

Why should we do cache busting?

• Absence of Cachebusting results in revenue loss to Ad server vendors , since, the already requested page along with the advert would be retrieved from the local cookies and no request would be made to 3rd part Ad server
• Lack of Cachebusting also leads to impressions discrepancies between the Publisher Ad server and the 3rd party ad server
• Improper and absence of cache busting causes 3 rd party Ad server to register impression value lesser than publisher ad server hence resulting in under delivery

How do I do Cache busting?

Cache busting can be done in 2 ways

• Using Cache busting tokens
• Implementing Math. Random() function in a JavaScript

In both the types a random number(usually 10digit) would be generated everytime an Ad is requested, so the browser actions this as a new request and delivers the Advert from Ad server and not from Cookies. This way cache busting is done.

Dealing With Cache busting Tokens

Usually all 3rd party Served Tags would contain identifiers which have to be replaced with the Publisher Ad Server Macro for cachebsuting.Look for these identifiers and replace with your Ad server's cache busting macro (value/Function) for defeating cache.

Some commonly used cache busting identifiers are

• [cachebuster]
• [TimeStamp]/[timestamp]
• [RNG]
• Insert_Time_Stamp_Here
• RANDOM

Few Caching busting Macros of leading Ad servers

Ad Server	Cache busting macro
Doubleclick's DFP	%n
Real Media OAS	%%REALRAND%%
MSN Sales's Ad Expert	##%RAND%##
Zedo	%t or %r

**Please kindly refer to your Ad server product manual for accurate macro and confirm.

Yahoo Debuts Behavioral Targeting

In my earlier post(Title:Yahoo!'s Smart Ads a Behavioral Targeting) I discussed that Y! kick started their beta testing on behavioral targeting which they call as Smart Ads.Now Y! Debuts this service to all its users.

With Smart Ads, Y! apart from just targeting a potential user based on web behavior patterns, also has the ability to dynamically customize the online ads, so the ad would get greater influential rate.So as to do this, the advertisers would provide various backgrounds, text and other materials of the ad.All this would be later uploaded on their ad server and set up made accordingly.

As a result of this, a potential user not only just sees a relatively advert according to his/her mind, but also an attractive ad. So, Y! firmly believes that this combination would soar their position in display advertisement segment.Furthermore, the beta test conducted on their Yahoo travel portal already proved success.

Cookies-A must know

Cookies is a must know functionality for all online ad traffickers.Penned down few lines would help you to understand what are cookies and what role does it plays in online advertising

Quick Tour of Cookies

Cookies to me is a program which would help website to store little information about the user's behaviour on the website in the cookies folder of your hardrive.Cookies helps an user to have a faster web experience.

Types of Cookies

• Session Based Cookies
• Persistent Cookies

Session Based Cookies:These are the temporary cookies which would be stored until you close your browser.Every web browser has settings which can be used to allow this or block.

Persistent cookies:These stays in your hardware little longer than your session based cookie.Usually the lifetime of this cookies are determined by the website which stores this cookie.Normaly the cookies content would carry its expiry date.Even we can delete this cookies either from web browser or directly from the temporary folder.

Pros:

• Cookies helps us achieving Frequency capping that we set in the ad server.
  
• For e-commerce sites, cookies helps to a major extent by storing informations regarding transactions.(e.g)After adding an item to a cart, when you move next to check out, without cookies, the website would not register what item if you have added to the cart
• Faster web user experience

Cons:

• Cookies may lead to revenue loss to the ad serving companies if not properly cachebusted because when a user visits already visited page, the page content along with online campaigns would be retrieved from cookies and hence revenue loss to the ad serving company
  
• Improper Cookie handling, would result in impressions discrepancies when we use 3rd party ad server
  

Apple's iPhone, Google's GPhone?

Now that Apple's iphone frenzy is kinda over.Speculations prevails that Google is working on a major cell phone project as it is in talks with wireless carriers particularly with T-mobile about offering its phone it designed.

Sources says Google already started developing a web browser exclusively for mobiles.We all know that the next big medium for advertisments on the internet going to be an hybrid model integrating the power of internet, mobile and IPTV and having the current trend of soaring mobile advertising, it is of no wonder to me if google spending millions of dollars in its mobile initiative.

According to the newspapers the mobile would not be available in the market until atleast 2008, in the mean time let me guess what would google name their phone a Gphone may be? alike Apple's iphone.

Doubleclick Launches New Ad Format

Doubleclick recently have launched a new ad format known as '"the Teaser".This ad format contains short flashes of video.Doubleclick claims that this would increase the range of options for the advertisers.Universal Pictures is the first to use the ad format, in connection with advertising for the debut of its action-thriller, The Bourne Ultimatum.Also the Ad format allows us to scroll over the ad and gives us 3 options to select.

• Try Demo:Please Click Here for the Demo Ad

• For more details :Click Here
  

Best Online ad trafficking practices

I have jotted down few points which I think are the most essential qualities for all online ad traffickers to follow along with their everyday trafficking process.

General Practices

• Do not touch the ad server before you read and understand the traffick request thoroughly

• Check for any attachments and download if any (such as Creative, IO’s, Trafficking sheet, etc)

• While replying the clients always remember to include information like Campaign ID, Ad ID, and creative ID instead of long campaign/ad names. Fact is Id’s are easy to search in ad servers

• Once your work is finished on the ad server, just remember to put a brief note of your work in the comment field (if any) in the ad server. This piece of information would help your successor/QA person to understand your work

• Prepare a matrix containing different page groups and its corresponding dimension for quick reference

• Readers, it is a good habit to document a complete trafficking guideline. This document would be useful to you as well as your team to maintain a knowledge base which can be further shared with fellow traffickers and new joiners

• While replying to your client, first type the email body and then attach files(if any) and at last include the email ids required

Technical practices

• Whenever you deal with inventory booking, first run an availability inventory forecast and then book the inventory. Doing this way help you to understand the inventory available and avoid overbooking

• Check for the creative specifications such as creative file size, Creative looping, Dimension against the website specifications

• For Zone Targeting check if the sent creative and zone dimension matches (For example Page group “Horoscope” on a given website would accept only creative of dimension 400x400)

• Check for the Landing page, by pasting the given LP on to the browser and see if it renders properly without error. If you get error then check with various browsers

• For any TPS (3rd party served) Tags ensure you implement correct click tracking and cache busting (Cookie Defeating) of your ad server

• Before making the ad live, ensure that the creative previews and click thru works fine

Microsoft acquires ADECN

The acquisition spree still continues all the big www still continuing their shopping.

The recent acquisition is by "Microsoft", which has acquired Ad exchange network "ADECN".ADECN, provides a base for all the ad networks to bid, buy and sell their ad spaces in real time.As everybody knows ADECN is a competitor of RightMedia, which is a product of Yahoo.So it is apparent that there would be a tough tie bewteen microsoft and Yahoo.

With the development of network with microsoft, the ADECN has major scope of taking their ad exchange network to new heights.

My view while this trend continues is, the e market place becomes shorter and shorter and leaving marketers with limited options.But at the same time I am sure that, these changes would enable production of more sophisticated techniques for better ROI.

Sequential Advertising a new strategy in online video

A new kid from heavy.com.As the name implies the advertisement's content would be thrown sequentially throughout the video.The idea behind this is to include series of narrative elements /story board which would hold the viewers till the last sequence of the advertisement.

Is not this concept sounds similar to the one we have come across TV and newspaper?I have seen print ads developed based on the similar concept by printing various sequence of an advertisement across various pages therby keeping the viewer's spirits up throughout the movie.

Sequential advertising offers a way of engaging viewers instead of repeatedly exposing them to the same creative or a series of disjointed ads. “We’ve seen a real problem with some advertisers,” said Heavy.com’s co-CEO, Simon Assaad, via MediaWeek.Mike’s Hard Lemonade will be one of the first advertisers to test out the new strategy this week, as it will run multiple related video ads within Heavy’s programming.

Having the history that longer video ads gives good conversion, this new kid has huge room to success for branding campaigns

Mid Roll a new advert concept in streaming media

So far while trafficking streaming medias(Video/Audio) we have used Pre roll and post roll audio/video adverts.Now we got company

__________________________________________________________________
Sneak Peak

Pre roll-Here the streaming Audio/Video advertisement rolls before the actual media content
Post roll-Here the streaming Audio/Video advertisement comes once the actual content is finished.

__________________________________________________________________

Podbridge, the leading provider of analytics and ad insertion services for downloadable video and audio content, today announced that it has partnered with Personal Life Media, Inc. and has come up with a new idea to insert streaming advert at the middle of the content, technically known as Mid-roll position.These ads are dynamically inserted through their sophisticated Ad server based on campaign parameters. Publishers determine ad insertion locations, which can vary ad lengths and bundle multiple ads together to offer integrated ad packages that are most valuable to marketers. In addition, the feature of fade–ins and fade-outs of ads within the show content enable a smoother, more professional consumer experience.

For more details please Click Here

Web2.0 concept on Banner ads

We have seen quite a lot of Ad types such as normal Gif/jpeg banner, Over the page, interstitials, streaming audios/Videos and also full page ads.Recently a new ad type has been launched whose connotation perfectly syncs with the industry type it belongs.

The banner allows one to transact on a secured layer.A viewer can actually see, learn and be able to buy a product without going beyond the banner ad.This concept has been introduced by the London based agency fhlame, and they call it as "Tailgate".This concept makes a prospect buyer's life easier by preventing him/her from going to advertiser's website to transact.

Try the Demo Click Here


Though this concept does good role in making transaction easier, certain significant factors that needs to be considered are

• Who would store the transacted data?If the fhlame maintains, how many advertisers would feel comfortable despite knowing the possible chances to misuse collected data for other similar advertisers

• The banner ad content would get congested.Lets say for a mobile handset advertisement, the advertiser has to put even the technical specs along with other infos of the mobile for one to buy.But the trend so far is, the creative which has minimal content does good conversions

This idea seems to be time effective however when we look at the other influencing market research data, this idea has to be further tunned.

Targeted Ads in IPTV

IPTV:Internet protocol Television.It is a technically advanced service, by which one can view television content over the computer networks instead viewing on traditional TV broadcasting networks.

Juniper one of the leading computer network component manufacturer which has come up with a router(E120), which has the capability to serve ads according to geographical, behavioral and demographic information of the viewer.Having this ability to gather information from viewers, the advertisers will be better able to target the ads delivered through IPTV.So, marketers firmly believes that there would be better conversions for that with the current small IPTV viewer population the ads delivered have a better chance to being seen by the right viewer at the right time.

MediaSeed- New Arrival

Media Seed a new tool that allows advertisers and publishers to upload, distribute and track the videos.With this tool, the Clients can upload video and other rich media content to the dashboard, syndicate the content and then track user views through the Teletrax service.

"Video on the Internet is a key target [for public relations professionals]," said Laurence Moskowitz, CEO, MediaLink.

With MediaSeed, Advertisers can create their online communities for their product or services or even build their brand image.Research has shown that building micro sites and offering users a platform to share their ideas has become crucial.This would enable one to engage their audience to grow their brand image.

To name some real paradigms, are "Gangofgirls.com" (Sunslik), "Itchguard.com"(Itch Guard),...

Yahoo!'s Smart Ads a Behavioral Targeting

First, a bite of what's Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral Targeting:It is the most advanced level of targeting, wherein a program would monitor users behavior and collects data, when the program reaches a sufficient data level, it would throw advertisements relevant to the collected data.(pros-Highly Targeted customers!!!)

Yahoo recently launched such a service which is a pancake for its customer which is known as SmartAds and currently doing its Beta trial.This innovative, Patent-Pending Ad Delivery Platform allows Marketers to Present Highly Targeted Online Display Ads in Real Time to Match a User's Distinctive, Expressed Interests.Todd Teresi, Yahoo’s senior vice president of display marketplaces said that the product will start in travel and is expected to expand by the end of the year to retail and automotive.

He adds an example

If a person looking for a sporting event in another city, a travel ad may pop up that provides the lowest rate from the user’s location to the destination city. For auto advertisers, Teresi says creative may include geographically relevant images with local dealer offer. He calls it a “template assetized approach,” stating, “All of a sudden, the ad experience becomes more relevant.”

As of now, SmartAds is being sold by direct sales, but may be made available through an auction-based system or an automated format. Teresi reported that during its testing period, SmartAds displayed a click-through rate that was two to three times higher than other traditional ads using target placements techniques.

I would greatly appreciate Y!'s effort to provide better ROI, but how the service would be priced? a premium based?

Quigo's here, beware Google and Yahoo

Google and Yahoo one of the few web tycoons which predominates in performance based advert model.

We all very well know that unless one transforms frequent innovative ideas into reality, his/her product is doomed to loose its market value.

This statement has become very true when "Time Inc" annouced their merge with Quigo to provide PPC based campaigns on Time Inc network magazines which was previously handled by Google and Yahoo.Time Inc collaboration with Quigo is to gain access on Quigo's "Ad sonar" a performance based ad network.The other companies which has changed to Quigo are ESPN.com, Forbes.com and FoxNews.com.

The reason for this change to "Ad Sonar" is because of its excellent targeting and simple yet transparent reporting capabilities.Their ‘AdSonar’ technology allows advertisers to target ads contextually with specific keywords, by website section or by individual webpage.

Recognizing the demand for control and transparency, Google recently introduced placement performance reports so that, as per Quigo, advertisers can see where their ads have appeared along with site performance metrics(Refer to my earlier post title "Google Adwords now provides Placement Performance reports")