ReviNet l Ad Network Optimization

The Ad Monster

Christy Smith — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:45:32 +0000

Have you ever looked at a web page and wished you were some gun wielding ad monster that could taser an annoying or unwanted advertisement off your screen?

Ever had your boss yelling at you about an ad on your site and wish you had an easy button to solve it?

Or, have you ever done a presentation for an important client and wished the floor would open up and eat you when you proudly display your website with an diet ad featuring something that looks like Jabba the Hut?

Well, look no further publishers, your solution is here! ReviNet is releasing an updated version of their ad identifier tool called Revify that will put you in full control of your ads.

Revify is a downloadable tool that can be used by publishers to quickly identify a ReviNet tag on their page, investigate the ad and its source and report a questionable ad to ReviNet directly for removal from your site.

The most robust tool of its kind in the industry, Revify makes it simple and easy for publishers to more quickly identify and remove unwanted ads. The tool outlines and labels each ReviNet ad on the page and the accompanying toolbar provides details such as the advertiser, impressions run, adcode, network etc. It also includes a section to report ads where you can report an ad to the ReviNet staff without having to leave your page.

We are thrilled to announce this new and improved version of our ad identifier product and it got me thinking….what other “power” tools would publishers want to add to their toolbox?

Would a brand advertiser cloud ever be possible…where sales staff could go in and search for premium campaigns that meet their audience criteria and then directly accept insertions orders? And do you think RTB fits this dreamy thought yet?

Will there ever be a data Woodstock where everyone gets together and agrees on one way of reporting and measuring online audiences and advertising?

And can someone please develop a targeting tool that will tell me what someone is thinking even before they think it?!

Let me know your thoughts, dreams, wishes…..

The Other Side of Networks

Becky Parker — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:29:07 +0000

As the Director of Network Relations here at ReviNet, my team and I are in constant communication with 50+ advertising networks. Needless to say the offerings – in terms of both creatives and UI functionalities – run along all ends of the spectrum. More times than not when they are lacking in one realm they are excelling in another. Where’s the consistency and what makes one network better than the next?

Obviously each publisher has different priorities – ad quality, fill, CPM, etc. – but when I am familiarizing myself with a new network there are a few things that are a 100% necessity if we are even going to consider utilizing said network. In essence- when the network is “effective” it will provide:

Customer Service and Responsiveness

“If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends”- Jeff Bezos (Founder & CEO of Amazon.com)

Truer words have never been spoken! I have worked in many facets of the media space: radio, TV, and lastly online. The rapport I have now with my contacts is unparalleled. They know what I need; whether it is a last minute set of tags or assistance with a certain creative. Servicing and responding to the needs of the network is one of the keys to our success.

Quality Campaigns…with decent CPMs

When an advertiser has the opportunity to purchase quality inventory (made up of smaller websites and the remnant of the larger players) that has been woven together by whatever the RFP commands – content, behavior or demo – and reach a comparable audience at a fraction of the price, I think the only question is why not?! More and more brand advertisers are congregating on ad networks (that could be a whole additional post…stay tuned!) Not to mention, alternatively, to reach the desired targeted users, you would have to establish relationships with dozens of individual sites. This would mean negotiating rates multiple times, sending separate campaign materials, monitoring campaigns separately (on various systems), and paying separately.

From my point of view – as we work with multiple networks per publisher, we believe ad quality can weigh heavier than CPMs. Since we rank networks by eCPM, the first few impressions of the users’ experience (we would hope) would be the best, highest quality offerings of each network. Hit the frequency cap and on to the next network where you anticipate/expect the same. If that ad call gets hijacked by the dreaded belly fat or white teeth ad…nobody wins. We now remove the network entirely and the network has lost that opportunity to reach the quality audience who is more often than not going to have a higher rate of interaction.

User Friendly UIs

Some networks’ UIs have really turned around and become user friendly. While the spectrum varies, there are a few where instantly pulling creatives, blocklist handling (even the ability to block entire categories), and changing payment options are all a click away. Every piece of functionality that networks give to the publisher is one less email or call to the network.

All of our publishers are super sensitive about ad quality (as they should be) so the ability to preview creatives before they run on your site has been a life saver. Proactive is always better than reactive…especially when referring to a sales channel conflict.

Technological developments in the space

Whether it’s advancement in targeting, or giving the user the ability to pre-choose the creative of the ads being served to them, ad networks have a hand in all of it. Who doesn’t want to be involved in developing ways to get users more engaged and ads more relevant to the content? The content is streamlined, the process is efficient, and the technology is cutting edge.

So, the takeaways? An enormous amount of online inventory remains unsold even when publishers do their due diligence. Therefore every publisher has a need for a remnant solution. If networks are utilized correctly they can be that solution. Obviously this will not apply to every network (and unfortunately it’s trial and error) but eventually you will start see a select group become trusted partners with your organization. When we all come to the understanding that we’re in this to maximize our revenue at the highest quality possible, it starts to run like a well-oiled machine. And not just that…you’d be surprised how quickly the networks actually return your calls/emails!

A Publisher’s Guide to the Remnant Planet

Christy Smith — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:57:51 +0000

As an industry, we are an ever-changing ecosystem with new technologies and terminology cropping up every day. Ad network, Ad exchange, Vertical Network, Behavioral Network, Network Optimizer…what does it all mean?!?

With over 400 ad networks in market and new technologies cropping up daily, the possibilities for publishers today are endless and the challenge is to understand your remnant options and find the best fit for your company.

Lets explore the terms, define them, provide pros and cons and discuss!

Ad Network – The oldest of the terms explored here, the standard definition of an ad network is a company that connects advertisers to web sites that want to host advertisements. Ad networks provide a great way for a publisher to monetize any unsold ad inventory and there is an wide variety of networks that specialize in display, mobile, video, standard ad sizes, rich media, pop ups and more. Like the saying, “there is an app for everything”…there is a network for everything.

Pros: Networks provide publishers with an easy way to monetize ad space that they are unable to sell on their own.

Cons: It is difficult to find one network that will fill your entire inventory at premium rates – so many publishers utilize multiple partners. Multiple partners often leads to more legwork on the part of the publisher and can cause conflicts between your direct sales channel and issues with ad quality

Click here to see an sample list of the top 25 ad networks as reported by comScore MediaMetrix.

Vertical/Niche Network: Vertical networks are networks that represent niche content publishers and/or audiences. There are many in the market today that cater to categories stretching from gaming enthusiasts, glamour girls, business and technology, baby boomers and more.

Pros: These niche or vertical networks normally drive a higher CPM than standard ad networks because of their targeted nature.

Cons: The fill rate tends to be lower with these types of partners, so normally a publisher will have to contract additional remnant partners to fill their entire unsold inventory. Additionally, because of their targeted nature, they often sell to advertisers that your direct sales team is pitching, so there can be an increase in sales channel conflicts.

Examples of vertical networks include GlamMedia, Travel Ad Network and SportGenic

Behavioral Networks – Similar to Vertical networks, behavioral networks offer advertisers a more targeted buy via the tracking information they have on visitors to your site and their related surfing habits.

Pros: Higher rates based on the level of targeting.

Cons: There are many debates around consumer privacy these days and behavioral targeting sits in the middle of these debates. They track only non-personal data but a publisher needs to consider their visitors privacy as well.

Examples of Behavioral Networks and Networks that offer this targeting option include Audience Science, Collective Media, and Burst Media

Ad Exchange: Snowballing with momentum, the term ad exchange has cropped up in advertising circles as well as investment firms on a daily basis over the past year. The definition of an ad exchange can be defined as a technology platform for buying and selling online ad impressions.

Pros: Ad exchanges aim to cut out some of the middlemen between advertisers and publishers, creating a fair market where inventory can be bought and sold easily and free of additional fees for publishers.

Cons: Although there has been a boom in exchanges this year, the marketplace from the buy side is still not properly populated with advertisers and agencies. Much of the inventory being purchased on exchanges is by ad networks at reduced rates. Additionally, publishers have been unable to gain volume at premium rates in the exchanges without exposing their brand, so they either derive small volume from exchanges or lower their rates to a normal remnant level. Additionally, the self-serve model still has some risks for publishers in terms of site security. Most of the exchanges are doing their best to install protections against malvertising but the risk is still higher than other options.

Examples of some of the premiere exchanges available to publishers and advertisers today include AdECN, ADSDAQ, Doubleclick and RightMedia

Faced with these options (and many more I have neglected for sake of the length of this post) how does a publisher best move forward in this convoluted market?

Remnant Optimizers and advances in publisher/seller tools are the new frontiers in this industry and are aimed directly at the goal of helping publishers regain control in the market and find the most profitable and efficient ways to monetize their ad inventory.

Similar to the agency model, remnant optimizers are designed to help provide a program based on expertise and technology to manage, maximize and optimize a publisher’s remnant inventory. Optimizers can help a publisher find the best remnant partners or mix of partners, and over time help them find ways to sell their inventory more closely to the way advertisers have been buying.

It will take some time to see how the new players in the market will reshape the remnant marketplace, but I believe there is a movement afoot to swing the pendulum of power back to the content makers – which is music to my ears!

Send us your comments, questions, thoughts feedbacks or feel free to tell us some of your own new industry terms!!

Will Customers Pay for Online Content?

Laurie Lerner — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:34:32 +0000

Charging for online content has been a topic for debate recently as more and more publishers look to increase revenue.

At this point, in my opinion, it does not make sense to charge customers unless the content is niche, unduplicated and very compelling. Otherwise, publishers risk losing customers to the next site that offers similar content for free. According to a recent report by Nielsen nearly 8 out of 10 people would no longer use a website that charges them – presuming they can find the same information for free. Something else to keep in mind: if customers flee to free sites, the advertisers will follow.

Some publishers have tried a full subscription model or metered approach with success. For example, last summer ESPN rolled out Insider, its subscription based online sports site. They are hoping a paying customer is more engaged and a more valuable target for advertisers as well. The Insider has about 350,000 paying subscribers while the parent site espn.com remains free. Pandora.com released a metered service last year that limits users to 40 hours per month of ad-supported free music. Users can either pay $1 and receive unlimited music for the rest of the month, or pay $36 a year and have unlimited music without ads. The Financial Times also has rolled out metered access with success. Visitors can read 10 free articles a month. For unlimited access, rates vary from $3.59 a week for Web-only, to $7.55 a week for the print paper, full website access, and a host of online financial research tools.

Many publishers are betting on the paid model to increase revenue and plan on rolling it out over the next 12 months. For example, The New York Times is rolling out a metered service early next year. The publisher will offer users free access to an unspecified predetermined number of articles per month and then will charge users once they exceed that number. The New York Times says this will enable NYTimes.com to create a second revenue stream while still preserving its advertising business. According to TechCrunch, The New York Times believes, “Our audiences are very loyal and we believe that our readers will pay for our award-winning digital content and services.” Hulu has also recently reported plans to roll out a paid model in the next few weeks. Under the proposal, Hulu would continue to provide for free the five most recent episodes of shows like Fox’s “Glee,” “ABC’s “Lost” or NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” But viewers who want to see additional episodes would pay $9.95 a month to access a more comprehensive selection, called Hulu Plus.

Only time will tell if online readers will accept fees to consume online content they are getting for free today. Some people are willing pay a fee to receive Cable TV and Satellite Radio. Can the same be said for online newspapers, social communities and blogs?

How do you feel about paying for online content?

Adware and Spyware and Malware….Oh, My!

Laura Connolly — Thu, 06 May 2010 10:35:11 +0000

It is the one word that strikes fear into the hearts of publishers and ad networks alike – malware. A malware “outbreak” has the ability to severely threaten the credibility of a publisher’s site, and, if the ad is coming through an ad network, the network’s reputation. Malware can come through a variety of channels so it is important for both publishers and networks to be aware of exactly what they are serving onto a site. Hopefully with an increased knowledge and awareness of how malware spreads, we as an industry will be able to prevent it.

First things first – what exactly is malware?

Malware is any sort of “malicious software” whose sole purpose is to harm your computer. The end result can vary. Malware has the potential to not only download viruses onto your computer, but it also has the ability to steal any sensitive information you have stored on your system – such as email passwords and credit card information. The term “malvertising” refers to malware being distributed through advertising. Malware can be distributed in different forms – through malicious code hidden within a creative’s Flash (.swf) file or through files uploaded to a web page (user-generated content).

OK, that sounds terrifying…and a little creepy….how do I stop it?

When it comes to combating malware, the best offense is a good defense. Everyone should be aware of what to look for – from Sales Reps all the way through to the AdOps team. Here are some helpful warning signs of potential fraudulent campaigns:

The contact at the “agency” uses @gmail or another form of webmail, and when you try to call you can’t talk to a live person.
The agency contact offers to pay via wire transfer or credit card, but it is slow to arrive and they press you to push the campaign live.
Check the billing and contact information – if the company has a phone number or domain registered in the Ukraine, it’s probably not legitimate.
Check the domain of advertisers, agencies, and click URLs with tools such as DomainTools.com. Be on alert for…
- Any domains registered recently – usually a sign of a malicious campaign
- Domains hosted in a different country than where the agency/advertiser claims they are based
- A high number of registered domains for one email address
Pay closer attention to any “last minute” campaigns that want to begin before a weekend – malicious creative may appear legitimate at first, but will typically swap out and “fire” on a weekend or late in the evening when fewer people will be available to locate and solve the problem
For the AdOps team, carefully inspect all creatives before allowing them to run:
- AdOpsTools.net contains a scanning tool for Flash and Javascript files
- Inspect the referred calls for all third party ad tags – creative may seem harmless at first, but it can be swapped out and become malicious later.
- Notice if there are any unrecognizable domains in the referred calls.

Help! I think my site has been infected with malware! What should I do?

There are some signs that your computer could be infected with malware – you receive numerous error messages (the ever-popular “We’ve scanned your computer and found it to be infected! Click here to download anti-virus software!” message), your computer will not shut-down or restart, or you’re noticing an excessive amount of pop-up windows. If you think you have been infected, try to gather as much key information as possible….

Time of incident, and your geographic location
Exact page you were browsing
Type/version of browser and operating system (ie. Internet Explorer 7 and Windows XP)
Did you notice any particular ads on the page prior to the attack?
Detailed description of the attack

All of these details are key in determining the potential root cause of the malware. Many of these outbreaks attack quickly and can be geographically or browser targeted, making them difficult to replicate. As many details as you can gather the better so that an “attack pattern” can try to be formulated.

In order to protect yourself in the future, it is important to have up-to-date security software and the most recent browser and operating system updates and security patches. In addition, be sure that you are using a reputable anti-virus software (McAfee, Norton, etc), as many malware distributers will operate under the guise of being “anti-spyware.” It can also be helpful to keep an eye on news within the industry in order to learn of any other outbreaks that could be happening elsewhere. There are various blogs, such as Spyware Sucks (http://msmvps.com/blogs/spywaresucks/Default.aspx) and StopAdFraud.org, that catalog details of various malware outbreaks. If you prefer to leave the malware hunt to the professionals, companies such as The Media Trust have developed technology to scan ad tags and creatives for potential malware, and they cross-check their findings with various malware databases.

So, in conclusion…

There is strength in numbers – if all levels and facets of the online industry work together to take the necessary steps to prevent and combat malware, we can help make the web safer for everyone. Unfortunately, malware is a reality of the business – and the distributors of malware make it their objective to discover new ways to get around current security measures in order to spread malicious software. Security professionals certainly have their job cut out for them. Dan Lohrmann, the Director of Infrastructure Services at the Michagan Department of Technology, describes the challenges facing the industry: “The bad guys are always getting better and trying to get in. They are working harder than ever to defeat whatever you are doing to protect your enterprise. This knowledge alone will change your perspective on your job and when you are ‘done.’ What worked today may not work tomorrow.” It’s important to understand that everyone plays in part in preventing malware from spreading. Only with a concerted effort from all areas of the industry working together will we be able to preserve the safety and security of our advertising medium.

Have any additional tips on preventing malware? Let us know.