Online Ad Networks Retain Advertisers
By Anna Johnson on October 12th, 2009Many web publishers and advertisers alike favor online ad networks – publishers like the convenience and ability to sell lots ad inventory (albeit at a discount) and advertisers like the reach, relatively low cost and ability to choose between different payment models e.g. cost-per-click, cost-per-action, cost-per-impression and so on.
Research by Econsultancy and the Rubicon Project has found, however, that both the publisher and advertiser camps hold certain reservations about ad networks. 65 percent of advertisers surveyed by the companies said they were concerned about having their ads appear alongside inappropriate content, and a significant 62 percent complained of discrepancies between their own performance data and that provided by the networks.
According to Econsultancy, however, none of this is enough to deter advertisers from continuing to use ad networks. Respondents to its study said that 30.61 percent of their display advertising budgets were spent on ad networks, and 31.91 percent of media plans included ad networks.
Meanwhile, approximately half of the marketers surveyed said they were working with more ad networks than in the previous year, while 37 percent were working with the same number of ad networks. Many planned to continue working with ad networks in 2010, while few planned to reduce their involvement.
It seems, then, that online ad networks are generally delivering the value expected of advertisers. Even so, those networks that can ensure better targeting and accurate data reporting are sure to have an advantage over others.
Source: eMarketer, “Pros and Cons of Online Ad Networks,” eMarketer, October 6, 2009
