May 14, 2001
Article

Trend Prediction: Banner Ad Sales to Be Automated

RSS   Free Newsletters  
SUMMARY: Prospective online media buyers, especially those from small-mid- sized agencies, can't get their calls returned. Reported offenders include big name-brand Web sites, from About.com to internet.com to Yahoo!. How is the online media industry going to solve this problem? 
"We're really frustrated over here," says Hollis Thomases,
President of interactive agency WebAdvantage.net, "Previously you
couldn't get a hold of a media rep because they were all too
overloaded with prospective buyers. Now, with lay-offs and cut
backs, either there isn't anyone to speak to, or the person you
speak to is a new hire, taking the place of an overpaid rep, and
this newcomer hasn't a clue."

Thomases' complaint is one we've heard repeatedly recently.
Prospective online media buyers, especially those from small-mid-
sized agencies, can't get their calls returned. Reported
offenders include big name-brand Web sites, from About.com to
internet.com to Yahoo!.

Problem is, it's too expensive for live sales people to handhold
accounts under a certain size. So they're cherry picking. And
leaving stuff they don't want in the dust. We predict forward-
looking sites will follow Google's AdWords program lead and begin
to automate the 80% of sales that only make up 20% of income.
However, how much damage could bad advertiser relations do their
brands in the meantime? And how many smaller agencies will stop
trying to buy online media because it's just too much of a pain?
Stay tuned....

Improve Your Marketing

Join our thousands of weekly case study readers.

Enter your email below to receive MarketingSherpa news, updates, and promotions:

Note: Already a subscriber? Want to add a subscription?
Click Here to Manage Subscriptions