Mike Seiman's Blog

Not only have ad network and publisher relationships changed over the years, but so have the relationships between ad network and advertiser.  No longer do advertisers need to rely on ad networks to bring them inventory from publishers in bulk. They have choices: exchanges, marketplaces, supply side platforms, demand side platforms, and more.  The advertiser now has the ability to execute on his own, whether an agency, direct marketer, or just a broker, they no longer need the traditional ad network.  However, that doesn’t mean that today’s new age ad network isn’t needed, and can't provide a true "out of the box" solution to increase the likelihood of success for advertisers.

Today’s advertisers need to force their ad networks to provide more than inventory to arbitrage, or they should find a network that provides these new options.  At CPX, we focus on providing value through service, and the ad network landscape needs to change towards that model if we are to survive.  The things ad networks can bring are: insight into inventory trends, high quality relationships with publishers, enhanced technology for arbitraging these new options, as well as the strategy behind how our advertisers can increase their objectives through online media.  

While many agencies may say this is their job, the truth is, their job is so much more. By allowing the ad network to help with the strategy of how to increase goals through online display media, both the ad network and agency can benefit from happier clients who want to spend more dollars on online advertising.  As media becomes a commodity, agencies and ad networks have decisions to make: we can change the way we interact, or we can continue to bump heads until one of these new entities cuts us out altogether.  We may not be able to see how agencies could get cut out of online advertising in the future just yet, but then again, we never thought media would become such a commodity that the traditional ad network would become futile.