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IN THIS ISSUE:
Hot Issues
In-stream Video Beta Update

Product Updates
Expandable Ads Now Available

In the News
The Future of Ad Networks in 2007

Maximize Your Performance

ValueClick Media News

Welcome to the February edition of The Point, the official newsletter for ValueClick Media advertisers. In this issue we'll give you an update on our in-stream video beta, introduce a new rich media ad unit and talk with Sales Account Executive Carolyn Burbach.

If there are topics you'd like to see covered or have additional questions, please contact us at advertiser@valueclick.com.

Hot Issues:

In-stream Video Beta Update
In case you missed it, we recently launched our enhanced video advertising capabilities across the ValueClick Media network. Available in beta, our in-stream video product includes both pre-roll and post-roll features and is fully integrated with our existing targeting, optimization and reporting capabilities.

Our video solutions continue to include in-banner capabilities compatible with all major rich media vendors. We can also increase the reach of your in-stream ads with our proprietary in-banner format for even wider distribution of your message across more than 75 percent of the U.S. Internet audience.

We built our video solutions with your performance advertising objectives in mind, in order to allow you the flexibility to identify the best combination of solutions to leverage our extensive reach, technology and ad network expertise.

For more info contact your sales executive today or visit http://www.valueclickmedia.com/adv_video.shtml.

The Performance Interviews
Last week we unveiled The Performance Interviews, a year-long campaign featuring high-profile online advertising industry executives discussing "What does performance mean to you?"

Wherever the concept of performance resonates, whether that's professionally, personally, or philosophically, we want to hear about it and share it with the industry.

We hope The Performance Interviews will create a truly unique campaign that will engage thousands of our colleagues throughout the industry and serve as a reminder of its importance - no matter what it means to you.

View the series of interviews along with the promotional spot that appeared on stage at the iMedia Brand Summit.

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PRODUCT UPDATES

ValueClick Media now offers expandable ads!
A cost-effective way to capture attention and increase ad effectiveness, our expandable ads enlarge up to four times the size of traditional ads, resulting in a larger creative canvas for more highly visible and dynamic messaging.

Click below to see a sample:
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IN THE NEWS

The Future of Ad Networks in 2007
iMediaConnection.com
By David Yovanno, GM ValueClick Media

If 2006 was any indication, 2007 is shaping up to be another big year for ad networks.

 The ad network model received more validation than ever in 2006, through increased spending and heightened industry dialogue about their value and importance as part of a well-rounded media plan. Another telling trend in 2006 was the introduction of several new ad networks and the bets some larger media companies have placed on the network model.

The availability of capital and a relatively low technical barrier for basic entry have enabled several new ad networks to enter the space over the course of the past 18 months. And while vertical networks and network exchange models may find their place in the online advertising landscape, there are high barriers to entry when it comes to developing the business relationships and trust among advertisers and publishers that are at the heart of building and sustaining a successful network. Networks today must have either significant critical mass or an audience or content that is both very unique and very valuable in order to survive.

 View the rest of the article.
ValueClick Media Enters Video Market
Adweek
By Brian Morrissey

While Web video has been dominated by big sites like YouTube, ValueClick Media is betting 2007 will be the year more small sites add streaming content.

 ValueClick Media is the latest entrant into the booming Web video market, which eMarketer expects to grow from $650 million in 2007 to $1.7 billion by 2009.

 View the rest of the article.
ValueClick Media Offers Custom Channel for Extensive
Valentine's Day Reach
MediaBuyerPlanner.com

ValueClick Media has announced a new custom channel, designed to extend the reach and effectiveness of campaigns centered around Valentine's Day. The channel, dubbed "Run of Love," is a group of nearly 100 sites selected from the ValueClick Media network based on their content relevancy to love, relationships, greeting cards and Valentine's Day.

 View the rest of the article.
Throughout the year, expect to see more seasonal custom channels such as Run of Love. Currently, a custom Mother's Day channel is available. Contact your sales executive today for more information.

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MAXIMIZE YOUR PERFORMANCE

Your Landing Page is Your Second Best Friend
By Chey Hahn, Media Services Generalist
ValueClick Media

As an advertiser you know that when you're running a campaign, no matter what the venue or vendor, your creative is your best money generating friend. But if the creative is not compelling enough to get viewers to click, they'll never have an opportunity to see what your offer is about, never completing the conversion path.

A significant amount of an ad campaign's budget is focused on creating compelling creative along with the media planning and buying. Sometimes the results can show mediocre or disappointing conversions performances. The first inclination when analyzing the results may focus on the creative itself, but there is another important factor in the equation to consider: the landing page.

The landing page is one of the most overlooked factors in conversion success. Often a site's homepage is used as the click through/landing page, which is something we rarely recommend.

When creating a custom landing page, take a look at it from the viewers' experience. You've issued an invitation in your creative. When the viewer arrives at the landing page, do they immediately see what the ad was referring to? Is the offer along with the call to action above the fold? If the viewer has to look around to find either, chances are you're going to lose them. The objective is to keep the viewer on point and heading in the direction you want them to go.

The good news is that with ValueClick Media's tracking pixel, CPA and CTR results are calculated for each creative served, so it's easy to see what's working and what's not.

If you're running a special promotion, take the time to design a corresponding landing page just for that offer. Then, load the creative twice. First, link it to the landing page you've been using all along (i.e. the homepage). Then load it again, but this time linked to the new page. It could be a new dedicated special offer page or it could be a revised version of the page you always use, but this time with the offer made highly visible at the top.

Then, after you test it for a bit, it will probably be pretty clear which is the CPA winner - and which is your new second best friend.

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MEET THE TEAM

In each issue of The Point, we interview a different member of the ValueClick Media team. This is what Carolyn Burbach had to say:

c_burbach Name: Carolyn Burbach
Nickname: Burbs
Role: Sales Account Executive

How long have you been with ValueClick Media?
Two years.

Where did you work prior to working here?
I worked for Homestore, particularly Realtor.com, before coming to ValueClick Media.

What do you like best about your job?
I love that my job does not feel like "work." The environment here is energetic and fun, the online ad industry is state-of-the-art and fast paced, and I can work with almost any advertiser out there. The ValueClick Media network is set up to cater to almost any type of ad campaign, so one minute I could be strategizing with clients on how to target a young male audience, and the next moment I may be working with a financial client on a network takeover. Every day is different, which keeps things exciting, challenging and never boring.

 When bringing on a new advertiser, what aspects of their campaign do you evaluate and why?
It is always very important to pay attention to the client's needs, as every campaign is going to be different. Regardless of what the client's goals are, it is my job to find a way to understand them and ultimately meet them. Once I figure out the client's target audience, measure of success and overall goal, I will work with the planning team to find a way to meet these goals. Then it's up to both the account manager and me to implement the campaign and make sure it is working for the client up until the end. Overall, it is quite a team effort!

 What do you think leads to a successful ValueClick Media campaign?
Communication is the key to success with any campaign. I truly believe we can make any type of campaign work, as long as we set realistic expectations for the client and fully understand their needs. I've found that even if a campaign is not working perfectly right away, if I communicate openly with the client, we are often able to shift things around to find the campaign's "sweet spot."

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Should you have any questions about your account please contact your account manager or e-mail advertiser@valueclick.com.

For more information, please visit www.valueclickmedia.com.

Meet The Team:

This issue we interviewed
Carolyn Burbach,
Sales Account Executive.
Read More.

Upcoming Events:

IAB Leadership Forum:
Performance Marketing
March 14
Chicago, IL

OMMA West
March 19-20
Hollywood, CA

iMedia Breakthrough '07
March 25-28
Las Vegas, NV

Did you know:

Behavioral Targeting vs.
Run of Network
 Recently, we ran two campaigns for a major electronics retailer looking to drive online sales - a behavioral targeting and run of network (RON) campaign. Below are some of the findings between the two:

  • Client's behavioral campaign resulted in a 223% higher average order value than the RON campaign.
  • Behavioral campaign resulted in a 59% lower cost per sale than the RON campaign.
  • Conversion rates for behavioral were 15% while RON was 3%.
See the full post campaign
analysis.

Get more info on our behavioral targeting solution here.

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