Each month Denise Shrivell from MediaScope, curates a series of must read articles and insights to inform the digital media community.
Is Online Advertising Really A $42.8B Industry? (via MediaPost) – A recent release from the IAB (US), stated that total U.S. online advertising spending in 2013 was $42.8 billion. “More than TV for the first time,”shouted the headlines. I bet a few TV sales reps glanced at this story, chuckled, and then poured themselves another scotch and drank in how great life is selling television advertising. As an industry, if we took an honest look in the mirror, we would see a clearer picture of who we really are, complete with the structural flaws we mask with these inflated figures. Let’s pull the curtains open on this smoke-and-mirrors total spending show, and see what we really have.
SlideShare: SoDA 2014 Digital Marketing Report (via Digital Buzz) – The latest report from SoDA, with the H1 Report for 2014. It’s created in partnership with Econsultancy Bi-Annually and includes a total of 736 respondents world-wide, the large majority being senior company decision-makers. It looks at the latest trends in digital marketing for 2014, how agencies and clients are positioned to handle them, and ultimately what is the industry’s biggest challenges. At over 200 pages it’s long – but worthwhile.
From Google to Buzzfeed: seven moments that shaped digital media (via The Guardian) – It was 20 years ago this year that Fleet Street began its journey into cyberspace. The launch of the Electronic Telegraph on 15 November 1994 was the first of many landmark moments over the next two decades that have shaped the way publishers (and brands) communicate online. The Guardian looks at Seven ‘moments’.
12 Examples of Native Ads (And Why They Work) (via CopyBlogger)- Despite all the hype, native advertising, remains a fuzzy concept for most marketers. So, given the lack of awareness (and people mistaking it for other things, like sponsorship), CopyBlogger thought it would be a good idea to walk you through about a dozen examples of native advertising — and why they work.
Global Outlook – Programmatic Advertising in 5 Charts (via Digiday) – Whether it’s a race to the bottom or not, programmatic already has its foot well and truly in the door, and is forecast to grow from $12 billion last year to over $32 billion by 2017. But how will the global economy catch up over the next three years?
We Need to Talk: 26 Questions to ask News Media in their Move to Digital (via NiemanLab) – Ex News Corp strategist poses several ‘awkward’ questions which should be asked of mainstream news organizations covering all areas from editorial, technology, distribution & advertising. Worthwhile questions for all publishers.
Brains Trust – What’s Next for Media Sales? (via MediaScope) – Some of Australia’s most experienced media managers consider the future role of media sales in a fast changing, automated-trending market where we’ve asked – How do you see media sales developing over the next 5 years and what should media sales specialists do to prepare?
The Great Budget Chase – (via Doug Weaver – The Drift) – The subject today is budgets. Most of the sellers and sales organizations I work with are in constant pursuit of the digital ad (or mobile or video or DR) budget. Media planners are constantly saying “we haven’t gotten the budget from the client yet.” After a short silence, we hear that the elusive budget has arrived, but is far smaller than anticipated and has already been allocated. The seller then balls up his fists and curses either the fates or the duplicity of the agency. Doug Weaver tells us why he thinks both this approach and the reaction are ill-considered and cheap.
If you’re still worried about a Google ‘protection racket’ remember what kind of business you’re in (via MediaBriefing) – Are publishers the David to Google’s Goliath in an unfair fight for ad revenues? Recently, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner launched an attack on Google in an open letter to the company’s chairman Eric Schmidt, claiming the company was using a monopoly position to create a digital “superstate” and operating what “in less reputable circles would be called a protection racket”.
The Coming Subprime Advertising Crisis (via MediaPost) – The subprime crisis of 2008 surprised a lot of people. But looking back, we are almost as mad at ourselves for not seeing it coming as we were at those who created the crisis. Media, specifically advertising, is about to go through a very similar period, and we are going to be just as angry looking back. In addition, unlike (perhaps) Wall Street, we are not too big to fail.
Media Agency Rebate Debate (via TrinityP3) – The vast majority of media billings are controlled by a small group of media trading organisations which have been specifically created to secure additional negotiation leverage by aggregating client media budgets. “The important question that hangs over the market now is what form does the reward for that additional leverage take? And if there is a clear reward, how is it distributed to the clients whose billings are being used to create it?”
