I want to show some link-love to Jim Larrison of Adify: KnowVertical Blog. He’s been writing some great stuff related to the fragmentation of ad networks.
Every internet startup goes through a couple phases in their advertising:
- Throw up some Google AdSense!
- Ad networks like Ad.com, BlueLithium, etc.
- Hiring a rep firm
- Creating your own in-house sales team
- Becoming Rupert Murdoch
It’s a big, big step between #2 and #3, because that’s when you start making trips to brand ad agencies to sell them your wares. Adify is in a cool business that creates a new step, called "Join/start a vertical ad network" which belongs right around step #2, which allows you to potentially gather the ad impressions you need to talk to a big advertiser, without giving all your margin to the large ad networks. It’s a cool business.
Advertising nerds take note! ;-)