Right Media clients talk shop, spot trends

Everyone knows how powerful online data can be – but not everyone agrees on exactly how to use it. That was the focus of a panel I moderated as part of the Right Media Forum last week.

The panel, “The Power of Online Data, Today and Tomorrow,” looked at the use of data in today’s online advertising industry and helped attendees identify data-driven opportunities, and applications that may exist in their current strategies.

Panelists included:

• Mike Benedek, Vice President of Business Development, AlmondNet
• Alan Edgett, Senior Director of Interactive Media, Experian
• Mark Mannino, Vice President, Supply & Data, MediaMath
• Steve Sutton, Chief Operating Officer, Ziff Davis Media
• Mark Zagorski, Chief Revenue Officer, eXelate

This great mix of execs joined in an engaging discussion about major challenges for the industry, ownership of data, government regulation and the role of the Exchange.

Taxonomy was discussed at length on the panel, as concerns about differences in the classification of data came to the forefront.  Panelists debated: Should the industry have a universal taxonomy as a way to help standardize data across the board?  One panelist said that his sales people can’t keep up with the algorithms doing the classifications and, therefore, are not in sync with the different data segmentation occurring in the industry. Another panelist felt that taxonomy creation should not be the role of an exchange, comparing it  to a government that is so  involved in the  mechanics of the economy that it  erodes open nature of the market.

The need for flexibility was another central theme in the discussion. Panelists felt that any standardization or taxonomy would need to be flexible.  Advertisers who focus on performance need to be flexible with the audience segments they target.  Demand aggregators, networks, and publishers need to be flexible with the various data providers they choose to partner with.  Panelist agreed that there is no “one size fits all” data strategy and businesses will need to tolerate constant experimentation and its potential financial impact.

When government regulation was raised, panelists said they supported the efforts of the Network Advertising Initiative and felt confident that decision makers were being educated and moving in the right direction.

Naturally, everyone in the room was curious about future enhancements to the Right Media Exchange.  I know our clients would like our platform to better enable segment exposure and provide more robust reporting and control.   As I said during the discussion, we hear your needs and we are working on them!  I look forward to seeing you at our next event.

–Ryan Maynard, Senior Engagement Manager

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 7:50 pm and is filed under Data Providers, Events, Right Media Exchange. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.