Digital ad: web metrics vs. impressions and click-through

Media companies like to monetize special areas of their websites by co-branding them with their advertisers.  It wouldn't be fair to hold these sponsorships to the same performance standards as one would expect with banner campaigns.  Nevertheless, advertisers come along after the campaign and demand metrics.

Web page metrics are not calculated in the same way an ad server would measure impressions and click-through rates for banner campaign.

The best way to manage this post-campaign misery is to spell out the standards up front, in writing and in conversation.  It must be made clear, provably, that simple web page sponsor graphics aren't for everyone, that impression and click-through data cannot be tracked or reported.  If the advertiser recognizes the value of associating a particular web page and do not require performance metrics, only then should they consider placing an order for these areas.

Knowing and fully understanding this, g ahead and ask for pageviews for a given page.  If it's not possible for the target web server to obtain referrer data, then you'll have to guess what a possible click-through range might be.

Where do you start when it comes to estimating click-through rates?  A Michigan State University study reported the national average click-through rate is between .2% and .3%, but are largely affected by the quality and relevance of the ad, value of the offer or promise and other subjective factors.

iMedia's Andrew Stern gives great advice to AEs and advertisers in his article 8 ways to improve your click-through rate.

Off the fence

Those that follow politics know that former Gov. Mitt Romney was well established as a frontrunner in the 2008 Presidential race leading the Iowa State Fair in August of 2007, by which time Law & Order star Sen. Fred Thompson had not yet announced his candidacy.

Heading into March Madness 2010, nearly all of the 2012 republican field is in place, although none are frontrunners.

The historic timeline will be drilled by talking heads over the next six months and the twelve months that follow will see regulars' eyes glaze over in rhetorical overload.  But the Ames Straw Poll is still a half year out.

So who will the players be?  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee can't balance his TV & radio gigs with a real candidacy, so he's waiting in the wings.  Rick Santorum made his way here some months ago, but was skiddish about undertaking the role.  Sarah Palin is on the lips of many teapartiers.  Michele Bachman, Tim Pawlenty and others have streaked through the Caucus state recently.  But none have impressed the party yet.

So who's it gonna be?  Romney will fair no better this round than last.  Palin couldn't pass gas here, much less the muster it would take to win Iowa.  With Huckabee aligned with Bob Vander Plaats, he appears more concerned about stopping same-gender marriage than child rape.  It appears no one, at this point, is willing to boldly pursue the Presidency.

Streaming radio pitted against Pandora

As the country's most formidable broadcaster of online streaming radio -- that is the company that actually provides the network bandwidth to the stations -- releases its audience metrics, some are comparing radio to a ubiquitous music provider, a measuring stick that doesn't get to America's economic momentum.

The leading provider of local information in the US, the one that gets consumers on their daily commutes,  is radio.  There is no more relevant ad placement for local business, the very engine that pushes the US economy.  Yet analysts are suggesting that the national brand may play a more critical role for advertisers.

While that may have the potential for significant impact for national brands like Pepsi and McDonald's, Big Tomato Pizza, a Des Moines brand, would find itself drowning in a sea of clutter if it turned to Pandora for its recognition.

They say all politics is local.  While the subjects of politics and local business differ substantially, the reason is identical.  The only thing that matters to local brands is local clientele.  And the best way to reach locals is through local media.  And nobody does local media better than Clear Channel Radio and its bevy of local streamers.

In our city, the number one source of online information is the local CBS affiliate.  By chance, it happened to step up to the plate in sheer manpower from the outset of the Internet boom of the 90s.  They had the staff and resources to assign the task of producing local content.  As marketers, we recognize that the first cows to the trough are the ones best fed.  But the truth in American media is that TV is the second biggest loser when it comes to lost audiences -- right behind all things print.

The most valuable player to local businesses is radio, whether the digital product or its terrestrial counterpart.  And that's why Clear Channel is still the biggest competitor to TV in local markets.

So you may break down the comparison between Pandora and everyone else in American media all you like; you can't hide the relevance of local online streaming media powerhouse Clear Channel Radio.