Author Archives: markpilip

DSP Transparency

Do your DSP(s) have any rebate agreements with ad exchanges or anybody else? If not, great! Is that explicitly laid out in the contracts you have with them, and do you have full audit rights? And if not, why not? … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Thursday, 20 July 2017 7:07 am | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

More on Ads.txt

Print out a page with your ad on it. Put it on the whiteboard and give your buying team a marker and ask them to draw out exactly how that particular ad showed up on that particular website and why. By that, I mean all the names of the ad tech and martech players involved. No looking anything up. Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Wednesday, 19 July 2017 12:41 pm | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Before You Worry About Match Rates…

Posted on Wednesday, 19 July 2017 9:12 am

But before you get bogged down in match rate discussions, the more important strategic work needs to have been done up front. Never delve into tactics without understanding the mission and the strategy to accomplish the mission. Continue reading →

Posted in digital marketing, Direct Response, Marketing, Media, Strategy, Tactics | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Digital Media: As Memorable as Kenny G?

Posted on Monday, 17 July 2017 9:07 am

The smooth jazz radio format wasn’t as popular as thought. When Arbitron changed from paper diaries to portable people meters (PPM) about ten years ago, broadcasters learned that people didn’t do what the paper diaries said they did. With good … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Data, Media | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nobody’s Talking About This ads.txt Problem

Posted on Monday, 10 July 2017 9:16 am

As a media buyer, I find myself scratching my head about the IAB’s ads.txt initiative. It’s a good thing, of course. Knowing that somebody selling advertising inventory to you is actually authorized to sell that impression to you is important. … Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Media, planning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

When Auctions Aren’t Auctions

We all think we know what an auction is. We conjure up the sound of the gavel falling to the high bidder and the horses being led away into the winner’s transporters. In theory, programmatic auctions for digital advertising should … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Friday, 30 June 2017 3:05 pm | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Mission and Vision are Lousy

Posted on Friday, 30 June 2017 7:40 am

I was talking about company mission and vision statements with Paresh Shah, a good and smart friend of mine. During the discussion, he gave me a simple rule to see if your mission was good or not: “Write out the … Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Marketing, Philosophy, Product Development, Strategy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Worst Ad Ever?

Posted on Tuesday, 27 June 2017 9:13 am

Who writes an ad without a headline? David Ogilvy said that when you have written your headline, you have spent 75% of your money. Continue reading →

Posted in Direct Response, Marketing, Tactics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Decent Direct Mail

Posted on Tuesday, 13 June 2017 7:20 am

Every once in a while you get direct response that’s properly targeted. It restores my faith in humanity, even if the direct mail piece isn’t technically the best I’ve ever seen. Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Direct Response, Marketing, Media | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Occam’s Bots

I was reading “Mythbusting Digital Ad Fraud” by Dr. Augustine Fou this morning and this quote struck me: “Do you think humans really spend 30 mins a day ON AVERAGE watching videos on mobile? They may, but there is an … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Tuesday, 6 June 2017 7:18 am | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment