expertSEM

As we here at Location3 ramp up into an increased role in our client’s online media buying campaigns, we have been seeking an ad serving partner to suit our needs. I spent a few weeks last month wading through the options out there. So I thought I would take a few minutes to discuss some key points of differentiation between the top dogs, and things you should ask yourself before hitting the mean streets and choosing your own. (Or save time, energy and heart break, and let us manage your campaign for you!)

Let me start by saying that my knowledge of ad serving platforms came from months of struggling with and cursing at DFA 5. For those traffic managers that have dealt with DFA 5 – I’m sure you feel my pain. There exists a myriad of glitches and weird user functionality that cause a giant headache, (not to mention dizziness and profuse sweating if you try to use the ehhem “help” section). Things as simple as you can’t hit ‘back’ on your browser, you can only run the interface in Internet Explorer, and daily reports arrive as late as 5pm.

All that being said, I still included DFA 6 in my consideration of ad platforms. Being the major player in the market, the brand I was familiar with, (and owned by Google), I figured they were a good yard stick by which to measure. I also closely reviewed and demoed Mojo, AdTech and ZEDO. (A fellow coworker had already ruled out Atlas and Eyeblaster).
The key features I reviewed were:

• Usability
• Support
• Availability of advanced reporting
• Price
• Contract length

In the end, Mojo beat out the other services. I think it was expressed best by my colleague Sarah; she said that Samantha and I lit up like first time home buyers walking into ‘THE place.’ It offered the usability and reporting that were the biggest points for us. They were also able to offer additional bells and whistles like bi-weekly webinars and behavioral targeting.

How third party ad serving works. Image found at www.liesdamnedlies.com

Although Mojo was the best solution for our needs, you should make sure you determine yours by gut-checking a few of these points:

1. What type of campaigns will you be running? Make sure your ad platform can keep up with your mobile, rich media and video plans.
2. Can they offer reporting that will track your display campaign performance along with your other marketing efforts?
3. What is the contract length? What if you don’t like the interface, or the support you are receiving?
4. How established are they with most major publishers and networks?
5. What support do they offer, does it fit your regular office hours? Your extreme office hours?

What are your experiences? Any tips?