Soup

The Old Models Don't Work

I get 5% of my sports news from ESPN and 95% of it from sports blogs. Why? Because bloggers do a better job at gathering the information I want and providing a point of view that I find more compelling and interesting. You know what else they tend to do? They avoid bashing me over the head with huge ads that I don’t care about, but get this, I buy things from them I would never consider buying from big, commercial, ad-supported websites. So how do these blogs make money? They work out deals directly with vendors for products specifically targeted to the niches they deal in for products they actually use and are enthusiastic users of.

These highly targeted niche blogs have some very specific qualities a majority of big, commercial, ad-supported websites do not have.

1. The trust and respect of their readers who value their opinion.

2. Subtlety.

3. Highly integrated and targeted ads.

Ad networks are horrendously bad at delivering ads that are likely to be relevant to readers, as they span multiple sites of various niches.

Do you really think Gawker is moving the needle for Tito’s Homemade Vodka? On the other hand, if I was the Gary Vaynerchuk of vodka, and I wound up really enjoying Tito’s vodka, I could work out a deal where I get a cut of every bottle of Tito’s I can sell. I’m far more likely to buy Vodka based on Gary’s endorsement than Gawker’s banner ad.

What kind of products make sense for Gawker to sell? I’d imagine bad television programs like those on Bravo and MTV seem like a good fit. For all the crap Gawker got for True Blood, it’s a program that seems to fit their demographic. I just think Gawker does a terrible job at integrating those products into their editorial. Skinning the site with a product doesn’t give me a compelling reason to use it. It is good for branding, and if that is the only goal, it succeeds. If they’re aiming for clicks and conversions, I can’t imagine it does.

Here’s an interesting idea. Get the television programs to provide Gawker with exclusive previews of shows supported by advertising in the video that cannot be fast forwarded through, ala Hulu. Gawker keeps the ad revenue in the video, and the television network gets free advertising for their program. Sites like Hulu have the best chance of succeeding because they solve the problem that DVR’s caused for traditional television viewing, which allowed viewers to skip the commercials. You can’t skip the commercials on Hulu, and nearly everyone is willing to sit through them. I can’t think of better ad models on the web than Hulu.

I know the other argument already, it’s not your job to sell your advertiser’s product, and you’re right. I just think you can get a premium for promoting products in a more creative, personal way. The old models of advertising on the web are still decent for branding but they’re missing huge opportunities to try more creative and likely more lucrative methods.