SmartSelect Questionnaire

Choosing an online advertising technology partner can be a difficult and confusing process. For example, all vendors will claim their targeting methodology is the best ... because they know that targeting is the key to getting ads in front of qualified customers, which is at the heart of an effective advertising process. And all vendors will claim their technology is the most robust and reliable ... because they know you have to be willing to bet your business on their systems.

We've developed this SmartSelect questionnaire to help you sort out the chaos and the claims. Before you select your online advertising technology partner, be sure you get a "yes" answer to each of these key questions. You may even want to include them in your Requests For Proposal (RFPs) as you evaluate different vendors.

Do you target by detailed content classification (vs. filtering or keyword alone)? If so, how many categories do you use? Is your content classified down to the page level (vs. just site level)?

ADSmart's TrueTargeting approach uses combinations of more than 350 demographic­, psychographic­ and behavior­based characteristics to accurately seek out and deliver the audiences advertisers want: qualified buyers who are able, willing, and ready to buy now.

Sites in our network are classified by content down to the page level (and soon, even more precisely). And advertisers can see what they're getting with our online media kits that provide detailed information about the site in the publisher's own words.

And our targeting approach is multidimensional ­ ­ allowing you to use multiple categories to effectively reach your target audience.

Caveat: Because precise targeting is so important to advertisers, virtually all ad networks will tell you they "target" audiences based on your specified criteria. But what some networks call "targeting" is simple filtering. That's fine if all you care about is targeting all users of a particular operating system, or all users in a particular country, but it's not precise enough for most ad campaigns.

Other networks categorize their content also ­­ but only on a total site level, and only based on a small number of very broad categories. For example, a newspaper site might contain many different types of content ­­ general news, entertainment news, business news, etc. ­­ that draw different audiences who are receptive to different types of messages. Other networks might categorize the entire site under "news" but fail to categorize individual pieces of content as "sports" or, more specifically, "basketball." So there's a good chance an ad targeted to basketball enthusiasts will never appear on that site's terrific sports page.

Still other networks "target" editorial content by keyword only. This can result in recommended ad locations that contain totally irrelevant content (just think about the results you get from a search engine). Worse yet, it can result in disastrously inappropriate content. Imagine that an advertiser ­­ GreatFlight Airlines ­­ has targeted the keywords "travel" and "vacation." Keyword­based editorial targeting could result in a GreatFlight Airlines banner ad appearing directly above the following story:

San Juan, Puerto Rico ­­ A GreatFlight Airlines 747 crashed just after takeoff from San Juan airport, killing all 250 passengers aboard. The plane was filled with American travelers who had been in Puerto Rico on vacation.

Finally, other networks let robots and automated spiders make decisions about where an advertiser's ads will appear. ADSmart's approach to technology is different. We use automation to give advertisers and agencies the tools to make their own decisions ­­ easily, quickly, and effectively.

Make sure the online advertising partner you select can deliver the degree of targeting precision and decision­making control you need and want.

Does your software manage campaigns vs. just serving ads?
A number of companies provide ad servers. ADSmart.net not only provides the most robust, reliable ad servers in the industry, we also provide campaign management software that makes planning, executing, and tracking campaigns easy, fast, and effective.

Can I monitor my reports in real­time? Are they updated at least hourly?
Information is the lifeblood of your business. ADSmart gives you all the information you need, as fast as you need it. Log on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to see how your ad or site is doing.

Can I view aggregated data for the entire network so I can gauge the success of my ads/properties vs. others?
ADSmart provides a summary of all data aggregated across the network. This type of information helps you evaluate the success of your ads or your properties and then plan more effectively as a result of that analysis.

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Additional questions agencies and advertisers should ask:

Can I eliminate recommended media properties from my buy with just a click?
Some networks make you jump through hoops to eliminate a property from the recommended media buy. ADSmart makes it easy. Just select the ad space you want to exclude on the list of recommended properties, and click on Remove Group. That's it.

Can I also specify demographic and psychographic characteristics for my target audience?
Some networks won't let you specify demographic or psychographic characteristics. But ADSmart lets you specify these plus behavior­based characteristics from a list of more than 300.

Can I view an "online media kit" that provides detailed information on any recommended property with just a click?
Some networks only provide you with a one­ or two­sentence description of a site's overall content ­­ not enough to make an informed buying decision. ADSmart's "online media kit" feature lets you view detailed information on any ad location we recommend ­­ just click the Detail button.

Can I control the flighting for my campaign online?
Some networks determine when your ads will run, or distribute your impressions evenly throughout your campaign. But ADSmart.net lets you control how you want to distribute impressions across the duration of your campaign ­­ evenly or according to the flighting plan you determine.

Can I submit, review, and approve my creative online?
Other sites make you e­mail or FTP your creative files, send them to the network on diskette overnight, or provide access to your server, so you lose control ­­ not only is it more cumbersome, it also means you don't know whether the file was received, corrupted, etc. ADSmart lets you easily upload, review and approve your creative and assign it to each property with just a click.

Can I read the publisher's ad specs online up front, so I'm sure my creative will conform to the standards?
ADSmart makes each site's ad specs easily accessible online at any time, so you know what type of creative will be accepted.

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Additional questions Web publishers should ask:

Can I control the pricing of my ad space? If my property becomes more valuable, can I charge more for it?
When you deal with other networks, you "sell" your property to the network for a fixed fee, and they resell it for market value. So if your property increases in value, the network benefits ... but you don't. With ADSmart, you control the pricing of your property. So if your property becomes more valuable, you can charge more for it ... so you get more revenue.

Can I give advertisers/agencies as much detailed information about my site (and its content) as I want to?
Other sites only offer a one­ or two­sentence description of your site's overall content ­­ not enough for advertisers and agencies to make an informed buying decision. But ADSmart lets you provide as much information as you need to in order to showcase your site's unique content and benefits.

I want to attract the most advertisers possible. Will you help me figure out the most effective way to categorize and describe my site and its content?
With other networks, you're on your own. But ADSmart provides consulting services at no extra charge as part of our fee. We'll help you classify and describe your site properly, using our proven methodology, so your properties are recommended every time they're appropriate for an advertiser's campaign.

Can I classify my content in more than one category, so it has more chances to be matched to an appropriate campaign?
Other networks lump your site into a single, generic category, so your site may not be recommended for a campaign even if it contains appropriate content on a particular page. ADSmart.net lets you classify every page separately, across multiple categories, so all your content can be easily matched to an advertiser's needs for each campaign. Furthermore, if you have appropriate content on more than one page or location, all the appropriate ad locations on your site can be recommended for a particular media buy.

Can I publish my ad specifications up front, so that agencies know the standards to which their creative must conform?
When creative is rejected because it doesn't conform to your site's ad specifications, it's incredibly frustrating and time­consuming for both you and your advertisers. When you join ADSmart.net, we remove the hassle by letting you post your specs up front, so everybody knows what's required before the creative is submitted. Furthermore, our on­site advertising managers review incoming creative to make sure it meets your stated ad specifications.

And advertisers love our online creative upload process ­­ no FTP­ing, e­mailing, overnighting diskettes, or providing access to their servers, and they can review and approve the creative right on their desktops.

Can I easily and effectively sell short­term content, such as a featured guest or chat session?
Because you can classify your content online and provide start and end dates for time­limited content, ADSmart makes it easy for you to promote special events. The results of these events give you valuable feedback about the attractiveness of that content to audiences and advertisers, and provide you with direction for future content development.