SpectatorBytes by Jorge Espinel - Latest Comments

Re: Entering The Era of “Real” User Data on The Web

rafer — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:03:44 -0000

Thanks for the mention!

Re: The Mobile Web: A New Manifest Destiny for Media Players

JEspinel — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:11:03 -0000

Thanks for the feedback. Plan to stay focus on this.

Re: The Mobile Web: A New Manifest Destiny for Media Players

azeem — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:46:27 -0000

It has, and I couldn't agree with you more; at Pinch Media, it's exactly these concerns that we try to address on a daily basis, in providing new solutions to gauge and measure the overall smartphone platform. I completely agree with you on radio (and just traditional media altogether); there is a large public universe here that is well behind the times, in capitalizing on the smartphone space (not to mention interactive media in general). Looking forward to more on this topic.

Re: The (Potential) Revenge of Advertising Agencies

JEspinel — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:43:15 -0000

Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for the input. You are right not to feel bad for advertisers (CPMs are certainly plummeting). I was trying to address the issue of desintermediation for ad agencies and the apparent lack of role within the display ad ecosystem. This scenario would provide them with a value prop in the eyes of their clients. Look forward to your input as I continue to cover this area.

Re: The (Potential) Revenge of Advertising Agencies

Joe Fredericks — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:10:31 -0000

Enjoyed your post and I agree that more tools are needed on the advertiser side. In fact, this is the promise and future of the ad exchange model which, as you know, offers a platform for buying and selling of display. Optimization tools will be able to plug in for publishers AND advertisers. Granted, I think we're a year or two away from this becoming a reality at scale but with market demands for more transparency, it is inevitable.

But, let's be clear. Advertisers hold all the cards these days as publishers have an infinite supply of inventory and are willing to unload at CPMs unimagineable a year ago. In this environment in particular, it's hard to feel sorry for an advertiser or agency who has the leverage - if they aren't using it, well, that's another issue.

The fact that publisher yield optimization tools exist is a function of the publisher's acute need for tools with so much unsold remnant - and now premium - inventory. Advertisers do not have the same "acute" need. They can test and cancel as they do all the time. But don't get me wrong, more tools are needed. More APIs on the network and exchange side would be a good step.

Re: Busting The Marketing Myth

JEspinel — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:12:43 -0000

Completely agree with your points. Focusing on user experience and building community are critical elements for getting a consumer product accepted on the Web. Thanks for your kind words.

Re: Busting The Marketing Myth

Uriah Av-Ron — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:39:50 -0000

Jorge,

Thanks for your insight. As a publicist from Israel who has worked with several Internet start-ups in the last decade, I think 'marketing spend on the Web' is just defined differently than it is in the offline world. I believe that the marketing spend must still be spent on the Web, but it will come in a different forms. Marketing spend on the Web will include some of the bullet points you mentioned, as well as a focus on maintaining a great user experience and building a sense of community. Perhaps these disciplines might not be considered marketing in the offline world, but can do more to improve the product's acceptance and market share than some of the traditional marketing vehicles used in the offline world.

I only recently discovered your blog but I find it most insightful.

Uriah,

Re: The State of Online Video Advertising

JEspinel — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:21:51 -0000

Your feedback is much appreciated. The local advertising ecosystem is still developing but this sector has significant potential. Good to hear that iNetCommercials is working to move things forward.

Re: The State of Online Video Advertising

Sharon — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:00:55 -0000

I was happy to stumble upon this piece because I agree the online video advertising arena has so much potential. In order for businesses to take advantage of this great mode of advertising, they must know how to use it effectively. I have done extensive research on the advantages of new media and video ads are the best and cheapest way to get small businesses messages to potential customers. Video ads are quick and engaging which viewers will respond to. iNetCommercials creates video ads that will be placed and seen on various trusted local television, newspaper, radio and weather related sites. iNetCommercials provides every business with an online video ad that will be viewed by tens of thousands of local, potential customers through online local video advertising. iNetCommercials will assist owners in defining their target audience, then chooses relevant and local web sites to place the ads, delivering to an audience most likely to take action after viewing your ad. This service is very affordable, so that anyone hoping to advertise using this method can do so.
I look forward to reading your future posts to come.

Thanks
Sharon Eme
inetcommercials.com

Re: Confirmed: 2008 Was The Year of Online Video

JEspinel — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:56:05 -0000

Thanks for the comment. There is investment going into out of the home screen opportunity. Once the footprint is laid out, we will likely see those networks take advantage of the digital format and interactive nature (via mobile phones).

Re: Confirmed: 2008 Was The Year of Online Video

arrose — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:33:25 -0000

I would add soon to be widely available web tvs which will take viewing onto bigger screens (and the oft cited living room). There's always the potential of disintermediating the middlemen (cable and sat TV) but triple plays and the like should act as counter forces. I'd look for persistent interfaces that go across devices too.

Re: The Seer Game: 2009 Market Trends

jeremy liew — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:49:05 -0000

Good predictions! I especially agree with 1, 2, 3 and 5. I hope you're right with 4 and 6, but suspect that we won't see market clearing prices in 2009 as there will still be some mismatch between seller expectations and buyers looking to bargain hunt.

Re: Hulu May Represent The Future of TV

JEspinel — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:44:43 -0000

Thanks for comment. Personally, I find the on-demand aspect of digital media liberating. While young people may be embracing it quicker, I believe we may see an acceleration among our age group as Web-connected TVs become more prevalent in living rooms.

Re: Hulu May Represent The Future of TV

Mal — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:44:09 -0000

I was at lunch with a friend and his 22 year old son the other day. The conversation came to watching content on the web, and he asked his son what he watch and for how long. His son told us he watched 17 hours of continuous sports programming skipping between different games the previous sunday. We have to remember that if we're over the age of 30, watching on the laptop is a new "cool" thing to do...if you are under 25, it's the way you watch your content, at your convenience, wherever you want. I have a friends daughter staying with me at the moment. This morning I asked what she got up to last night, "couldn't sleep," she said, "so I watched programs on my laptop", even though there is a TV and cable in the spare room. What that cable and TV doesn't deliver is your programming on demand with ease. Interesting idea re: networks reducing ad spots for higher CPM's.

Re: Behind The The Dark Night’s Box-Office Numbers

Mal — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:30:48 -0000

Smart. I remember talking with a research analyst when I was at Turner and he told me that basically you can alter anything to get the message you want over, and this is a classic example.

Re: Why Are Brand Advertisers Not Spending More Online?

My2Cents — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:03:37 -0000

Perhaps we need to throw away the entire notion of display advertising for online? The Web after all is an "interactive" medium where "one way" communication through a limited set of content outlets, as typified by brand advertising and TV, maybe ill-suited. What if 'CPMs' and 'page views' are the wrong metrics for determining the effectiveness of online advertising? One has to wonder why search and other direct response ads (listings) have proven and continue to be the most successful and effective advertising vehicles in online to date. I would posit that the numerous query-click through-ranking iterations is, in a way, a conversation among users and publishers and advertisers and that it is this feedback loop that makes it so effective in direct response. This leads me to hypothesize that display advertising (in its current form(s)) needs to be reinvented (or junked) to create a new branding medium that leverages the interactivity of the Web.

We've seen the phrase 'conversational media' used many times in the past but it seems that the industry still has to plenty to learn in terms of how to effectively leverage the interactivity on the Web, at the same time, an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use solutions does not seem to have been developed yet.

Re: Avoid Over-Negotiating (See Tradedoubler)

JEspinel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:07:50 -0000

Thanks for the insight. Agree with comment "a number of potential suitors" exist but some of the most attractive ones such as AOL (now with buy.at) and Google (they now have Performics) may not be in that list anymore. Will certainly keep an eye on all of this.

Re: Avoid Over-Negotiating (See Tradedoubler)

Elizabeth — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:10:33 -0000

It was one opportunist pension fund called Alecta who, after the news of the AOL bid, purchased over 10% of the company, making the deal impossible under Swedish law. Alecta did so without any consultation with the board or management team at Tradedoubler.

Alecta were stupid and greedy. They are now the largest single shareholder in the business with 10%.

In my opinion, the people responsible for taking the stake were grossly negligent and should be disciplined as such. Moreover, I feel very sorry for the poor pensioners they invest on behalf of. Utterly irresponsible company it seems.

At the current share price, TradeDoubler are bound to be purchased and there are a number of possible suitors. Their business model is sound and reach across Europe is unique.

Although their share price has crashed it is interesting to note that few shares have traded over the period- the big investors are sticking...

They are considerably undervalued.

Re: Jorge Espinel

Paul — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:52:48 -0000

Jorge,

Please contact me if you have a moment - I wanted to invite you to this year's NYC party.

Paul

Re: Friendfeed or Twitter May Replace Katie Couric

ElChinoTom — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:34:31 -0000

The New Yorker agrees with you.

http://twitter.com/NewYorkerDotCom

Re: Friendfeed or Twitter May Replace Katie Couric

JEspinel — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:04:39 -0000

Thanks for the comment.

Spam and phishing are issues that these tools would need to serve. More importantly, "interesting" broadcasters have yet to emerge. However, the symptons for what these tools can be is there.

Blogs and social networks are an interesting way to share information. Activity and short messaging offer a new form of discovery that I expect to be more efficient than blogs.

Social networks have their own merits but again seem less effective in helping me find interesting content. Friends are not the best source for new information in many areas.

Re: Paying Google for Audiences

ElChinoTom — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:52:33 -0000

Interesting post. I think this only makes sense if the sites can retain the SEM clicks as repeat users. Otherwise, the arbitrage will eventually play out.

Re: Google, your implication may be right in terms of volume but as you pointed out, these clicks are low cost.

Re: Friendfeed or Twitter May Replace Katie Couric

ElChinoTom — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:46:58 -0000

I agree with you that there is a need for new discovery tools to rationalize the online experience. I disagree that mobile push / spam apps like Twitter or FriendFeed have the potential to do so. Rather, if indiscriminately used, they only add to the clutter bombardment. By way of example, I just logged into Twitter for the first time in months and have ten follow requests from complete strangers phishing for connections.

Aren't blogs and social networks already a much better way to disseminate topics of interest?

Btw, no need to pick on Katie. She's had a rough couple years! Besides Twitterers get their "news" from Jon Stewart.