Private Ad Exchange Business Continues to Grow

We launched the Gourmet Ads Marketplace (our Private Ad Exchange) back in early November and at the time RTB, DSP, SSP were all buzzwords for us as we embarked on this project. There was of course the fear of cannibalizing our premium revenue. With this specifically in mind, the plan from outset, was for me, as the Managing Director to be the project manager of the Private Ad Exchange business. I also from a personal level wanted to learn as much as I could about the RTB space.

It’s been really interesting journey so far for me and the team are learning more and more each day about working with Agency Trading Desks, DSP and Retargeters.

We’re now at the 4 month mark, so I thought I’d share a few points about my learnings so far about running a private ad exchange business.

So here are my thoughts;

Buyers are not competing with Premium Display Campaigns

Our initial concern which we shared with others was that by starting a private exchange we would be cannibalizing our premium display business. Well, I’m happy to say it just hasn’t happened. Both our premium and private exchange businesses are booming. RFPs and Insert Orders are up on the premium side and we’ve got some great partners in the exchange buying every day. We find on a while that the private exchange buyers are indeed very different from typical agency media buyers. Most campaigns in the exchange have wide brand reach requirement (we were never going to be RFP’d for the campaigns anyway as they are mostly non endemic) or they have a strong DR focus or finally they are simply retargeting using data. For all of these buyers, private ad exchange buying favours their own business models better than your typical fixed IO buying for the most part. Effectively they can dip in and test inventory pools very quickly, then stop if the campaign is not working or increase if conversations or engagement rates are positive.

11 partners Private Ad Exchange Buyers

We’ve got some absolutely great partners already.  The general makeup of the exchange is as such ;

• Agency Trading Desks
• Major DSPs
• Company Direct / Brand Advertisers
• Retargeters

We are actively seeking a few more partners right now as we are expanding the inventory available and growing the users.

Limited Food Buyers in RTB
We’ve noticed that across the board the largest exchange buyers on the exchange are non endemic food brands. There are of course a handful of food brands buying, most of which are major international food brands. Where we have noticed food brands buying we’ve reached out to suggest ways we can offer them more inventory or provide them a custom solution. To date we’ve not yet seen any supermarkets buying on RTB. However the majority of buyers are running campaigns aimed at women for lifestyle, travel, automotive, telecommunications, government (federal and state) or retail brands.

Buyers and their buying volumes vary daily
Trying to predict who will buy and how much they will buy each day has been really difficult. A senior manager at another Vertical Ad Network ( ie like Gourmet Ads ) told me last year that he felt the hardest part of running a private ad exchange was managing demand from buyers. This has been the greatest learning curve for our team. For now we seem to have this managed the daily buying flow well. Right now seasonality does plan a large role.

Interest outside of the USA
It was always our intention of growing the private ad exchange outside of the USA. However we didn’t really imagine that demand would be all that strong out of the USA. We were wrong. As such we’ve slowly started to open up the Gourmet Ads Marketplace to Australian, UK and Canadian buyers, with a few other countries not too far behind… Australia seems to be the most active right now for us, but watch this space as I think Europe will become very strong next quarter from conversations I’ve had recently.

Technical hurdles
Initially we had some hiccups getting started, but like with most things in the digital ad space, these are now sorted out. That said most buyers now are able to get going in less than 48 hours. We do sometimes have issues when our buyers are not buying us through our SSP directly but we can usually find an integration partner or 3rd Party DSP that can make the connection work.

70% + of buyers are using data
When talking to our partners, the majority of them are using some sort of data when buying which is around what we had forecasted. They are either using simple demographic (age and gender) targeting or they are doing heavy up targeting using first party data or third party data. I think this is the greatest fundamental difference between the IO side of the business and the RTB side of the business. Buyers can use First Party Data or Third Party Data easily and in a protected environment buying the audience they actually want, opposed to the entire audience.

Start a Conversation about our Private Ad Exchange

Finally, if you’d like to have a conversation about becoming a buyer or becoming involved with the Gourmet Ads Marketplace, then please contact me through our Contact Page and let’s start a conversation.

Private Ad Exchange Update is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising creates branding for the emerging market of artisan cereals

Artisan Cereals are flooding the niche cereal shelf space and are becoming a popular choice for not only breakfast but also snacks and other meals. With so many existing cereals already widely recognized and so well renowned, Gourmet Ads is here to help create branding and help reach out to this relatively newer market of consumers.

Although kids’ cereals might appeal to the younger generation, parents all over the world are well aware of the unhealthy ingredient that some of these cereals contain. With the increase in awareness of living a healthy lifestyle, advertisers can now capitalize on the fact that consumers want to be health wise.

Artisan cereals are an emerging trend in the cereal market and instead of being mass produced and churned out of multiple factories, artisan cereals have a great image for being natural and organic and are produced in small batches. This ‘handcrafted’ image is a great way to target customers. Consumers love to feel important and by emphasising the fact that the artisan cereals have been specifically created for them, advertising the cereal will make them feel more significant, not just another customer, but an individual.

Artisan cereals companies are usually small to medium in size, and although their products might find space on the shelves in supermarkets, their branding often needs to be increased to raise awareness of their range of products on offer and to reach a wider audience.

Gourmet Ads can help companies producing artisan cereals reach the common grocery buyer

Even for small companies, web sales are very important. After all, large cereal companies all started off as small businesses once too! Many food web retailers are now featuring artisan cereals companies on their website. The products that these companies offer creates a very wholesome image for any site so the organic and natural aspect of the product can also reflect on the hosting website itself as well. The variety of flavours of artisan cereals available is also definitely going to appeal to those who like a mixture of tastes at breakfast.

By using Gourmet Ads to create advertising campaigns to promote artisan cereals, you can not only increase the popularity of your company (no matter how small it is), but you can also raise brand awareness too.

Using Gourmet Ads to advertise artisan cereals can educate consumers as to the type of product that artisan cereal is. By increasing brand awareness online, you can boost sales and generate more revenue. By targeting the health-conscious masses and appealing to those who care about where their food is made, you can therefore get more loyal customers who like the fact that your ad campaigns for artisan cereals are targeted at them.

Advertising Artisan Cereals is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Restaurant Advertising is vital to get customers in

Perfecting your menu, hiring the right staff and opening your brand new restaurant is often not enough to get customers walking through our doors. If you really want to increase customers and get everyone excited about coming to you for food, it is vital to consider restaurant advertising.

Marketing is crucial for restaurants to reach their target audiences and create a buzz. Consumers are not interested in advertising unless it is personal or relevant to them; therefore traditional forms of advertising have become almost obsolete, especially when it comes to dining options – after all, who is going to come to your restaurant just because you tell them to? Restaurant advertising is all about creating excitement; maybe introduce discount vouchers and get customers interested in your establishment.

Advertising on Gourmet Ads can help you reach your targeted audience through the geo targeting advert campaigns. Geo targeting basically means that specific adverts are tagged. This means they appear for specific people in certain geographical locations. By doing this, your adverts are not being displayed to people who will totally disregard them instead they are getting shown to consumers that may be interested in your restaurant!

Loyalty of customers is what makes you money, and if you get a good ‘fan’ base of customers that keep coming back for more, revenues will inevitably increase. Beyond just clicks and conversions, Gourmet Ads online display banner ads are perfect for establishing your company as a brand and increasing your loyal customer base.

Restaurant advertising is all about connecting with the right customer at the right time and engaging them emotionally in what you are promoting. By using Gourmet Ads display ads for restaurant advertising, we can then use web analytics to track consumers and see if the advertising had a positive impact on promoting your brand.

Consider Pre Roll Videos for restaurant advertising

Gourmet Ads supports a wide range of advertising campaigns and provides platforms for display ads and pre roll video ads to give you as many options as you like. Display advertising can come in many different forms, and web banners are often the most common form of advertising a product, brand or company. If you think a web banner might be the most effective way of attracting customers, this could be the perfect option for you.

Pre roll advertising on the other hand is ideal for advertisers (although 49.7% of consumers who were asked said they would not sit through a pre roll if they had a choice!). With Youtube and some other video sites offering ‘skippable’ pre roll ads, spending advertising money on those seems rather pointless, but a good pre roll before a relevant video clip that a potential customer watches may well grab their attention.

So, as you can see, restaurant advertising is all about relevance and relating to your customer – if they feel like a message is more personal to them, you are more likely to get further with them, and once you have their attention you can then develop this into a relationship with a potential consumer.

Restaurant Advertising is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Target consumers who love their kitchen technology

The popularity of kitchen technology is on the rise, along with so many culinary gadgets and pieces that have been specifically designed to make your time in the kitchen so much easier. With all this new gadgetry now available, it is the perfect time to start advertising kitchen technology and a great time to start targeting consumers who love their gadgets, but most of all, love their time in the kitchen to be as stress-free as possible.

There are so many gadgets on the market at the moment which are appealing to consumers all over the world, including kitchen technology with computerized screens, or specially programmed refrigerators which can tell the owner when he is running low on certain items.

When it comes to finding kitchen technology, most consumers do their searches online – probably because it is such a specialist product area – and because of this, web sales are the most used sales avenue to advertise these types of products.

By using Gourmet Ads to help you advertise your kitchen technology, advertisers can connect with dedicated food lovers and home chefs. Those who love spending time in the kitchen are often the most likely to be drawn in by any new technological advances in the kitchen, and any gadgets that can make their life easier are sure to be a hit!

Create brand awareness for gadgets falling under  kitchen technology category with Gourmet Ads

If you are trying to get a product noticed by kitchen gadget fans, then look no further than Gourmet Ads. We offer plenty of options when it comes to advertising solutions for kitchen technology and gadget campaigns, and also for web food retailers that feature these products. As kitchen technology is so up to date, it is a great image for any company to advertise these types of products as it creates an appearance of being modern and always offering state-of-the-art products.

From digital confectionery thermometers to fingerprint reading coffee making machines, the kitchen technology world has it all, and advertising them and their uses are likely to appeal to customers who like the idea of their lives becoming so much more streamlined when they own your gadget.

Although larger companies are the ones that tend to draw in customers because of their big brand name, who said this has to be the general rule of thumb? Gourmet Ads are ideal for creating brand awareness for smaller companies that want to establish themselves as market competitors and get their products noticed. Educating your customers with online ads about your kitchen technology will not only increase sales, it will also generate click-throughs to your website.

Using advertising to establish your brand should ultimately win you more loyal customers, and the more contemporary kitchen technology you offer, the more fashionable your brand will appear.

Advertising Kitchen Technology is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Reach Chai Enthusiasts with Chai Advertising

Over the past few years there has been a significant increase in the popularity of tea, especially chai tea. No longer can a consumer walk into a coffee shop without being confronted by a vast menu of a variety of teas, and it is with this growth in popularity in mind that advertisers can now make the most of advertising opportunities.

This traditionally Indian tea is full of antioxidants and nothing sells better than a product that tastes great but also has fantastic health benefits as well. In supermarkets all over the world, chai brands are rapidly taking over a lot of shelf space and this is predominantly to do with the role chai can play in benefitting people’s health. This spicy tea product contains a third of the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee, which is great for those who are trying to cut down on their caffeine consumption.

Tea brewing machines and Chai spices are ideal for Chai Advertising Campaigns

Chai has also generated sales that are linked to the product. It is these peripherals that have made the chai industry an even bigger deal than it was before – the sales of tea making machines, chai brewers and its necessary herbs and spices have also seen an increase in sales. People not only want to be able to buy the perfect cup of chai from a coffee shop – they want to be able to make it at home too! There are many different types of chai available which is why there are also different recipes being developed that include chai’s ingredients. It is the combination of chai products that means that advertisers can make the most of advertising for chai campaigns.

Gourmet Ads can help smaller companies stand out and generate brand awareness. Gourmet Ads can help you achieve your advertising campaign for any of custom chai blends or the chai related peripherals, and there are plenty of angles you can take with your advertising and various solutions that you could use.

Creating brand awareness for chai and chai-related products can be done using Gourmet Ads and by generating awareness of your brand and your range of products (whether they are herbs, spices or chai making machines) you can reach out to the people that love chai.

Chai lovers everywhere can be targeted using Gourmet Ads and advertising on our network of sites – this will in turn not only increase brand awareness, but also generate sales too.

Advertising Chai is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising Juices enhances Brands and Educates Consumers

Every day the juice industry is flooded with more and more products and new brands to tantalize the taste buds of their consumers. Due to this rush of new brands and products, it is understandable that some brands and new products get lost amongst the crowd. Advertising juices can get your customers to buy your products which will then make them more aware of your brand.

There is such a wide variety of juices on the market today that it is difficult to know where to begin. Juices nowadays are not just limited to traditional citrus and non-citrus fruits, but there is now an array of new juices such as superfoods, raw, and green vegetables too. Superfoods are the types of foods packed with the most nutritional value. All foods have some nutrients, but superfoods in particular are packed full of vitamins and nutrients that are extremely beneficial for the body (such as apples, bananas, and berries). Advertising juices with such variety and using their health benefits as a unique selling point will soon see a rise in sales for your products.

Advertising juices including all varieties, especially superfoods, usually translates into direct sales for juice companies. Think of the people you are advertising to – so many of them are keen to live a healthy lifestyle, and if superfoods and their high nutritional value seem appealing to them, they will buy them to reap the benefits.

Advertising juices are key in increasing awareness and educating the customer about the good and bad products that are available to them. The Naked Juice advertising campaign has been particularly successful in making consumers aware of the content in their juices.

The Naked Juice’s method of advertising juices was to run digital banner ads across various sites to grab people’s attention. These banners had people being totally honest about the product. It is a clever advertising campaign like this that increases a brand’s credibility and if real people are seen to be positively reviewing a product, other consumers are likely to believe in the brand and buy the product.

Advertising juices on Gourmet Ads can create strong brand identity

The Gourmet Ads network can help in advertising juices and create strong brand identities for everyone. Even those slightly less established companies that need to get their brand out in the open, and most importantly, noticed, can make the most of advertising their products with Gourmet Ads.

Gourmet Ads method of geotargeting means that your juice advertising campaigns in different locations can yield more results for your company and create really strong brand recognition for your products.

By advertising juices using Gourmet Ads, you can quickly establish your brand identity, no matter how new your company might be, and this advertising will then lead to an increase in sales for your products.

Advertising Juices is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising Frozen Vegetables to Household Grocery Buyers

The frozen vegetable market is growing and the debate of whether frozen vegetables are better than fresh still continues to be a hot topic amongst food lovers everywhere. It is the growth of the frozen vegetables market that makes this such a good time to capitalize on advertising these particular products.

So the Fresh vs. Frozen debate continues, and so does the fact that so many people’s opinions are split on the matter. By advertising frozen vegetables, you can explain to the consumers the great nutritious value that frozen products have over fresh. Frozen vegetables have to go through a process to ensure that their nutrients stay locked in, they are frozen as quickly as possible so that they remain rich with all vitamins and nutrients. Fresh vegetables on the other hand are picked before they are at maximum ripeness (which makes sense if tropical fruit has a way to travel before it hits our supermarket shelves). However, due to them being picked before they are ripe, fresh produce in fact contains fewer nutrients than frozen. This is a great angle to use when advertising frozen vegetables to consumers. There are a lot of very health-conscious people out there, and it can be your job to steer them toward your product with promises of great nutritional value.

By advertising frozen vegetables, you can put emphasis on the amount of money your consumers would be saving. Buying fresh produce and preparing it for a meal can be time consuming and very expensive, however with frozen vegetables, they are already prepared for you and only take minutes to steam or boil (although steaming is better for keeping the nutrients in the veggies!). When you boil your frozen vegetables, a lot of the vitamins are drained away when the water is, so explaining to your consumers the best way for keeping your vegetables nutritious and delicious is to steam them.

Frozen vegetables are a great way to add health and nutrition to the daily diet

Bags of mixed frozen vegetables are a great way to show your consumers that you understand that they like variety and are a great way to show how convenient eating healthily can be. Ad campaigns about ‘getting your five a day’ are everywhere and although it may not convert all consumers all at once, at least the seed has been planted in their minds about changing the way they eat.

Emphasising not only the health benefits but also the economic benefits of buying frozen vegetables could well have consumers coming round to your way of thinking. If you think about how much fresh produce gets thrown away after it rotting at the back of a cupboard, consumers would much rather have the easy option of removing a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer and placing them back after use, it’s quick, easy, and means that the vegetables can be used weeks after purchase!

By advertising recipes using frozen vegetables, you can also create an excitement amongst your consumers about a new way of cooking – they will love how easy it all seems. The major players in the frozen vegetables market include companies like Birds Eye, Ardo and Heinz. You can join these massive names and promote your products too and become a part of the growing trend in selling and advertising frozen vegetables.

Advertising Frozen Vegetables is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising theater tickets online is another effective marketing tool

Advertising theater tickets is a very effective marketing tool for advertisers. People love the theater, and advertising theater tickets online is a fantastically unique form of media.

Theater is no longer the luxury it once was, and now with various plays and many productions being accessible to the masses, advertising theater tickets is a great way to reach out to everyone. Not only are you providing people with a truly cultural experience, you are also increasing their awareness of the types of shows available at their local theaters.

There is a fantastic return on investment in featuring theater tickets in advertising campaigns meaning that more advertising also means more profits for you and your company, and increasing your profits is what it’s all about isn’t it? To entice non-theater goers into wanting to go to see a show, a great way of promoting theater tickets is to offer theater ticket combinations along with other products such as restaurant vouchers or access into local tourist attractions (museums and art galleries etc.).

By offering these special deals to potential customers, they feel like they are getting excellent value for money. A great combination deal that consumers usually would love the opportunity to have, is the “Dinner and a Show” deal. By selling theater tickets alongside a meal deal, you are offering the ultimate evening experience. Punters love discounts; the lower the price they can get for a fabulous evening out with their loved ones, the more they will love your brand!

Advertising theater tickets in pre-roll video advertising

The advertising of theater tickets in pre-rolls produce particularly good results with advertisers and because of this, publishers are given a great opportunity to up sell and enhance profit as much as possible. The popularity of purchasing theater tickets usually hits around the holiday season. A great Christmas treat, going to the theater with your family can be a great entertaining thing to do while you are kept in a nice warm auditorium and staying protected from the snow outside!

The idea of going to the theater is very special to those who don’t usually attend, this is why there is a surge in theater tickets sales during the holidays. The holidays are about over-indulgence, so people want to treat themselves and have a special experience that they might not consider at any other time of year.

The advertising of theater tickets is a big business, and a great one to get into to maximise profits and increase brand awareness. If you remember that people love to treat themselves, you will do well in advertising theater tickets, and emphasize how much consumers can get out the experience and your brand will soon be at the forefront of their minds!

Advertising Theatre Tickets is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising Herbs and Spices to Household Cooks

The only way you are ever going to make the recipe that you want, with the flavors that are so important to it, is to add the herbs and spices that are needed. An essential part of every recipe, dishes would not be their best without these tiny ingredients. Herbs and spices are a major part of every grocery shopping list, and although they may seem insignificant to any novice chef, they really can be the difference between an average meal and an incredible meal. With so many people now branching out and enjoying different cuisine from countries all over the world, it is no wonder that the use of herbs and spices in cooking has become a lot more experimental for consumers too. The various herbs and spices that line the shelves of every grocery store now come in pre-made mixes or individual jars for you to mix yourself.

It is the consumers’ brand awareness of the herbs and spices out there that is one of the interesting food trends in today’s market. People that love cooking at home are a lot more aware of the spice mix brands available than we give them credit for. So many people take pride in their heritage and it is this pride that has spurred a lot of home cooks to create dishes using the recipes of their ancestors. From delicately flavored salts to flower essences, a number of specialized herbs and spices brands are emerging.

Not only are herbs and spices a major part of recreating a recipe that has been passed down the family from generation to generation, but they also in many cases are used for medicinal purposes. The nutrients found in certain herbs and spices can be a great way of getting consumers interested in your product. Everyone is becoming so health conscious nowadays that by telling potential customers about the benefits of herbs and spices, you can capitalize on your advertising and at the same time educate your consumers.

Advertising herbs and spices is an emerging niche area

Advertising herbs and spices is a practically untouched niche at the moment, with only 0.06% of the total advertising budget being spent on these small ingredients. Pepper and curry are advertised a lot more than every other herb and spice out there, and so now is the optimum time for advertising! By raising awareness of how beneficial herbs and spices are, your consumers will be keen to buy your product.

Gourmet Ads customers are often home gourmets and chefs, always looking for adding newer flavors and twists to the routine food. As a result, the Gourmet Ads network of sites is an ideal platform for advertising herbs and spices, exposing consumers to these brands and general raise product awareness. Having people aware of your product is just the first step, and advertising herbs and spices on Gourmet Ads will lead to the desire and need for these products, and put these products right in front of the targeted audience.

Advertising Herbs and Spices is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising Meat Online to increase Brand Awareness

Meat suppliers all over the world are now turning to the internet to get their products noticed, and why not? A great way to increase the popularity of your products is by advertising meat online. An abundance of suppliers are now offering fresh meat online, including organic brands. These suppliers have already taken advantage of using modern technology to promote themselves.

By advertising your meat online, you can increase awareness of your brand. Targeted online advertising opportunities have already seen many people within the meat industry increase consumer awareness of their brands and products by advertising their meat online.

Advertising meat online doesn’t just have to benefit a few people in the meat industry, it can be a great opportunity for everyone from independent local butchers to major meat processors to increase brand awareness. Not only does advertising meat online increase awareness of your product, it also can increase the amount of traffic to your website.

Gourmet Ads can provide the perfect portal for meat producers to advertise their meat online, and generate traffic to their site which should ultimately end up with an increase in sales!

Just to give you an idea of how advertising meat online can generate increased traffic to your site and lots of page views, we’ll look at meatinfo.co.uk. Over the month of July in 2007, 10,000 users visited the site to learn about online meat trade. This resulted in 79,574 page views!

There are many niche areas within the category of advertising meat online

It’s not just any meat that gets advertised, there are now targeted campaigns for organic, kosher and halal meats too. Advertising a wide range of meat online can make consumers aware of your brand however if you do produce these specialist types of meat, aiming your advertising at the health food or religious communities can be a great way of getting people to recognize your brand.

Another great new way of advertising meat online is to set up a recipe widget to promote different types of meat products. Instead of the standard adverts you might see for meat online, you can provide your consumers with a neat little recipe that includes your meats, making consumers want to try your product and also establishes a bond with the consumer because you helped them out with a new recipe!

The points to emphasize when advertising meat online is the ease of access to a wide variety of fresh meats, it is the convenience of buying meat online that consumers will absolutely love.

Advertising Meat Online is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.