Commentary

Woe The Digital Sale: Why No Cherry-Picking?

Question from the mailbag: Why can't I just cherry-pick placements that I need for my media plan?  I've been working with a direct response client for a while now, and I know what works.  When I RFP sites, I can't just get what I want.  I have to buy other placements that don't perform in order to get what does.  Lucky for them, the ROI is still there but why is this the case?

Amy says: I've worked on many direct-response campaigns over the years and have encountered the same frustration.  It would seem to be much easier to just focus on buying a few placements that drive your response rather than a comprehensive plan with a site.  But there may be some hidden factors that could sabotage your performance if you left those other placements out. 

Usually the most targeted placements drive the best ROI.  Based on the navigation of the site, it may be that users are exposed to your ads on their way to the targeted placements.  So if you lose those impressions outside the most targeted placement, that last impression may not be as effective to drive that conversion. Users often travel through sites like going down a funnel -- from general content to more targeted content -- so you want to have them exposed to your ads the entire time.

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Atlas Institute has done some research that supports this kind of attribution for a conversion: that it's not just the last impression that counts. The research focuses on different sites affecting conversion, but I think it can apply to placements too, especially with larger sites.

So, before you go cherry-picking, look more closely about what is going on with your campaign.  You don't want to mess up a good thing.  But that's just the agency perspective.  I'm sure there are more practical business reasons why sites don't sell just placements.  Jason, give us the real story!

Jason says: Bummed you can't cherry-pick? Pity. Life may be just a bowl of cherries, but advertising is much more nuanced than that. In addition to the fact that it may not be a good customer acquisition strategy, as Amy points out, allowing cherry-picking in the sales world is generally not a responsible form of asset management.

When a media property knows that a certain product or placement is a unique and highly valued asset, the thought is this: If someone wants it so badly, why not make him or her buy other things, of decidedly lesser value, in order to get it? Seems like a fairly democratic principle of supply and demand. (It is not unlike the hot girl you ask out who makes you bring along your roommate for her girlfriend with the great personality.) By the way, this is not just an Internet thing. You cannot just call up a salesperson at ABC and buy one thirty-second spot during an episode of "Grey's Anatomy."  Similarly, try asking Vogue if it would be okay for you to buy just one ad all year -- and could it please be on the back cover of the September issue? You may want to duck as the Jimmy Choo comes flying at you.

Not allowing someone to singularly pick off your best (or most wanted) asset is simply good media management. Life IS a bowl of cherries. You just have to deal with a few pits along the way (and angry roommates).

2 comments about "Woe The Digital Sale: Why No Cherry-Picking?".
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  1. Thomas Greve from Summit Business Media, November 20, 2009 at 1:22 p.m.

    Jason nails it with his response. Publishers fight with sales teams and clients over "value-added benefit" or "bonus pages" for a 3x ad schedule in our best issues.
    Premium placement should be reserved for the clients spending the most money. Try buying a 10 ticket package for the Yankees and ask for the Sox, the Mets and the playoffs. AND... you want to pay bleacher pricing for two rows behind the dugout. I don't think so.
    Why such a hard time for Publishers holding rate card integrity and protecting page yields? We respect your need to negotiate but be realistic. We have budgets to meet too.

  2. Steven Fisher from HomeRemodelingPortal.com, November 20, 2009 at 2:56 p.m.

    I am thoroughly enjoying this thread simply because everyone is right. From a sales point, it is basic economics, the law of supply and demand. You hold out your prime positions for your top advertisers and/or force them to buy the entire package. From a media stand point, you have to hold out for the best deal and exactly what you want.

    It is really a giant game of chicken and a question of who is going to blink first. If I have a really successful website and feel I can walk away if the deal isn't in my best interest than I will. On the other hand, if my website is flagging or I have a quota to meet, I will be more inclined to deal.

    As a buyer, it is the same conundrum. If there are lots of websites for me to choose from I have much more leverage. If I really feel I need this particular website then I will pay what I have to.

    Here is what it really comes down to: How do you build a win/win scenario out of an adversarial relationship?

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