Online publisher to introduce ad space auctions
Published March 5th, 2006
In what is believed to be a first for the UK advertising industry a leading Internet publisher is introducing online ad space auctions for its most valuable inventory.
The company, s1, is to sell its flagship Media Playing Unit (MPU) space – on leading Scottish recruitment site s1jobs.com – via an ‘eBay-style’ online auction system.
Managing Director Mark Smith said: “We believe that this represents a whole new approach to media sales, and will in time radically change the nature of media-buying. It’s taking the Google Adwords approach to the logical next step, accepting bids for in demand “display†inventory. The traditional rate-card model enforces a rigid structure that fails to take account of fluctuating demand for space. Our auction system turns that on its head by allowing buyers, not sellers, to set the price. It ensures that advertisers pay exactly what the market decides the space is worth, and no more.
