The Network Effect

OK, I'm biased, but in this interview I think Gurbaksh Chahal does a great job explaining how BlueLithium differentiates itself from other advertising networks.

The main distinction between networks is whether they use a rep model or an arbitrage model. In the rep model, the network is simply selling inventory on behalf of the publisher, as an alternative to the publisher employing their own sales force. In the arbitrage model, the network is buying inventory from publishers, re-assembling it into packages that match the audience requirements of the advertiser, then using advanced targeting and optimization technologies to further enhance the performance of the inventory. This is BlueLithium's model. A lot has been written about the relative strengths of each model, but it boils down to this: rep networks provide the convenience of buying a fully-disclosed portfolio of sites with a single IO. Arbitrage networks integrate new capabilities such as behavioral targeting/remarketing, semantic analysis, on-the-fly optimization and audience-centric buys to deliver strong bottom-line performance over and above the name brand value of the sites they run on.

Pandora Rocks On

Pandora has rolled out a number of very cool new features, including RSS feeds and interactive blog links. (See below right.)

Also, check out this very interesting interview with Tim Westergren, Pandora's founder.

Listen Up!


Pandora just rolled out some new features that should make it even more compelling than it already is. Check it out!