CNET Rolls RSS Banner Ads

CNET is now running banner ads inside RSS feeds, Adweek reports. E! Entertainment television is the first advertiser. The campaign promotes the network's nightly "E! News" Hollywood coverage on CNET's TV.com.

I am bullish about the use of RSS feeds as a marketing channel. Nevertheless I would encourage advertisers and publishers to think outside the box and mix the old methods with the new.

For example, what if news organizations offered users three full text news feeds gratis in exchange for opting into another that only has relevant ads. Alternatively, I would love to see advertisers and editorial partnering to create custom-published content like they do in the magazine world. Instead of delivering the product via the Web, it could come via RSS.

This is just the beginning of a coming tidal wave of experimentation with RSS ads. We need more users first.

Technorati Tags: advertising

Comments

[Eric Berlin]

I agree completely with your "bullishness," Steve. At Blogcritics.org, we've been very pleasantly surprised by experimenting with running ads on RSS feeds via Pheedo.

The more I think about it, it makes sense that RSS will be an extraordinary channel for media producers, consumers, and advertisers.

Eric Berlin
Executive Producer
Blogcritics.org

[Rodolp s]

As you blog about RSS monetization I thought it would be a good idea to let you know about the survey we are conducting at StepWebZ.com about RSS, syndication and content monetization. Here is the link to the survey http://www.stepwebz.com/rss_and_content_syndication_survey.asp
Feel free to share the link .
Regards
Rodolp S

[Sarah]

Steve – I wanted to clarify the nature of CNET Networks' latest advertising development. You stated in your post today that “CNET is now running banner ads inside RSS feeds,” but what we're actually doing is running RSS feeds inside ads. It’s an important distinction, as these are two different opportunities for marketers.

Incorporating marketing messages into RSS feeds is something we consider important -- and we're exploring the best way to do so without compromising the user experience. However, what we announced yesterday is that we've added RSS functionality to all the standard ad units available across our network. What this means is that CNET Networks’ marketers can now use RSS feeds to automatically update their ad units, giving them the ability to keep the content current and relevant to our audience. The RSS feeds can be used to feed breaking news, as E! is doing with celebrity gossip and news, or it could be used to update an ad unit with information that helps keep the message fresh and interesting. Other examples would be a food company featuring a new recipe each day or a network featuring the evening’s prime time line-up.

Today’s marketers are looking for ways to engage their customers with customized, timely messages. This new development is an exciting step towards giving our marketers more flexibility in the creative process, allowing them to create multiple messages while keeping production costs at a minimum. It also allows them to reach many more prospective customers. As you mentioned in your post, "we need more users first," in order for ads in RSS feeds to be successful. In contrast, piping marketers' messages directly into ads expands the audience for those messages exponentially.

Regards,
Sarah Cain
Director, Public Relations
CNET Networks

[Frank fernandis]

They also started a Free PSP site for getting a Sony PSP.