TechCrunch Ad Rates Slashed 35%
Federated Media, which sells ads across a boatload of top-tier tech sites, has slashed ad rates at all of the above. TechCrunch's rate-card CPMs, for example, have been cut 35%, from $36 to $23.40:
Rate card rates are a joke, of course: If an ad has ever been sold at the price on the rate card (except at SAI), we're not aware of it. But the new rates will at least reduce the amount of time advertisers spend laughing when they first see them. Federated also points out that these are prices for self-serve, low-service ads, not the major campaigns the company runs across multiple sites.
Here's the good news on SAI's rates, by the way. Advertisers are now getting a lot more for their money:
Federated Media's practice of providing significant discounts through its self-service online ad platform is not a new one. In addition, we often make changes to rates (up and down) to reflect changes in demand for ad inventory by our clients. So, to call the most recent activities "slashing rates" is simply a mischaracterization of the ongoing practice of FM managing yield on behalf of our authors.
In addition, our most recent changes should not be taken to imply that demand is waning for inventory on FM sites, including TechCrunch and Silicon Alley Insider (as you should know). In fact, we continue to see a high level of interest from our advertisers at attractive rates to our publishers.
Best regards,
James Navin
VP, Products and Channels
Federated Media
It sounds to me like two different ways of characterizing the same thing. If you "make changes to rates to reflect changes in demand for ad inventory" isn't it fair to conclude you've cut rates because demand has waned?
For the record, you're certainly selling a boatload of ads for us (and TechCrunch, I assume) and we greatly appreciate it.
Please don't try and unspin the buzzwords... without them what do we have?!?!? *
best jcal
* reality?