Adzerk | An ad server for publishers and networks. How can I start a niche ad network. Bonfire – A New Ad Agency For The Comics Ethnic Demographic. Steve Rotterdam was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at DC Comics. Then, one day, he was not. Ed Catto is best known as the man behind the revival of Captain Action in both comics and toys, as well as working for Reed for the New York Comic Con. Together, they fight crime. No, sorry, together they have created a new advertising agency. Bonfire, based in offices on 5th and 37th in New York, is a new operation opening on January 3rd whose major investor is East West Marketing Group.
And their aim to to treat the comic book and comic-related consumers as an ethnic group, to be marketed to by specialists, like any other. And they’ve a number of ways to achieve that. The Independent Comics Ad Network. I think that’s genius. Then to talk to retailers in the direct market for advertising opportunities, either directly as a venue to expose customers to targeted messages, or to sponsor events such as signings or guest appearances, across the country. I think that’s pretty good too. Vertical ad networks: What are they, and why did Cox just buy Adify for $300MM? Adify exits for $300MM exitSome of you may have read about the acquisition of Adify by Cox for $300MM. It’s been covered in PaidContent, Silicon Alley Insider, and scores of other places. You gotta love the online ad industry – if this had been a consumer internet exit, it’d create intense buzz throughout the blogosphere, but since it’s a boring B2B infrastructure play, it likely bores most people.
Anyway, I wanted to jot down a couple notes about how the industry fits together below – by the end, hopefully you’ll get what Adify’s business as a "vertical ad network infrastructure" company is all about. What is a vertical ad network, and why would you start one? The vertical ad network business is like the startup recipe du jour of New York. I’ve been pinged many times over by folks who are looking to start one, companies pitching them. Basically, these networks are appealing if you fall into the falling description: The biggest issue is channel conflict, which you can easily avoid. Bonfire Agency » Bonfire Ignites All-Ages Comics Ad Network. NEW YORK, NY (May 8, 2012) – Entertainment and pop culture advertising and marketing firm Bonfire Agency announced today the launch of a new advertising network uniting leading publishers of “kids and up” comic books under the banner of the “Archie All-Ages Comics Ad Network.”
The new network combines the collective companies’ wide reach in mass market, bookstores and comic book shops and brings together such recognizable brands as Archie, Sonic the Hedgehog, Richie Rich, Ghostbusters, Peanuts, Kung-Fu Panda and Adventure Time. “All-ages comics reach a large, untapped audience that continues to grow and hunger for more, similar content and entertainment,” said Steve Rotterdam, Partner & Co-Founder of Bonfire Agency. “These easily accessible, consistently entertaining and expertly crafted periodicals are the perfect vehicles for advertisers looking to reach kids, parents and families with their message.”
LEGO Systems of North America is already running advertising through the network. Bonfire Agency Launches Advertising Network With IDW, Dynamite, Top Cow, Aspen And Boom. IDW, Aspen, Top Cow, Dynamite and Boom have all signed up to Comics United, a new program created by Bonfire Agency to give advertising media buyers a new route to target the comic buying public. Advertisements would appear across all publishers, in print, in digital and on the publishers’ websites. The Bonfire Agency’s Steve Rotterdam made the announcement in a basement bar earlier this evening and also stated that there will be advertising space available in Diamond Previews for big brands. As well as this announcement, Steve also mentioned that a retro candy brand Bonomo Turkish Taffy wanting to advertise in comics, had been persuaded by Bonfire to sell in comic stores as well. With 25 cents of each sale in perpetuity going towards the Hero Initiative, who helps comic book creators in need, often from the very period the candy represents.
“Every smack is going to give something back.” The Webcartoonist's Guide To Ad Networks. Figuring out what ads to place on your site is a challenge to any new webcartoonist. Even though your traffic probably isn’t great enough for you to quit your day job yet (it takes years even for the star performers), there’s no reason you can’t earn a few pennies for what you do. And on the flip side, what about using networks to promote yourself? How would that work?
I don’t consider myself an expert on this topic, because others have made far more with ads than me! But I’ve dealt with it for a while, and here’s what I have been able to pick up. Google Ads Pros: They’re ads, on Google. Cons: Visual Google Ads can be, and often are, rejected without explanation. Publishers can also be kicked out of Google Adsense with little warning and less ability to understand what their transgressions were. Microsoft adCenter Pros: Essentially works the same as Google does, with better customer service, sending ads through the combined Bing, Microsoft and Yahoo networks. CPMStar Project Wonderful. Speechbubble Media - The webcomic advertising network. ComicsUnited: An Ad Network for Independent Comics. Comic books have never relied on advertising as a revenue stream the way other types of magazines have. In fact, independent publishers frequently have no paid advertising component to their comics. This will be changing soon as the Bonfire Agency targets October for the launch of their “ComicsUnited” advertising network.
The Bonfire Agency launched in January as a full service marketing and promotion firm for the pop culture sector. It’s founders are Steve Rotterdam, former senior v-p of marketing and sales at DC Comics, and Ed Catto, an advertising industry veteran who is also the “Retropreneur” at CA Enterprises, which hold the rights for the Captain Action and Zeroids properties. Bonfire recently implemented a program introducing the Bonomo Turkish Taffy brand to Direct Market comic stores, with a portion of sales being donated to the Hero Initiative not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping comic creators in need. What does all this mean for a publisher?