Reflecting the growing and increasingly sophisticated internet advertising market, Ad Networks have now started establishing themselves in the region.

There are broadly three types of ad networks:
1) Representative (or Rep) Networks: They represent the publications in their portfolio, with full transparency for the advertiser about where their ads will run. They typically promote high quality traffic at market prices and are heavily used by brand marketers.
2) Targeted Networks: These focus on specific targeting technologies such as behavioral or contextual specializing in using consumer click stream data to enhance the value of the inventory they purchase.
3) Blind Networks: They offer low priced inventory in exchange for those relinquishing control over where the ads will run. Their low pricing  is achieved through large bulk buys of remnant inventory combined with campaign optimization and ad targeting technology.

One such Ad Network, Aktiv Group, has set up an office here to tap into the growing internet advertising market. They seemed to have positioned themselves as a hybrid network which offers lower priced inventory with limited targeting options. Success of ad networks will largely depend on the sophistication of the planning agency in supplementing & integrating regular inventory with the low cost options offered by ad networks.

Almost 10% of searchers at Ask.com now choose to refine their queries through "Search Suggestions". This is one of the upgrades bundled into the search engine's user interface overhaul two months ago. The company revamped its look and feel in response to Google’s Universal Search update. Unlike Universal Search, which incorporates video, local, and news search results into the body of its natural listings, Ask.com’s approach is more akin to a Chinese menu. Above or alongside Ask’s search results, it features sections of links for news, videos, blogs, images and products, along with featured content from Wikipedia and other sources.

ComScore reported that over 5 million people – or about 3% of the total online population – let "Search Suggestions" suggest a relevant search phrase or a better way of spelling their keywords. ComScore's data shows that traffic to Ask.com jumped by more than 2 million unique visitors from May to June (the month of the rollout). Although Ask.com is still a fringe player in the Search Ad market, innovation ensures that the Search Advertising game will continue to evolve among players to get the best user experience and ultimately, more relevant ads for more users.

© 2007 Zenithmedia
© 2007 Optimedia
© 2007 Equinox

Photos credited to media owners