LisaRiolo

INDUSTRY VETERANS LAUNCH IMPACT RADIUS, THE FIRST MULTI-CHANNEL PERFORMANCE ADVERTISING SOLUTION

Impact Radius Enables TV, Radio, Print and Online Media Partners and Advertisers Running Performance Advertising to Discover Opportunities, Directly Define Relationships and Connect Profitably

SANTA BARBARA, CA – January 11, 2010 – Impact Radius (www.impactradius.com) launched today with its multi-channel performance advertising platform that is the first to connect advertisers and media partners directly for the delivery of performance campaigns across TV, radio, print and online media channels from a single platform. Combining an open, centralized directory with tools and technology, the Impact Radius Platform features online negotiating capabilities, multi-channel distribution of ad creative, and a highly flexible financial accounting system that delivers a new way for media partners and advertisers to discover and develop profitable performance advertising relationships.

With several innovative business launches to their credit, including the Commission Junction network concept, the Impact Radius founding team—Wade Crang, Todd Crawford, Lisa Riolo, and Roger Kjensrud and Per Pettersen of Estalea—envisioned driving exponential growth for the entire performance advertising industry. Together, the veteran performance advertising leaders set out to answer the question: “How do we make a great advertising model even better?” Their answer is Impact Radius.

“As a group, we remain as passionate about performance advertising as we were when we first got into the business more than a decade ago. We think it’s time for the next ‘BIG’ thing in performance advertising,” said Lisa Riolo, co-founder of Impact Radius. “Performance advertising continues to gain momentum, but growth has been limited by out-of-date technology and business practices. With Impact Radius, we give media partners and advertisers direct access to the tools and technology that facilitate profitable relationships.”

The new multi-channel performance advertising platform centers around an open, centralized directory that lists the advertisers, media partners and agencies that are actively engaged in performance advertising, plus offers advanced tools and technology built specifically with advertisers and media partners in mind.

“Traditionally, our industry has accepted a ‘black box’ approach to conducting business, keeping relationships hidden and key information contained. If we want to create more opportunity and do more deals in performance advertising, we need a paradigm shift to this way of thinking,” explains Riolo. “It’s our belief that direct negotiations and open communication accelerate growth. In the development of the Impact Radius Directory and Platform, we followed a ‘clear box’ philosophy and engineered the tools and technology for media partners and advertisers to discover opportunities, directly define their relationships and connect profitably.”

Launching in public BETA, the Impact Radius Platform’s highly scalable and reliable technology infrastructure is built for high volume activity. It allows advertisers and media partners to manage their performance advertising campaigns across all media channels. Starting with an open, centralized directory to discover new partnership opportunities, the platform also features advanced relationship management tools for unlimited tracking capabilities, online negotiations, multi-channel distribution of ad creative, customized reporting and unprecedented payout flexibility. With its launch, the company introduces Radius Pricing, a unique, scalable approach to fees that aligns value and cost across the contributing relationships.

The Impact Radius Platform is also open to agencies and businesses that provide technology solutions or services to media partners and advertisers. From a single login, they have the ability to navigate easily among clients, to manage multiple accounts, view client and agency performance through macro-level reporting, and to promote their services to advertisers and media partners.

“We are creating a new path forward for the performance advertising industry,” said Todd Crawford, co-founder of Impact Radius. “By bringing several much-needed and long-awaited solutions to businesses working with the pay-for-performance model, we are delivering the flexibility and controls of in-house management with the scale and benefits a technology provider can offer. We believe that the tools and technology introduced by Impact Radius will deliver improved functionality to the established players in performance advertising and by bringing superior efficiencies and innovation to developing channels we are poising the industry for exponential growth.”

About Impact Radius

Impact Radius links performance advertising to TV, radio, print, outdoor and online distribution channels—delivering to advertisers and media partners opportunities for growth and profit. By providing the tools and technology to negotiate and manage relationships directly on a single platform, Impact Radius is changing how performance deals are transacted across all media channels. With its “clear box” philosophy, Impact Radius is championing a new direction for performance advertising by increasing transparency in relationships and improving decision-making for media partners, advertisers and agencies. To find the clear path to better performance partnerships, visit: www.impactradius.com.

Days turn to weeks and months and next thing you know you’re reflecting on years and wondering: How it is possible that so much time has elapsed so quickly?  How much time or how fast it passes is not really the point, but this is the way most of us think.

Ideally we would consider, instead, the quality of our pursuits.
Did we enjoy ourselves?
Did we give, contribute, or learn well?
Were we engaged and passionate and authentic?

What if these were the questions we asked ourselves, and others, when we contemplate the past?  What if this way of thinking about “time” became our usual perspective?

Imagine.

When I try on this new way of thinking my entire attitude shifts.  I’m more hopeful and more appreciative.  I consider the deliberate moments the successful ones.  I strive for satisfaction.  Mostly I feel gratitude for those people that choose to spend some of their time with me.  It is, after all, a thing to treasure.

As the calendar flips over to boast a brand new number — my intention is to shift my thinking from quantity and the “what” of doing to the quality and how of doing.  Happy New Year.  Enjoy it.

Soundtrack for a Session

The final session  in the PubCon 2009 Affiliate Track “Will Performance Marketing Save the Advertising Industry?” had almost as many panelists as audience members.

Not kidding.

As the moderator I was tempted to lead our baker’s dozen to the conference bar and hold the conversation there. Instead, Lisa Picarille, Shawn Collins and Jay Berkowitz proceeded as if the room were packed.

In spite of our bold title, the topics of quality, disclosure, fraud and scams trained a spotlight on the ever-present question of our industry’s vulnerability.  When our sprinkle of an audience asked the panelists for advice, the tone was cautious.

How do we know who to work with…?

Why aren’t we using white lists?

How do we protect ourselves from the scams and fraud?

Who will pay the price if regulations (assuming more are further enacted) aren’t respected?

So, how bad is it?  Will it all go away in 2010?  One audience member revealed that he had placed a $10 bet with a friend against the-end-of-it-all outcome.  (Yep, only $10.  These are tough times.)

Marketers won’t turn away from the accountability Performance Advertising offers them any time soon.  The model is too strong.  Deal terms will change.  The profile of an ideal partner will shift.  Competition will rise.  But the percentage of ad spend with performance-based pricing will not erode from 60% of the total back down to zero.

These feelings of instability or unease over what’s happening now are nothing new. Performance Marketers have always wondered whether the industry will tolerate the aggressive approach its leading edge participants invent.  How many boundaries will be re-established or tactics rejected by the advertising community?  Sometimes turbulence and foul-smells are part of the advertising frontier.  Other times–being way out front is exhilarating.  And lucrative.

Will we still be in business in 2010?  I’m betting, and more than $10, the answer is Yes!

In a recent interview with Andrew Warner at Mixergy.com , I challenged Andrew’s reference to some affiliates’ advantages over other affiliates as being “unfair.” My belief is that, in many instances, highly effective or productive affiliates have earned those advantages.

I’ve had the benefit of a seeing thousands of performance-based relationships. The one-size-fits-all label does not apply. Nor, in my opinion, should every partnership be treated equally. The relationships are priced on performance. Shouldn’t the other aspects of these relationships also be based on performance?

If an affiliate is a good partner in the eyes of an advertiser, a network or an agency–then the affiliate deserves above average treatment. The benefits might come in the form of additional information, a higher payout, or an exclusive consumer discount. In my book, this advantage is not unfair. It is simply an earned opportunity that should lead to a win-win outcome for the performance relationship.

I hope you’ll take the time to watch (or download and listen to) the entire interview. This was a great discussion and there are some valuable tips and insider information for both newbies and veterans. I had great fun with Andrew and encourage you to check out the many GREAT interviews at Mixergy!