The Definitive List of Self-Serve Online Ad Buying (Updated for 2011)

This article by Hollis originally appeared in ClickZ on July 28, 2009, but was revised & updated with new sites February 2, 2011!

Self-service online ad buying solutions have existed for more than a decade, dominated primarily by Google. Self-serve campaigns make it easy for a media planner to allocate small dollars to test the waters or big dollars if the platform performs well.

Search engines not withstanding, you can choose from many other self-serve online ad-buying options, with more being added all the time. I’ve compiled a master list here. If I’ve missed any, please let me know in the comments below.

First, a few caveats:

• Self-serve campaigns, though often costing less money, can take up to 25 percent more time to set up and manage.
• With self-serve, you really can’t negotiate for bonus impressions.
• Some self-serve solutions won’t work with your ad server.
• Campaign controls, like frequency capping, dayparting, and pacing, are often not available.
• Obtaining screen shots or proof of delivery could be more difficult or impossible.
• Receiving make-goods for click or impression discrepancies will probably be tough.

And now, the list!

Self-Serve Display Ads

• AdDynamix’s Pennyweb. The AdDynamix Network is comprised of a wide range of specialty-content web sites and premium publishers.
• AdReady. AdReady builds custom ads by target audience and buy your campaign within the AdReady solution.
• Adroll.com. AdRoll offers niche publishers and uses a proprietary visitor rating system to match advertisers with publishers.
• Blogads. Blogads’ ad units combine an image with linked text.
• Entrecard.com (beta). Entrecard distributes 125 x 125 display ads across its blog network.
• Federated Media. Ads are placed on blogs within its network.
• Mochi Media. Mochi Media offers in-game (pre-load) 300 x 250 display ads.

Self-Serve Text and Contextually Targeted Ads

• AdBrite. AdBrite offers banner, text ads, and its own format offerings.
• Adhere by Marchex. Contextual & display ads.
• adMarketplace. PPC plus optimization tools.
• Clicksor. The “Standard” account option is self-serve.
• ContextWeb. Text and display ads are purchased in an auction exchange.
• Feedblitz. Inadequate information in front of login, but like the variety of targeting options; CPM-based bid environment.
• Text Link Ads. The ads offered are primarily for SEO (define).
• The Washington Post. Targeted text ads by site, section, or page.

Self-Serve Multiple Ad Types

• Ad Onion. Ad Onion offers text and display ads.
• AdEngage. AdEngage offers text and display ads.
• AdOn Network. AdOn offers display, search, mobile, and “background” ads.
• AOL Advertising (formerly Platform-A). AOL Advertising offers Quigo (contextual ads), Bid Place (banners), and LeadBack.com (retargeting).
• Pheedo. Pheedo offers display, text, and proprietary formats, all delivered via RSS readers, start pages, and widgets.
• Technorati Engage (beta). Ads are delivered to blogs and specialized niche content sites.
• ZEDO. $10.00 minimums and you can create either a text ad or an image/banner ad; targeting by country.

Self-Serve Lead Generation

• Pontiflex. A transparent cost-per-lead market

Self-Serve Local Ads

• MSNBC. MSNBC sells its ad space to small and local businesses through a partnership with AdReady.
• NYTimes.com. Like MSNBC, NYTimes.com has partnered with AdReady to offer $5 CPMs (define) to local small businesses.
• Trulia Pro. Trulia Pro is a real estate advertising solution.
• Yahoo. My Display Ads program wins over local advertisers and converts search advertisers to display.

Self-Serve Social Media Ads

• Facebook. Facebook allows you to quickly create image and text-based ads. You can advertise your own Web page or something on Facebook, like a Page or an Event, and you can choose CPC (define) or CPM.
• IZEA. Compensates bloggers, tweeters and promoters (their publishers) on the advertiser’s behalf to share information about companies, products, websites and events within their social media streams.
• MySpace. MyAds serves banners based on user hobbies, interests, age, gender, and location.
• StumbleUpon. Site-viewed based pricing; likes on ads help improve your visibility; target by category, demographic and/or geography; no minimum buy-in.

Self-Serve Mobile Ads

• AdMob. Text and image ads are available.
• Adfonic. Adfonic is a self-service mobile advertising marketplace.
• Admoda. Serves over 4 billion ads per month globally.
• BuzzCity. international.
• InMobi - Enables you to design, optimize, analyze and manage your mobile ad campaigns easily and effectively.
• Jumptap. TapMatch provides a variety of targeting through mobile for text or banner ads.
• Millennial Media. The DeckTrade solution is for CPC mobile advertising.
• Mojiva. Mojiva is a bid auction environment for mobile advertising.
• Velti. All aspects of mobile advertising are offered.
• Zeep Media. Zeep Media offers SMS advertising.

Self-Serve Video Ads

• AditAll - Easy and affordable way to create video ads online from your desktop.
• FourSpots. FourSpots allows advertisers to quickly and easily create, customize, and place video and banner ads from ad templates.
• Jivox. Jivox is specifically geared toward local businesses.

B2B-Focused Self-Serve Ads

• Bizo. Serves display ads; daily minimum is only $5.00.
• Business.com. Advertising offers from simple PPC ads to directory listings (not all of these offers are delivered via self-serve, however).
• Forbes.com. With a $500.00 minimum, $10.00 CPMs and respected content, this is not a bad place for B2B advertisers to test.
• LinkedIn Direct Ads. CPC; text + logo; target by job title, geography, industry and company size and/or gender and age.
• ThomasNet. For first-time or smaller commercial/industrial manufacturers, this long-standing industry resource offers its Starter Program directory listing for $948.00.

I hope you’ve found this list helpful. I welcome your feedback, and again, if I’ve forgotten any important mentions, please let me know in the comments section below.

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