When it comes to the advertising industry, the only constant is change. As technology evolves, so do advertiser demands, challenges and quality standards. That’s why media leader IDG TechNetwork has kept its customers at the center of the company’s continued evolution.
“As a publisher-driven network with an emphasis on quality content at scale, these product progressions remain true to our core business model in servicing our customers,” says Scott Harris, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at IDG TechNetwork.
“We believe in the importance of building out new solutions that enable our business to straddle the line between agency and publisher, operating as a true consultative resource in addressing our clients’ needs.”
In seven short years, IDG Communications has grown from a traditional publisher into a digital media company, shutting all but one of its print publications and developing a centralized network approach with IDG TechNetwork to providing scale.
Here are the biggest lessons that they have learned along the way.
Reposition industry challenges into company-specific strengths
One of the biggest challenges that the advertising industry faces is the commodification of display banners, which leads to diminished value and performance. In response to this trend, IDG TechNetwork has transformed its business beyond the network model of standard display ads to invest in in-house capabilities.
“We’ve developed a rich suite of diverse products to provide our clients with lead generation, custom content marketing, native advertising, a programmatic exchange, a destination video hub with original programming, creative rich media development and DSP targeting; all executed across our premium mobile, desktop and video channels,” says Harris.
Harris explains that experimentation has been key to IDG TechNetwork’s process. Rather than maintaining the status quo, the company has actively sought out new opportunities to include as core offerings.
“It’s important to identify new areas of excellence rather than building up a wall of defense,” says Harris. “In many respects this is a similar challenge that the industry faced when first making the transition from print to digital.”
Stay close to your customers
IDG TechNetwork makes a dedicated effort to stay close to the needs of their customers and prospects. Conversations with advertisers and industry contacts have opened numerous doors for the business like the following:
- In May 2015, IDG Communications launched a suite of account-based marketing solutions, ABM360, which enables IDG’s advertising partners to identify purchasing intent at the company and decision maker level. The product was launched in response to a growing need for advertising partners to reach this coveted audience.
- In December 2014, IDG TechNetwork launched IDG.tv in response to the growing demand for premium video content in a brand-safe environment. The website serves as a hub for video content from IDG’s leading media properties like Macworld, PC World, NetworkWorld, and CIO.
- IDG continues to build upon its programmatic platform, IDG TechMedia Exchange, which has grown to manage more than 7,000 advertisers in the company’s open and private marketplaces. The company is now evolving this product to accommodate private exchanges in countries across the globe.
“We believe it’s imperative to have a good dialogue with your client base to embrace their shifting needs and cultivate new solutions,” says Harris.
Implement training
Given that change is never-ending, it’s important to invest in programs that help team members learn and stay connected to a company’s moving fleet within the advertising industry. That’s why IDG TechNetwork has implemented IAB’s Certification Program across teams.
“The IAB certification has played a major role in the education and validity of the reps having daily conversations with clients in the marketplace,” says Jeanine Nicosia, Account Director at IDG TechNetwork.
“It’s important to us as reps, and as an organization as a whole, to be up to speed with the industry offerings, rules and regulations.”
Empower your people to learn and grow with your business — that’s the bottom line. Your teams, customers, technologies all need to move in the same direction with the ad industry at large. It’s these points of connection that have empowered IDG to TechNetwork to learn, grow, and evolve.
Learn more at https://www.iab.com/topics/certification/
