Digital Advertising Guide

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Run of Media

Run of media is the broadest form of targeting, and there are several ways to implement it. Tactics include run of network, run of channel, run of site, run of section and contextual targeting. Typically, run of media targeting is used to align a brand with certain, desirable areas of content.

Run of Network

Run of network targeting is offered by ad networks. It reaches everyone who accesses any website across the entire network. For example, if a marketer purchases a run of network media buy, its banner ads will be served across the thousands of websites that are part of that network.

Run of Channel

Run of channel targeting is also offered by ad networks. In this form of targeting, websites within an ad network are grouped by contextual relevance. This allows a marketer to have its ads served across all the properties within the network that include relevant content. For example, instead of running media across all the sites in a network, a marketer may choose to only run on sports websites, also called the sports channel of the network. Run of channel may also be called content or contextual targeting.

Run of Site Targeting

Run of site targeting is offered by publishers. It reaches everyone who accesses any page on the publisher's website. For example, if a marketer purchases a run of site media buy, its ads will be served on all pages of the site, versus a specific page or section.

Run of Section

Run of section targeting is also offered by publishers. Similar to run of channel targeting, it allows marketers to select desirable content areas, versus having all sections of the website included in the media buy. For example, instead of running across a publisher's entire website, the marketer may choose to only run within the finance section of the site. Run of section may also be called content or contextual targeting.

Contextual Targeting

Contextual targeting allows marketers to target individuals who are viewing webpages containing relevant or desirable content. Websites and networks use algorithms to crawl webpages, find designated keywords, understand the context of the keyword within the webpage, then serve the marketer's banner ads if appropriate. For example, if an automobile brand purchases a contextually targeted media buy on a network, the brand will first build out a list of relevant keywords for its ads to show up against. These keywords may stem from search queries and may include words like "2013 model," "best car," or "auto reviews," as well as branded and competitive terms. Once the keyword list is developed, the ad network will run through all the websites in its network to find webpages where the selected keywords appear and show the automobile ads on those webpages, because the content is relevant to the campaign.

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