Scribes Continue Battle with Vibrant Media
Our hearts go out to the sales team at Vibrant Media. The company’s business model takes a constant beating in the press - this time in the New York Times. The company’s main advertising placement product - IntelliTXT - embeds links to paying advertisers into the text of news stories. The editorial side tends not to like it because they feel it confuses editorial and ad product. The ad sales guys can talk until they are blue in the face about floater ads and other techniques that overlay ads on editorial, but they will still get push-back over IntelliTXT. The NY Times ran the story after the financially ailing NY Post decided to give IntelliTXT a try. Forbes pulled out of an experiment with IntelliTXT after editors complained. Vibrant is doing OK. They claim 400 publisher clients, however, they are having a very tough time breaking into the elite brands.
Read - Ads Embedded in Online News Raise Questions (The NY Times)
Read - Vibrant Media Profile (The a:c)
Edmonton dominated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and the 4-0 margin in Game 6 makes it hard to imagine the Oilers not hoisting hockey’s Holy Grail above their heads in less than 48 hours. And it would not come as any shock to see defenseman Chris Pronger, who had another 31-minute night, take the honors for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.