Finally, here is a great example of the granularity and direct nature of Web 2.0 expanding into online advertising; beyond another social networking site. Today ‘The Net Version II’ is all about direct connections, visitor generated content, openness, and user control. These same cornerstones of the next generation have not translated to the online advertising world, until now.Top Dog Ad Network launched this weekend with little fanfare. With the official launch, there is a cool new website up and a little press pick-up. But the real story is not the site; it is the groundbreaking nature of this new advertising service. Top Dog has a very unique market strategy that could portend the future of interactive advertising.
Top Dog is an interactive rep firm, serving and focusing on a segment that even two years ago would have been considered a minuscule niche market... the world of dog-lovers. But the story does not end there; it further breaks up this valuable category into sub-niches such as Dog Trainers, Boarding, Books, and more. The taxonomy was clearly built to address the market make-up and advertiser demands.
What makes this groundbreaking is that it is a network that was developed in the model of the market. It is extremely granular and extends the dogs-tail of the web. Additionally, the additional value is that Top Dog is offering it services on top of the open and transparent advertising platform, Adify. Sitting on top of the Adify platform really provides the power to both the buyers and sellers.
If Top Dog publishers are unhappy they can simply flick a switch and either sell everything through their own storefront or switch to another network. Their only “customer lock-in” is apparently the quality of the service itself.
This is the first of many sub-niche ad plays that will really bring online advertising into the 21st century.
