CPX Chicago...First Look

CPX Interactive has a new Midwest headquarters located in the famous Loop of downtown Chicago. This past week, the CPX executive team visited Chicago to get a first-hand look at the new space located at One East Wacker Drive. The Midwest Sales Directors, Celina Kwolek and Jennifer Giangrasse, are very excited to be settling into their new home as they continue to lead the CPX Interactive Midwest team forward. Stay tuned for more on our new Chicago office!


Celina Kwolek, Sales Director, Midwest and Gary Bembridge, EVP of Sales, North America, trying to measure the new office space by hand.



Rediscovering What We Know: The Basics of Working with an Ad Network

A few months ago, I was reading a great book called, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott. After the first few chapters, I felt as if I was reading about topics I felt that I already understood. Or so I thought. By the end of the book I found myself saying, “What a refresher course.” Although I was trying to learn something new, as the book clearly states, I ended up remembering the important basics that had so quickly left my memory bank. The book talked about “the new rules”, but it was also a reminder that the old rules still apply.

This past week, I was reading an article posted on Adotas titled, Boosting Campaign Performance with Ad Networks; the same thing happened. The article pointed out five basic points to achieve an ideal campaign with an Ad Network. Although the points were somewhat obvious, it brought to mind the undeniable disconnect between what advertisers know about ad networks and realizing the full potential of what ad networks are capable of. We decided to elaborate on these points to rehash some of the straightforward yet often overlooked benefits of working with an ad network.


First, the article says to find someone on the inside that can, and is willing, or motivated to help you. Well, we couldn’t agree more. Our Account Management team is trained to think as though they are our client’s inside representative.
The second point, be honest about your campaign goals. To us, this seems obvious enough, but it is certainly worth including. We deliver the best results for our clients when their true goals have been made as clear as possible. We are always prepared to deliver success in any way we need to, but we are not trained to be mind readers.

Being realistic in your expectations is third. This one is important. We can deliver impressive online advertising campaigns, if we are given the chance. But the truth is that, while we have pulled off a miracle or two, expecting a highly targeted campaign that is focused on a very small sample audience, to produce scalable leads, at a minimal cost, is simply not a realistic expectation.


The fourth point the article makes is, don’t be afraid to ask for special accommodations, especially if you are the key person buying media for a brand. While we can’t promise we’ll always be able to accommodate a request 100%, the truth is that we are a service business and we understand that you know your business better than anyone else. Our job is to make sure you know what is possible, but you need to let us know what is important to you.

Finally, the fifth and final point that the article makes is that constant communication is crucial, especially in the early stages of your ad campaign. Our view of the client/network relationship rests on the interaction between your point campaign person and one of our top notch Account Managers. We know that the campaign that starts out in the most organized and open way is the campaign that ends with success. Communication in the launch phase is probably the single most important to ensuring this success.


Working with an Ad Network is an important aspect to any online marketing strategy. But if you don’t know what the Ad Network is capable of, you might get lost in an ocean of options that you don’t fully understand. We may all say we understand the importance of communication, but in the fast moving world of online advertising we can sometimes forget the basics. Re-remembering these few simple (yet true) key points is an important part of moving forward and running a successful campaign.

Drawing Up Solutions with CPX

Recently, our sales team was in need of some new direct response materials. They joined forces with the marketing team to come up with a new strategy for a direct response campaign that was both fun and interactive. The ideas were then passed on to our in-house creative team who created a series of comic strips designed to highlight the many solutions that CPX has to offer. The CPX Solutions series recently debuted their first installment, Cost Per “Like”, which was just featured in a sponsorship newsletter for BIMA (Boston Interactive Media Association).


In this first episode, we meet Mike, a social media strategist with a major dilemma. In 2 weeks, Mike has to present to his company’s executive board who want to see results. Only one problem though, the successful social strategy he needs to develop is lacking in more ways than one and driving fans to his company Facebook page is not as easy as he thought. Will he reach his goal before the big presentation? Will CPX Solutions save the day? Read more to find out what happens to Mike.

A ‘Slice’ of Sales Advice

A special thanks to our guest contributor, Sharone Hadari, VP of West Coast Operations.

Working in Sales in the digital advertising industry can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. There are thousands of publishers, hundreds of ad networks, and soon, if not already, hundreds of DSPs to compete with for agency brand dollars. This is where a person in online ad sales must really try to stand out and differentiate themselves from the competition. In doing so, you want to put a little creativity in the ways you maintain your current client relationships and in the ways you cultivate new client relationships. The following is one example of my own creative way in helping to maintain an existing client relationship.

I attended a ThinkLA Poker event on a Thursday night with a few co-workers. We wound up spending the last few hours of the night with one of our existing clients. We had a great time together and ended up coming home around 2am!

Waking up the next morning was a little tiresome, but it was Friday and we knew the weekend was right around the corner. Knowing how I was feeling at that moment, I immediately thought that our clients probably felt the same way. With that, I went ahead and called a local pizza place and had a few pizzas delivered to their offices at lunchtime…the perfect cure for the previous night’s festivities! We had the pizza place include a note on our behalf. Once the pizzas were delivered, our clients responded with the biggest Thank You email. They definitely appreciated our thoughtfulness and clearly enjoyed the pizza. Who wouldn’t?


In the days after that gesture we have received have over $150k in new business from that client. Now while I can’t say it had anything to do with my small (but thoughtful) gesture, I can say that it didn’t hurt ; )


Moral of the story…the little things you do go a long way!

VIDEO: CPX Interactive Interviews EVP of Finance, Walter Ferrara

CPX Interactive recently sat down with their EVP of Finance, Walter Ferrara, to talk about his new T&E policy initiative, working with his son Robert and how he got into the field of Finance. Meet Walter Ferrara and learn more about the CPX Finance Team.

Is Digital Just Following A Predictable Transformational Arc?

In this recent interview for iMediaconnection, media industry thought leader, Jack Myers, presents a macro view of the digital advertising industry. He explains that when the digital ‘revolution’ is viewed against other transformational shifts in our history (i.e. the industrial revolution), we see that it is following a similar and predictable arc. By his calculation, we are 17 years into a 30 year transformational period. Watch to learn what to expect from the next 13 years…

PRESS RELEASE: CPX Interactive Exec Takes High Profile Roles in IAB US and IAB EU

Rob Rasko, CPX Interactive’s President & COO, appointed to IAB US Board of Directors and Named Co-Chair of IAB EU Brand Advertising Committee.


New York, NY, June 16, 2011 –(PR.com)– With offices in the US, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Turkey, global online ad network CPX Interactive has long been a thought leader in the online display advertising landscape on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent days, that position has been solidified by appointments of one of its key executives, Rob Rasko, to roles as both a member of the IAB US Board of Directors and Co-Chairman of the IAB EU’s Brand Advertising Committee.
 
Rasko, CPX Interactive’s President & COO, has worked consistently over the past few years to promote the interactive advertising industry’s unification around transparency guidelines and general messaging. As a member of the work group for the committee that produced the IAB US Quality Assurance Guidelines, as well as the co-chair for the committee tasked with establishing and executing the go-to-market strategy for those guidelines, Rasko has proven to be a motivating force toward consensus and action. Internationally, Rasko has worked with the leaders of both the IAB EU and the leaders of the independent IAB European country franchises toward finding a unified position of self-regulation, while establishing an acceptable integration of current IASH standards
 
READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE