An Ohio-based company called AdOutlet.com has introduced a business-to-business service that enables Web publishers to fill unsold ad space and offers media buyers discounts on advertising of up to 80 percent.
"Our goal in providing this electronic marketplace for advertising buyers and sellers is to use technology to improve the fundamentally-inefficient nature of media transactions," said Alan Masarek, chairman and CEO of AdOutlet.com.
Launched June 14, this electronic commerce service offers a distribution channel for buying and selling discounted advertising space. Publishers stipulate the price of offered inventory, which minimizes pricing problems caused by auction-based services, and media buyers can buy close to insertion deadlines, bringing opportunistic buys into the mainstream. The greater speed and efficiency of an e-commerce form of distribution extends the "shelf life" of excess space, allowing publishers the opportunity to generate revenues from previously unsold space. For media buyers, AdOutlet.com gives online access to inventory
at low prices.
"We are convinced that this inevitable e-commerce-based solution is the future of media buying because it optimizes the ease and profitability of our customers," Masarek said.
AdOutlet.com is a privately held company based in Columbus, Ohio. Media buyers may register on the company's web site; publishers interested in consigning inventory may either indicate their interest in the same manner or may call AdOutlet.com at 614-538-8100 or send an e-mail message to Eric@adoutlet.com.
The company plans to expand its services to offer print and broadcast inventory in the coming months.