New York-based Right Media has launched a new beta ad system that lets site publishers participate in multiple ad networks and automatically display real time bidding ads on an inventory basis for the highest paying CPM impression. The service, called RMX Direct, also filters malware from being served via ads and enforces publisher standards.
RMX Direct will officially launch in September but is currently accepting test accounts. Back in April 2005 RightMedia launched a much more complicated enterprise version of the system. The enterprise edition features over 50 ad networks to choose from while RMX Direct starts with eight and will grow over time.
Publishers who are making significant amounts from AdSense probably won't get all the benefits of RMX Direct but many users may find better paying options through the multi-network competition.
The most likely scenario: web publishers tell the system how much they make per impression from AdSense (CPM) and then add some other participating networks. If one network pays more than AdSense does in a given situation, it will show that network's ad instead.
Factors that influence the bidding include geographic location per impression, site and user (cookied) conversion rates and more. Bidding happens in real time as opposed to the pre-scheduled enterprise edition which runs 30,000 auctions per second.
Ad placement, size and other factors can be managed from the RMX Direct dashboard where publisher preferences can be set and there is even a forum for discussing and rating the various networks. It's a pretty simple system though it has complex options, but it's still in early development stages.
The MediaGuard system is especially interesting. Last month spyware ads were shown against news headlines infecting thousands of computers using MySpace services. RMX Direct runs every ad from all participating networks through an automatic tool that tests each one for spyware, pop-ups and ActiveX installations. If it finds any malware, RMX Direct won't serve that ad. Ads that have been flagged by two editors as distracting, dating and sports among others will also not be shown.
Publishers can choose which categories to block. They can even block ads based on punctuation abuse, the presence of words like "free," sexual orientation, offensive attacks or religious content among others. These are just a few of my long list of favorite standards. As you uncheck option boxes to stop showing flagged ads the percentage of available ads in the system changes in real time. Pretty neat system.
RSS reports, blog platform plugins so you can see your stats in your blog dashboard and more are coming in the future.
Looks like an interesting and innovative system that could work well for publishers looking for balanced options for their online advertising.
Original address: RMX Direct: alternative ad networks battle for your blogAuthor: Marshall Kirkpatrick