Ad-supported Content Services (Part 1)

• 6 in-depth Case Studies
• Blyk, gBox, Tumri
• User Experience & Ad-placement
• Spiral Frog, Pandora, Imeem
• Key Success Critera
• Business Models & Datapoints

SUBJECT AREA

This report reviews the emergence of a new category of digital content services that are provided for free, but where service providers and rights owners make money by sharing advertising revenue.

REPORT CONTENT

The report profiles three different ad-supported music services. The user experience for each service is described, ad-placement methodologies are illustrated, the underlying business models are explained and key data points are provided.

The report also includes 10 additional examples of companies and services who are either pursuing ad-supported models in other sectors, such as mobile communications, television, film and gaming, or who are involved in closely-related areas, such as widgets and ad-serving technologies.

Finally, the report identifies a comprehensive list of key success factors that can be used to assess an ad-supported service or as a means to help in the definition of one.

KEY BENEFITS

• Discover the key success criteria for a successful ad-supported content service.
• Understand four different ad-supported content services, both from the perspective of a user and also from a business standpoint.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each service and ‘cherry pick' the best ideas to apply in your own situation.
• Learn about new trends in online advertising that involve widgets, widget platforms and targeting advertising messaging (as opposed to user targeting) that will increase response rates.

RELEVANCE

• Learn about new ways to monetise your content.
• Equip yourself with the knowledge needed to assess companies who come to you wanting to license your content for use with an ad-supported content service.

• See how concepts that are being pioneered online and elsewhere can be leveraged to improve your service.
• Learn about how the world' s fist ad-supported mobile service works and what the underlying business model is.

• Learn about new ways to distribute and monetise digital content.
• Appreciate how widgets will become important in distributing ad-supported content services.
• Identify opportunities for fully-distributed, ad-supported content services.

• See how an ad-supported content service could be improved by adding a device aspect.
• Learn how to successfully integrate advertising messages within a device-based content service.

• Discover a new form of ad media that can offer unique benefits.
• Understand which ad-placement techniques will improve response rates, and which will hurt response rates.
• Learn about new techniques to improve the effectiveness of campaign messaging.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS REPORT?

• Product management and product marketing.
• Product strategy and marketing strategy.
• Executive leadership.
• Market insight and competitor intelligence.
• Business development and corporate development.

CONTRIBUTORS

• Imeem (Ad-supported music service)
• Spiral Frog (Ad-supported music service)
• Pandora (Ad-supported music service)
• Ruckus Network (Ad-supported music service)
• Blyk (Ad-supported mobile service)
• IGA Worldwide (Platform used to inserts ads into games)
• gBox (‘Wishlist widget' based on music and games)
• Tumri (Targeting advertising using AdPods)
• Kiptronic (Platform used to insert advertisements into filmed entertainment)