In order to understand how we arrived here, we should start with where we began. One method of ad buying that is still predominately in use for high end publishers is the custom buy. With custom buys, ad buyers work with publishers to place ads relevant to the publisher’s audience.  A creative example is provided by the weather channel’s website – Benadryl puts allergy medication advertisements on weather.com’s allergen alert page.

The next step towards programmatic buying was the automation of ad buying with search tools, such as Google search ads. This works with an ad buyer entering a set of keywords, ads and bids into an ad platform. When a Google user types in a keyword such as “hotel,” the computer program sifts through the ads with the assigned keywords, picks the ones with the best ad quality score (based on relevance to keyword, click through rate, etc.) and then places the chosen ads on the top of the page ranked by bid price. The ad buyer sets a budget that can easily be changed, and is only charged per click.  Once they reach their budget, their ad is taken out of the bidding.

Finally, we have reached programmatic buying…

Programmatic buying utilizes data from first and third parties to identify potential supporters, and target ad campaigns to the websites they search. Buyers use their own data (cookies, IP addresses) as well as demographic data to allow algorithms to determine the ideal Internet users to target. Real time bidding (RTB) allows buyers to purchase leftover, unused ad space from publishers at a reduced price on an advertising inventory source.

The result is a situation like this: Sally visits a jewelry store website on Monday and a sports blog on Tuesday. At the bottom of the sports blog page, Sally sees a banner ad for the jewelry site she just visited. If the blog had been using custom buys for their ads, she would likely see promotions for men’s fitness magazines or sports drinks, but because the blog is using programmatic buying, it can promote a product that Sally is definitely interested in.

Rather than targeting an audience based on the context of the web page, buyers now have the opportunity to show a specific ad, to a specific target, in a specific context. This is good for publishers who get to sell leftover ad space that would have been left behind by a manual buyer. It’s also good for buyers with smaller ad budgets who now get to follow their target audience from site to site at an inexpensive and efficient rate. They also get to maximize their return on investment (ROI) by not wasting an impression on a failed targeting attempt.

Some are weary of programmatic buying, mostly for the lack of control that publishers have over the advertisements that show up on their sites. Buyers lament the poor ad space options that are left for automated inventory sources. However, over time, these issues are likely to be sorted out as more sites take on programmatic buying as a primary source of ad revenue.

The team at Revolution Messaging can work with your organization or group to incorporate the right mix of programmatic ad buying and premium direct buys to ensure you are reaching your goals. We will work with you to find what suits your campaign and goals best. Please contact Revolution Messaging if you have any questions or would like to learn more about how you can maximize your digital ad budget today.

These companies sent out over 180 million unsolicited text messages and on top of that, they sent unsuspecting consumers to misleading websites where they claimed people could receive their “free” gift certificates.

What did it take to get the FTC to listen? All of you. According to Ad Week, the FTC “received 50,000 complaints for spam texts in general and 20,000 complaints against specific scams named in the lawsuits.” How are we going to continue to get the FTC and the Federal Communications Commission to listen in upcoming important elections in stopping political spammers from similarly taking advantage of consumers? All of you. Visit pocketspammers.com to learn more and sign Revolution Messaging’s petition to tell the FCC to stop political text message spam and to protect voters and their wallets.

Award winning mobile technology & digital strategy firm brings fundraising and video expertise in-house

Washington, DC— After raising $4 million online as the Digital Director for Senator Chris Murphy’s successful campaign against Linda McMahon, Tim Tagaris has joined Revolution Messaging as Partner. He will be heading up the firm’s new Campaigns Division, bringing online fundraising and organizing experience in U.S. Senate and presidential campaigns to the team’s award winning mobile communications platforms and text messaging.

“Revolution Messaging has a reputation in the digital space as being among the most innovative and hard working teams around. I can’t wait to get started raising and winning for progressive causes and candidates this cycle and beyond,” Tagaris said.

Revolution Messaging is a unique hybrid of creative agency, technology for mobile communications (such as text messaging, mobile advertising, interactive voice, mobile app development, mobile video, etc.), social media and lifestyle marketing. Since its founding in 2009, Revolution Messaging has won numerous awards for its customer service and technology platforms.

Tagaris created and directed the Service Employees International Union’s first “new media” department, which is responsible for using technology to mobilize SEIU’s 2.2 million members, assist in new organizing campaigns and complement the union’s massive political efforts. He came to SEIU after serving as the Digital Director for Senator Chris Dodd’s presidential campaign in 2007. Tagaris has also run digital operations for Ned Lamont’s U.S. Senate campaign against Joe Lieberman (2006), Representative Sherrod Brown (2005), and served as the Internet Communications Director at the Democratic National Committee under Governor Howard Dean.

Revolution Messaging also congratulates Arun Chaudhary on his new position as Partner. Chaudhary was the Senior Vice President of Communications for the organization. Prior to joining Revolution Messaging, Chaudhary was the first Official White House Videographer. He traveled extensively with President Obama, capturing public events and behind-the-scenes moments as well as producing and packaging presidential tapings for the Internet and broadcast television.

“While numerous digital firms have sprung up since the 2008 election, Revolution stands alone in its commitment to customer satisfaction from the smallest of non-profits to the biggest campaigns. I look forward to continuing my work with Revolution Messaging and adding even more creative services for our clients,” said Chaudhary.

“Tim Tagaris‘s experience is a great addition to the Revolution Messaging team. Our ability to offer fundraising services is a great complement to our other strategic and technological offerings. Arun Chaudhary has quickly expanded our video capabilities and is leading what will be a mobile video revolution in 2013. Today marks an amazing step forward for our full-scale digital firm,” said Scott Goodstein, founder and CEO of Revolution Messaging.

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Prior to that, Tim created and directed the Service Employees International Union’s first “new media” department, responsible for using technology to mobilize SEIU’s 2.2 million members, assist in new organizing campaigns, and complement the union’s massive political efforts.

He came to SEIU after serving as the Digital Director for Senator Chris Dodd’s presidential campaign in 2007. Tim has also run digital operations for Ned Lamont’s U.S. Senate campaign against Joe Lieberman (2006), Representative Sherrod Brown (2005), and served as the “Internet Communications Director” at the Democratic National Committee under Governor Howard Dean.

When paired with Revolution Messaging’s mobile ad strategy, we are able to geotarget your specific audience with your tailored video message. Our mobile pre-roll videos have consistently proven successful in reaching different devices and will only continue to grow in importance for every organization’s communications plan.

In addition to our mobile videos, we also specialize in web and TV videos, editing, media training, production, equipment rentals and strategy.

The Revolution Messaging video team is headed by Arun Chaudhary, the first official White House videographer and author of First Cameraman: Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time. Eden Joyner joins Arun, specializing in graphic design and animation.

Check out our most recent video:

Do you have a prediction you would like to share? Text them to 675309 or email 2013@revolutionmessaging.com.

Happy New Year from Revolution Messaging!

Favorite App or Website in 2012

Alison: Instagram was the talk of the town after Facebook acquired it for $1 billion as part of their mobile strategy. As much as I agree with College Humor’s “Look at this Instagram” (Nickelback Parody), many now are using Instagram (instead of Facebook and Twitter) as their primary social network.

Arun: The Poor Mans Tethering app has come in handy numerous times in 2012.

David: You Don’t Know Jack. Nostalgia takes first place with a fantastic re-tooling of an addictive classic trivia game that utilizes a smart pricing system. It uses Facebook to cleverly fake the multiplayer experience by recording friends’ scores and creating the illusion that you play against them.

Eden: Mint, a savvy financial planning app that makes budgeting as fun as it can be (hint: not very).

Gabe: Canistream.it - This should really be called “is it possible to watch this movie right now without leaving the comfort of my couch?” It is also available as a mobile app to aid in mobile video consumption.

Jeff: OmniFocus. I have barely scratched the surface of what this app can do and I am already more organized at work and at home. 

Jen: Duolinguo, a language learning app and website, has been my favorite of the year. In addition to teaching you a new language, the website allows users to translate and vote on text from the web.

Kate: Pinterest. After a few major overhauls, they finally created an app that allows users to repin, upload pins from photos on their phones and pin from mobile web easily.

Kayla: RunKeeper. As an avid runner and on a budget, I didn’t want to spend the money on one of those fancy GPS watches that track your distance and pace. Luckily, RunKeeper does both, as well as integrates with their online UI so you can manage your information at your computer as well.

Keegan: Ingress is the first app that has ever made exercise fun for me. While it is only available for Android, as it expands it is going to introduce a large number of people to the possibilities of augmented reality.

Rich: A refreshing trend of 2012 has been the humanization and demystification of our public officials, even when it’s less than flattering. The best example I can think of is Sunlight Foundation’s Politiwhoops. A definitive list of tweets posted – and deleted – by public officials, it gives us insight into the slip-ups and goofs of politicians and their staffs.

Sam:  This isn’t very new, but the latest version of Google Maps for iPhone. The turn-by-turn directions and up to the minute traffic updates are awesome and far better than the maps feature Apple provides.

Scott: Burner – Let’s be honest, you don’t always want to give out your phone number. I would also like to highlight a past pick with TripIt. It is still the best way to organize all of your flight, hotel & car rental information in one place!

Walker: Github.com. I’ve been a member since 2008, but I don’t see this treading water or going away! It’s only going to get bigger and better as developers start getting designers on it to help them make open source software more user-friendly.

Prediction for 2013

Walker:  2013 will be the first year we see actual competition to the current Apple-domination in the mobile arena. Other companies were playing catch-up. These companies and others have the wares that finally begin to compete in user-friendliness and usability. As a side prediction: I think Ballmer will finally get ejected (or kindly swept aside) at Microsoft.

Scott: 2013 will be a true mobile revolution for politics. Campaigns will not only have to think about how email displays on a mobile phone, but also make sure their websites are mobile friendly. They will need to think more about how busy their target audience is while watching political ads on very small screens. The most successful campaigns will come to terms with the fact that news is being spread at 140 to 160characters at a time and videos are being consumed at 15-second intervals instead of 60-second intervals.

Sam: Mobile giving will become an even bigger success in 2013. Not just for non-profits, but also for political campaigns as the ability to fundraise over mobile devices becomes easier.

Rich: Many events of the past year have people concerned with public safety, both because of large-scale incidents such as Newtown and Aurora, and on a more personal level, the start-up of organizations like ihollaback.org. I predict more will be done to bring mobile technology into reporting and responding to incidents. Apps which can be activated with a single touch or voice command, can notify first responders with the location and details of an incident, or in the case of harassment, can flag an individual perpetrator as a public or private warning to others.

Keegan: Analyzing data to make smarter decisions will no longer be an option for organizations, it will become the standard in 2013. As a result, I expect the messages that reach us, and the experiences that shape our day-to-day lives, to become smarter.

Kayla: I believe that in 2013 cable will become obsolete for many more people since we all have the ability to watch Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube and more on our Wiis and other similar devices. These services are either much cheaper or free.

Kate: Many more types of mobile video ads. It will be the most interesting to see if consumers are excited by this form of advertising, or are irritated by the fact that a video plays in between every move they make on Words with Friends or before every story they read on ESPN.

Jen: A new type of community-based organizing will emerge. Service workers will start to build power and demand respect from their employers with help from communities, unions and student activists. A large part of their success will be due to relationship building and traditional organizing techniques, facilitated by social media and mobile technology.

Jeff: The mobile space is going to go through serious growing pains. It will split deeper into different camps between web apps and native apps, and the losers will be the end users. We will see a greater adoption of Windows Phone and even more fragmentation of Google’s Android operating system.

Gabe: 2013 will be the year that the rest of your stuff connects to the Internet and starts to learn; all of it monitored and controlled by your smart phone. The Nest Learning Thermostat got the formula right in 2012; other “dumb” appliances will follow suit.

Eden:  While 2012 was a very successful year for women, 2013 will see increased attention on very serious and basic women’s rights, particularly the failed passage of the Violence Against Women Act and the upcoming 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. 2013 will be the year that women fight back with new tactics.

David: Cable companies will be forced to re-evaluate their subscription services and admit once and for all that people want to watch what they want, when they want it, on the device of their choosing. Intel is allegedly introducing a set top box that will allow people to finally subscribe to a cable a la carte with cloud based DVR. 

Arun: I have three – Bill Deblasio will be Mayor of NYC, Castro will live, 3D movies will die (again).

Alison: Microsoft’s Windows 8 devices will not take off and their response to the rise of the mobile web will continue to disappoint. Apple will remain king in tablet sales, despite the impressive new Windows tablet with keyboard cover, Microsoft Surface.

Text in your vote for ONE of these charities (only one vote per charity per cell phone):

Text A to 675309 for the Washington Humane Society

Text B to 675309 for Jail Guitar Doors

Text C to 675309 for Wounded Warriors Project

Text D to 675309 for the DC Central Kitchen

Thanks for all your support in 2012! We can’t wait to see what 2013 brings and we hope you all join us in helping to make sure the fires of social justice continue to burn bright in the new year.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Free tip to Republican strategists everywhere, learn from the mistakes of the Romney digital team. Turn off your Facebook advertising after the election is over.

“The Hurricane Sandy affected states of NY, CT, RI, NJ, MD and VA are still recovering, and we expect to see a number of hurricane related polling place changes. Our data provider is working to collect and publish as many polling place changes as possible. Local election officials are currently focused on disaster recovery and administering the election on Tuesday. To the extent they have capacity to publish changed locations in a format we can use, our data provider is working to ensure we get that information and make it available to you.”

We, along with Google and local election authorities, are doing everything we can to provide accurate information on polling place locations, but in those cases where it may not be certain, we feel it necessary to be honest that local authorities are rightly concerned first and foremost on disaster recovery. Our polling place finder will continue to offer our clients’ members, activists and supporters vital links to allow them to check with the local authorities along with their polling places and addresses, and especially in areas affected by the disaster, we advise them strongly to use these avenues as well.

Our team at Revolution Messaging has been working hard for over three years to end this type of modern-day push-polling. We filed an official petition asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to declare once and for all that this Internet to text message political spam is illegal.

Visit www.pocketspammers.com to learn more about the issue of unsolicited political text message spam and even file an official comment with the FCC that will be soon be addressing this issue. Comments to the FCC are due by November 23rd.

A few of the messages people received last night were:

Help us fight to end political text message spam and prevent this kind of harassment. Let’s make sure voters aren’t charged for untraceable misinformation in the form of text messages that they never asked for!

UPDATE: Wondering who is behind this? Find out now.