On the surface, the preferred portal deal between AOL and rich media provider PointRoll may not seem like much, but I think this is a real opportunity for AOL especially.
First, in the rich media arena, PointRoll owns a market share of 60 percent, according to Nielsen's AdRelevance. As of right now they're on top.
This isn't the first time the two companies have gotten together as they worked on standard ad-serving agreements before. What's different about this is that offers a "proprietary agreement between AOL and PointRoll," said Kathleen Kayse, executive vice president of sales and partnership alliances at AOL.
I like what Kayse said next in that "The real key is we're challenging PointRoll just as marketers are challenging us to come up with new and creative video executions online that will capture users' attention and engagement."
With AOL increasing its advertising billings by 454 percent last year, and other companies not losing any share in spite of that, it shows the strength that the online market reflects.
Considering that, this should be a great opportunity, as Kayse says, in "challenging PointRoll." They've already created some new products that AOL has already incorporated into its ad campaigns. For example, they're using NetStream, which is an embedded video player that starts to play within the page as soon as the user enters into it. It's offered in a 200 X 250 unit. According to Kayse, "It's clickable and trackable and a powerful alternative to pre-roll video. You can also do behavioral targeting with it."
Another benefit of the partnership is that AOL will have unique access to a dedicated team of rich media experts in the deal with PointRoll.
With AOL growing beyond their highest expectations, this partnership could be a huge factor in propelling them to an even higher level much quicker than their competition. Not only in dollars, but in customer satisfaction. On PointRolls' part, this will be another opportunity for them to even increase their market share and give them access to other huge accounts. It should be a win/win for both parties.
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