Layton Han is CEO of Adara Media, a provider of online solutions for loyalty programs.
AdExchanger.com: How has your experience as founder of MyPoints.com informed your work as CEO of Adara Media?
LH: MyPoints was a loyalty program leveraging data to provide highly effective advertising solutions to retailers. Using this data to provide relevant offers to program members was the key to success. That is what we are doing at Adara Media- leveraging data of loyalty programs to reach the right audience for the advertiser. At MyPoints, personalized targeting to our members was limited to email and the MyPoints website. At Adara Media, we are reaching loyalty program members through display, mobile and video.
What problem is Adara Media solving?
In the simplest terms, we create a new highly efficient online advertising medium for loyalty programs and their advertisers. As I mentioned above, at MyPoints we were limited on how to reach program members. Email was limiting from the standpoint of inundating members with too many notifications, which often caused many to unsubscribe. Any opportunity to message members while on the website was limited to the amount of time spent on the site at one time. At Adara Media, our loyalty programs can leverage the same targeting capabilities of email but anywhere online via display, mobile or video ads. In essence, our platform creates a highly scalable advertising platform with all of the efficiencies of hyper-targeting.
Who do you see in your competitive set? Any thoughts about differentiation?
Some people have placed us into being a data provider or specialty ad network. We are neither. What we do is help loyalty programs maximize revenue opportunities by creating an integrated advertising platform, harnessing the power of their consumer relationships.
What really makes Adara Media different is the level of data we collect. The profiles in our network are based upon first-party profile data, not implied data (i.e. labeled a traveler because they visit travel website). Working with well-known brands, we’ve been able to gather reputable data of a proprietary nature – essentially eliminating waste for advertisers.
What are some of the attributes of a Loyalty-driven audience that other audiences don’t have? And, how does Adara attract them for its clients?
First and foremost, it is real data and a real “buyer” that is loyal to that product or brand. I think it is difficult to distinguish between “lookers” and “buyers,” and at Adara Media we are able to separate the two. This provides the effectiveness and comfort that our advertising clients are looking for. Second would be the relationships with the loyalty program itself. Our clients or advertisers like to be associated with certain brands that run loyalty programs. We are able to provide that relationship.
Given your experience, what has surprised you about display advertising’s evolution?
Display advertising is becoming less of creative development and media planning and about buying into quantitative driven process. All large agencies are adopting this practice, because it is measureable and quantifiable. Display is rapidly becoming the direct mail of “online”.
Why did you decide to change the name and positioning of the company when you went from Opinmind to Adara Media in 2010?
Opinmind was part of the original business model related to semantic technology.
The name change reflects an enhanced vision for the company; however, its unique approach to connecting advertisers with exclusive branded audiences remains unchanged. The Adara Media name represents our vision for the future, and we look forward to delivering more compelling solutions to our customers and partners.
Do you use PII? How do you maintain a consumer’s online privacy?
Adara Media never collects PII, it is not part of our business model. We recently joined the IAB and participate in the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) centralized opt-out mechanism. Adara Media provides consumers with a straight-forward and clearly stated privacy policy on the website as well as a direct opt-out on the corporate website.
What is Adara Media’s target market?
Any advertisers wanting to reach 1.8 billion loyalty program members (according to Colloquay). Each loyalty program brings different attributes, so our market is in essence anyone trying to develop or deepen relationships with their consumers. Our initial focus was in the travel and retail vertical, since they have largest loyalty programs. As part of our 2011 plan, we are expanding into other verticals and international markets.
How do you manage creative? Is it necessary that Adara perform the tasks of an integrated agency (media, creative)?
Creative is typically provided by the marketer or agency. Our focus is delivering that creative or message to right person at the right time and right price.
Will you need more funding? Profitable?
Currently we are well capitalized and focusing on growth. As a private company we don’t disclose our financial information.
A year from now, what milestones would you like to have Adara Media to have achieved?
Our company is focused on three areas:
- Scale: Working with partners in different verticals and expanding internationally.
- Relationship: Messaging members through multiple channels in a highly sequential fashion that deepens the relationship with consumers.
- Efficiency: Continually harnessing the power of data to place the right offers in front of the right people at right time.
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