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You are sitting in the conference room with the rest of your company’s executives brainstorming about what is the next product your company should launch. Given that you have already launched a few relatively successful Facebook applications you decide that now is a good time to launch another product. “I got it,” you think to yourself. We’ll build an ad network for Facebook applications! It has only taken you 7 months and the launch of 12 competitors to realize that this might be a lucrative business.
Unfortunately, this is what AdBlade has done. They have launched yet another ad network on Facebook at the wrong time. There are now well established leaders in this market and attempting to become the next leader is extremely challenging unless you have a comparable active user base within your applications. AdBlade was launched by the people over at Congoo.com. Congoo has gone through many revisions in their business plan over the past couple years.
Two years ago, Pete Cashmore gave a fairly negative review. At the time, Congoo’s vision appeared to be somewhat blurred. I think they are following the wrong path yet again with the launch of AdBlade.
Update
Ash Nashed, CEO of Congoo, reached out to me following this less than positive review of AdBlade. Ash accused me of not offering them a fair chance. I’ll be honest in regards to Congoo, I didn’t give them a fair chance and went to the first review of the site I could find for reference. I have since done a little more digging. Congoo provides a tool that enables users to view “premium content” on sites for free while providing the paid content owners with marketing information for each user.
The tool makes a lot of sense but I have to be honest, I don’t agree with paid content on the web except for Consumer Reports which strives to avoid a bias. Regardless, the tool works well, I just wouldn’t use it. The only tool I need to view content on the web is my internet browser and that’s it. Aside from their tool though I failed to give a complete review of AdBlade and just dismissed them right away. While I still think they are too late to the game I am open to demoing their service. I’m still waiting on a login to test it out. I’ll let you know if this changes my thoughts!
Hey All. Now that there are a ton of ad networks, let’s share what has worked and what has not. Thanks! We have worked with Social Media and sold our own ads. We can generate a much higher CPM from our own sales, which is why we have not used many of the ad networks. Our effective CPM from Social Media is really low. Pls share your thoughts/experiences here or drop me an email (michael atsign buddymedia dot com)
Hey All. Now that there are a ton of ad networks, let’s share what has worked and what has not. Thanks! We have worked with Social Media and sold our own ads. We can generate a much higher CPM from our own sales, which is why we have not used many of the ad networks. Our effective CPM from Social Media is really low. Pls share your thoughts/experiences here or drop me an email (michael atsign buddymedia dot com)
Nick,
We are very disappointed with your article about AdBlade. AdBlade is a new division of Congoo, a successful network of news sites. Congoo has received dozens of great reviews from the likes of the Associated Press, PC Magazine, Information Today, Smart Money, CNet, and was even selected as one of PCWorld’s the 100 Best Products of 2007. Your decision to post the only negative article written about Congoo, in which the author, a blogger who even admitted that he didn’t even look at our service, is unfortunate. Your readers deserve more informed coverage.
Regards,
Ash Nashed
AdBlade.com
Nick,
We are very disappointed with your article about AdBlade. AdBlade is a new division of Congoo, a successful network of news sites. Congoo has received dozens of great reviews from the likes of the Associated Press, PC Magazine, Information Today, Smart Money, CNet, and was even selected as one of PCWorld’s the 100 Best Products of 2007. Your decision to post the only negative article written about Congoo, in which the author, a blogger who even admitted that he didn’t even look at our service, is unfortunate. Your readers deserve more informed coverage.
Regards,
Ash Nashed
AdBlade.com
I haven’t looked into AdBlade yet, but in general I think any new facebook ad network should be welcomed. Appsaholic is the current “leader” as it were, and revenues post-xmas have been way down (something like 80%) and they’re currently running these awful flashing image ads instead of their usual text ad format. It’s hopefully just seasonal and will pick back up in the next month or so, but if anyone can improve on that they won’t be short of takers!
I haven’t looked into AdBlade yet, but in general I think any new facebook ad network should be welcomed. Appsaholic is the current “leader” as it were, and revenues post-xmas have been way down (something like 80%) and they’re currently running these awful flashing image ads instead of their usual text ad format. It’s hopefully just seasonal and will pick back up in the next month or so, but if anyone can improve on that they won’t be short of takers!
These guys are like the largest ad network of facebook now…LOL
I was reading your blog with interest but i must say i was disappointed when i read this post of yours. I run a number of niche networking sites totalling just under 100,000 members i all so run a number of paid content sites.
The reason i was reading this is we are about to launch a number of facebook apps targeted to the niche of are sites and plan to use are site users to push are apps on facebook and we are looking for ways to generate revenue from are apps.
I am going on now but the reason for this comment is you say paid content should not be on the web in your view. site owners spend thousands of £ creating the content my company alone spent £30,000 last year. People pay for sky or cable why not pay to be entertained online. I don’t mean this to have a go just find it strange how people still have this view very think on line should be free.
Thanks
Darren
Goodlife Media
I was researching adblade…site now reaches more users then facebook does.
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/facebook.com+adblade.com/
It seems like every day I visit a website with “Ads by Adblade” Now the thing that gets me is…They are all for the same junk regardless of where I go. Lose weight, OBEY this rule & Don’t pay for white teeth. C’mon, if they were anything successful, they would have more than 4 clients, but I have yet to see an ad that doesn’t fit in those categories.
Yeah. They advertise total junk.
Also, any time something negative goes out about the site, company members demonize the writers and attempt to make them feel bad. You’d think that they would have better things to do as a new company.
I hope that they prove themselves with the content and by appealing to others, not by attacking critics. At this point, I’m very skeptical of their future success.
Im very skeptical too, I doubt that any ad network with such massive distribution can be a real success. They will cave in under their own weight.
Jacob - the ads they display are the ads which generate the highest CTR’s and eCPMS for the publishers. They may have ads from god but if no one clicks on them, you wont see them becuase they dont generate revenue for the publisher. On CPC networks, the ads you see are the ads that get clicked.