While Google’s out trying to conquer terrestrial advertising, a small start-up, TargetSpot, is building a platform that will allow businesses to easily and quickly create advertising to reach the 76 million listeners who prefer their radio of the online variety,according to the NYT.
TargetSpot, which bills itself as a kind of virtual advertising agency, will allow clients to create their own commercials from a menu of options, as well as to define and locate their audience, using demographic data or geographic information like ZIP codes. A pizzeria, for instance, could use the site’s research to focus on men ages 18 to 21 because they spend more money than other groups, then decide to place its ad at 6 p.m., because experience says that’s when the desired audience is hungriest.
TargetSpot is being partly financed by CBS Radio and hopes to tap into the “dead air” that comes when streamed radio has its ads stripped due to legal reasons – which happens a lot, if you listen to online radio.
TargetSpot hopes to bring radio ads to small businesses who would appreciate the lower costs and more precise targeting the service offers. Indeed, advertisers can simply record their ad via the telephone and select from a large number of jingles and sound effects.
While it’s a great idea, there’s always the question of Google. While admittedly they’re focusing on building ad deals with the over-the-airwaves radio networks, they’re an Internet advertising provider at heart, so surely they can offer this feature with a flick of a switch. Still, that doesn’t mean TargetSpot shouldn’t cower in the corner. Many companies have tackled Google head-on and won!
TargetSpot plans to launch June 28th.
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