Q&A with John Gentry, President, Spot Runner
Spot Runner, founded in 2004, is on a mission to make advertising across various media easier and more accessible. The company makes the entire process of buying and executing advertising on television, the web, radio or out-of-home, available through its service—everything from buying ad time or space, to production of advertisements and creative.
SUB: What need does Spot Runner address?
Gentry: Spot Runner is developing new technology solutions to fulfill and address the needs of both advertisers and media companies as the landscape continues to evolve. Our mission is to make advertisers successful by revolutionizing the entire advertising process—including the way ads are created, targeted, planned, bought and sold. The company levels the playing field by giving advertisers of all sizes access to products and services that were previously unavailable or out of reach.
The ad industry is undergoing a sea change thanks to an increasingly fragmented media environment. Consumers are now getting information and entertainment from many different sources and advertisers can now utilize multiple channels to reach audiences with highly targeted messages. In order to advertise efficiently, new technology solutions are required to automate aspects of the creative production, information sharing, and the media buying and selling process. At the same time, businesses of all sizes need a more seamless, easy and more affordable solution to access and employ effective advertising. Spot Runner is developing those solutions.
SUB: How did the idea for the company come about?
Gentry: Spot Runner was founded in 2004 by co-founders and tech industry veterans Nick Grouf and David Waxman. Grouf and Waxman have launched several successful startups, first joining forces in 1995 to create Firefly Network, which was acquired by Microsoft in 1998. Its core product, the Firefly Passport, became the foundation for Microsoft’s Passport and .NET initiatives. Next, they launched PeoplePC, which went public in 2000 and was acquired by EarthLink in 2002.
After PeoplePC, they took a break to work on the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign. During the course of the campaign, they saw firsthand the power of TV to get a candidate’s message out and influence voters. But they also saw how complex and expensive it was to produce an ad and get it on air. They believed that technology could help make TV advertising more affordable and accessible for local businesses and put them on a level playing field with larger competitors.
Since its launch, Spot Runner has expanded its capabilities to include not only TV, but radio, online, print and out-of-home. Spot Runner has a successful track record of working with businesses of all sizes and using proprietary technologies to optimize their campaigns.
SUB: How do customers use the service?
Gentry: Spot Runner’s customers can access our services in several ways, including through our web site, phone and email.
SUB: Who do you consider your competitor(s)?
Gentry: We feel there are no other companies that address the unique needs of each advertiser, media company or advertising agency the way Spot Runner does.
SUB: How many customers do you have, and what markets do you target?
Gentry: Spot Runner has thousands of customers spanning many different industries. We’ve seen particularly strong traction with online businesses, luxury goods makers, real estate brokers and agents, legal professionals and law firms, professional and financial services providers, franchises and restaurants.
SUB: Can you briefly outline the process for the customer—how do they purchase airtime, how do they use the service to create ads, etc.?
Gentry: When a potential client calls or emails Spot Runner, a media consultant conducts a thorough evaluation of the business’ past marketing efforts and budgets to determine the optimal advertising campaign to drive results, whether it’s through TV, online, radio, print, out-of-home, or an integrated combination of media. Spot Runner is unique in that it employs proprietary technology and analytics to inform every media plan, target advertisers’ best prospects and optimize each campaign.
When clients choose a pre-produced radio or television ad from Spot Runner’s library, Spot Runner customizes and sends the spot to the client for approval in a couple of days and they can be on air in two weeks. Custom spots take more time, depending on the ad, and print and out-of-home typically have longer lead times and vary depending on the publisher. For clients running search campaigns, Spot Runner uses industry data and information from the client to build out the ad copy and keywords, and its technology constantly optimizes the campaign based on which keywords are working best. It typically takes two weeks for search campaigns to go live.
Clients who want to run a television campaign also have the ability to go through the Spot Runner web site and build a campaign in a self-serve way.
SUB: A few months ago, you closed a $51 million funding round—including investors based in the UK, France and Mexico. Is international expansion a significant part of your plans, moving forward?
Gentry: We’re currently exploring opportunities outside of the U.S. and our strategic investors play a major part in that.
Spot Runner: www.spotrunner.com
Comments
Posted by: Sampa | September 4, 2008 08:40 AM