ClickZ Network

The ClickZ Network is the largest resource of interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research, and reference in the world, online or offline. Covering topics from search to e-mail, technology to trends, stories are expert, exclusive, and in-depth.

The Challenge

The ClickZ Network was well known within a small circle within the interactive marketing industry. However, in order to grow, the company needed to extend its reach and draw in more traditional marketers. Now celebrating its 10th year, ClickZ faced the challenge of reaching out to a more mainstream audience and establishing itself as an authoritative, “go-to” source for the latest insights in interactive marketing.

PAN Communications set out to create awareness of the ClickZ Network and ClickZ.com in more mainstream media outlets through thought leadership. To do so, the team sought to secure high-profile broadcast coverage such as CNBC highlighting insightful commentary.

The Approach

The PAN team knew that in order to reach out beyond the “clubby” interactive marketing audience, the team needed to look at alternatives to online press. To truly capture the attention of traditional marketers, the team looked to broadcast media with a business focus to convey its message that ClickZ Network is the source for up-to-the-minute web advertising and search insights.

PAN seized on opportunities for ClickZ editor-in-chief Rebecca Lieb to comment on relevant stories of the day. Knowing that CNBC sought out features on timely news issues, PAN reached out to CNBC producer Stephanie Landsman for the show “On the Money”, offering Lieb as an engaging commentator. The team knew that in order to be successful, persistence and timing would be crucial along with pegging Rebecca for the right story.

When news stories began to hit recognizing MySpace as the most visited site on the Web, the team seized on the opportunity to pitch a timely segment with Lieb as a compelling guest.

The Results

PAN leveraged a strong personality together with timely cultural issues including as the popularity of MySpace and blogs to extend the ClickZ name into the broadcast arena where it had not been previously. By putting forth editor-in-chief Rebecca Lieb as a credible, interesting commentator who is not afraid to speak her mind, the team gained widespread attention from the business community and, more importantly, from the marketers whom ClickZ seeks to engage.

Rebecca Lieb was a featured guest on CNBC’s “On the Money” airing during prime time on July 14, 2006. This provided a venue for Lieb to gain recognition from a reputable source as an interactive advertising and marketing expert.

Her dynamic repartee on the program caught the attention of “Power Lunch” producers, who called on Lieb to join their program focused on the precipitous drop in Yahoo ad sales. This was the perfect setting for Lieb to debunk the myth that there was a slowdown in online advertising. She clarified that advertising on the web continues to grow, and that Yahoo! itself had only experienced a slowdown in growth in two sectors, automotive and financial advertising. She was then able to open up the door to the difference between search advertising versus display advertising.

The successful initial CNBC coverage resulted in interest from the producers of the Geraldo Rivero show “Geraldo At Large.” They sought to have Lieb speak about companies pushing the envelope with racy online ads. Lieb appeared and noted that online advertising allows companies such as Norelco with its sexy razor ad to take advantage of a booming market.

In addition, the PAN team gained Lieb a lead commentator spot on Canadian Business TV on the business of blogging. She was able to extend a story about blogger credibility into the issue of ad placement on blogs.

PAN’s work reaffirmed Lieb and ClickZ as knowledgeable sources for immediate, expert context on web marketing and advertising issues about which savvy marketers simply must be informed.