Ratings Drives Kelley Blue Book-Adicio Alliance

Kelley Blue Book last week signed an agreement with Adicio, a supplier of Web-based, private-label classified advertising software and solutions for automotive advertisers, to include Kelley Blue Book's vehicle values in their new automotive Web platform. Adicio customers will now have access to Kelley Blue Book's new- and used-vehicle retail, trade-in and private party values. Adicio will also be able to offer new-vehicle reviews and advice articles from Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com editors.

Adicio's platform is available to millions of consumer daily through publications such as the Wall Street Journal and the San Diego Union Tribune. And Adicio is just one of several online partners that Kelley Blue Book has. Others include organizations and web sites in the automotive, finance, banking and government industries.

This alliance is a smart move by both companies. Making these ratings more accessible is a win-win for both Kelley Blue Book and Adicio. As a result of the deal, Adicio is able to provide a more enhanced service to its customers and offer content that the company couldn't provide on its own; and it will provide content from a well-known name such as Kelley Blue Book, which will also increase the value of Adicio's offerings. At the same time, Kelley Blue Book is able to continue to build its strong brand through its presence on Adicio customer sites and reach users that it might not otherwise have access to. For customers, it enables them to have a service that will guide them through the entire car-buying process; thus making both Kelley Blue Book and Adicio more valuable service providers for their respective customer bases. Expect Kelley Blue Book to continue to add to its list of partners and for Adicio to seek out alliances that will enable it to further bolster the features and functionality of its platform.

The Many Forms of Data

Technical information provider IHS last week acquired the inventory and assets of Geological Consulting Services--Houston, Inc., which provides tops data files in electronic and other media covering South Texas, East Texas, North Louisiana, South Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The acquisition includes a database that contains information on more than 120,000 oil and gas well; and each well has an average of 20 correlated tops. GCS has used those correlations to create hand-contoured structure maps.

The formation tops database contains information collected over nearly 40 years. (Formation tops are used to study subsurface geology, map formation extent and dimension). The formation tops and structure maps are used by oil and gas explorationists conducting regional analysis or developing new prospects.

IHS will also gain access to GCS's technical expertise in the form of geologists who developed GCS's portfolio. They will continue to build out the product offerings.

This deal just emphasizes the fact that high-value data comes in many forms. Combining it all can certainly create a service that meets all customer needs. Owning such a wide range of data sources is just another thing to consider as content publishers strive to become complete service providers for their customers. Customers typically rely on a variety of data to achieve their goals. By becoming a provider of all kinds of high-value data, publishers can achieve their objectives as well.

GlobalSpec Launches Ad Network

GlobalSpec, the vertical search, information services and e-publishing company that caters to the engineering, technical and industrial communities, last week continued its commitment to provide solutions to the advertising community with the launch of the Industrial Ad Network. Quite possibly the first ad network of its kind, the Industrial Ad Network is an online banner advertising network designed to reach engineering, technical and industrial professionals.

Advertisers who sign on to the network can place their banner ads on more than 200 web sites in the industrial sector. According to GlobalSpec, these advertisers can save time and resources by reaching their target audience on a variety of site with one media buy. Advertisers will also receive detailed tracking reports. The ads can be created in many different formats and size and are designed to support rich media and video--so they definitely have all the bells and whistles both advertisers and buyers expect these days.

This is definitely a unique offering, and could signify the beginning of a trend of vertical/specialty online ad networks. It's a program that fits perfectly with GlobalSpec's product line of online advertising solutions--online catalogs, e-newsletters, cost-per-click advertising, product announcement billboards, banner advertisements and directory listings. Advertisers are constantly seeking new and innovative ways in which to reach their very specific customer bases and content providers are in a great position to help. They already have the audiences engaged through strong content and related services and typically these audiences are ready to buy. With the Industrial Ad Network, advertisers don't have to do much leg work--that one purchase will reach a whole universe of potential buyers--buyers they might not otherwise get access to. As a result, they will more than likely not be afraid to give this new network a try. If it succeeds, look for other companies to adopt similar ad portfolios.

InfoCommerce 2007 Speakers

Join us at InfoCommerce 2007 for "Turning Data Inside Out." Confirmed speakers to date:
Jeremy Anwyl President, Edmunds Inc.
Tom Aley President & CEO, Generate
Judy Luther President, Informed Strategies
Michael Ortner, Founder, Capterra
Mike Orren, President and Co-founder Pegasus News
David Underwood, President, TopSpot Marketing
Ed Anuff, CEO, Widgetbox
Hugh Owen, President, Owen Media Partners
Robert Hawthorne President, Hawthorne Executive Search
Dale Denham, SVP, Advertising Specialty Institute
Bryan Burdick Chief Operating Officer, ZoomInfo
Jim Fowler CEO and Co-Founder , Jigsaw Data
Jeffrey Killeen Chairman and CEO, GlobalSpec
Shannon Holman Director, Content Strategy and Development, ALM

Labels: Infocommerce

User-Generated Emotions

I am one of the biggest fans of rating systems anywhere. I believe they add useful and easily digestible value to otherwise pedestrian data content, and help effectively deal with the "option overload," so well described in the book The Paradox of Choice.

However, I have recently run across two sites that depend heavily on ratings and user commentary, and walked away from both wondering if ratings systems automatically add value in every environment.

The first site was irresistible: called TheFunded.com , it lets entrepreneurs rate venture capitalists. Let's just say the process of asking people for millions of dollars to fund your dream and in most cases being rejected is a process that creates strong emotions. Various blogs written by and for venture capitalists quickly took strong exception to the site, claiming it was a pointless service: those who got funding tended to love those who funded them; those who were turned down were invariably filled with vitriol. There is truth to this, but there is also truth in the old saying, "where there's smoke, there's fire." What really gave me pause was that the commentary on the venture capitalists, both positive and negative, wasn't very actionable. There was little that entrepreneurs seeking funding could use to advance their cause.

I had a similar feeling when I visited the hot new legal directory site Avvo. It's an ambitious attempt to rate lawyers through a computerized assessment of "various factors" that the company does not reveal, coupled with the ability of consumers to post comments. Users posting comments are obviously going to be heavily influenced by whether the lawyer won or lost their cases. Expect no plaudits for a lawyer who worked tirelessly and well on a marginal case. And in legal specialties like trademark law, is there much to say at all? Don't get me wrong: Avvo is fresh, creative and could revolutionize how consumers find and select lawyers. But at the same time, computer-driven ratings, coupled with consumers who are more likely to rant and rave rather than express useful insights may drag the whole product down. We'll just have to wait and see how Avvo develops. The bottom line on ratings and user commentary is that to be valuable they need to be rational, and we need to tread cautiously in areas where emotions run high.

Labels: avvo, paradox of choice, rating systems, thefunded, user generated content