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AdGroups.com is a multicultural advertising network and direct rep firm dealing primarily with reaching African-American and Hispanic consumers via digital channels (specifically the Internet, mobile and digitally distributed audio). Established in 1998, the company is considered one of the earliest entrants as a vertically aligned network and a first for African-American multichannel reach.
Customized campaigns
A significant distinction that sets the company apart from other networks is its split business as a rep firm. This level of access to publishers gives advertisers a dual opportunity to get the spread and coverage that a traditional network provides as well as to deploy deep, customized integrations to select sites with site skins, custom editorial, contests, video reviews and offline events.
The company credits its longtime success and market sustainability to the intense industry training of its staff and the ways in which they partner with advertisers. "Agencies want to impress their clients in their media outlet choices, and we consider that level of accountability as a shared burden" says Roary Wilder, AdGroups.com's CEO. "While most ad agencies choose networks for pricing and performance efficiencies due to scale or to take advantage of some kind of new technology ... they come to us for all of the above, and then some; and we're able to deliver each time, and then some," Mr. Wilder says.
The company also prides itself on its willingness to work closely with small and emerging business sectors and has established turnkey services for these markets. "Small businesses exist at the root of our original design, and we'll always take the time to educate growing companies on the value of advertising online," Mr. Wilder says.
The rapidly changing tapestry of consumer America
A longtime goal of AdGroups.com is to change advertisers' perceptions about marketing to multicultural audiences. The fact that a person is African-American or Hispanic is a single dimension in the company's reach of more than 6 million U.S consumers.
Advertisers looking to target various general and niche markets—such as women, movie lovers, families, youth, the affluent and people living in certain parts of the country—should consider AdGroups.com as a way to extend the reach of their campaigns. Says Mr. Wilder: "Our company's unique focus in these specialized verticals gives marketers an opportunity to communicate to a specific audience in a specific way to yield greater campaign results. We're seeing a large uptick in interest from general-market advertisers. Marketers are starting to realize in large form that we're not all that different in most of our wants and needs, and they have a growing respect for the power of the multicultural dollar."
PUBLISHERS
Publishers whose sites focus on reaching African-American or urban Latino audiences can find special utility in AdGroup's services. It offers a CPM-based ad network and traffic-building link exchange. In addition, direct-rep services help select publishers handle 100 percent of sales inquiries for a generous preferred commission rate.
Why use AdGroups.com vs. other similar networks?
- We're dedicated: We are only an ad network and rep firm. We don't have an ad-supported division like most other vertical networks, which can mean lower earnings for you while they feed their flagship organization. Our publishers are our top priority.
- Relationships: AdGroups.com has relationships with a growing number of key agencies whose clients are interested in African-American and Hispanic reach.
- Longevity: With more than a decade of direct experience in the multicultural space, AdGroups.com holds a significant first-mover advantage over rivals offering similar services.
- Breadth: Because of its size, AdGroups.com is able to focus on nearly every subsegment of the African-American market.
- Personalized consulting: Large and small publishers enjoy relationships and strategic consulting about their brand and development from AdGroups.com that other companies wouldn't offer without additional fees (if at all).