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October 12, 2008 8:10 PM PDT

MySpace program targets small advertisers

Posted by Caroline McCarthy
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MySpace has unveiled "MyAds," an advertising technology focused on small businesses and individuals rather than the huge brand advertisers that the News Corp.-owned social network is best known for. It's a platform in which an advertiser can allocate exactly how much to spend--between $25 ad $10,000--and target its audience using the HyperTargeting system that MySpace debuted just under a year ago.

With HyperTargeting, MySpace says that there are more than 1,100 specific ways to target an ad based on geography, demographics, interests, and other information sourced from public profile data. Advertisers can then keep tabs on performance through online analytics.

MyAds is currently restricted to MySpace in the U.S., where it has about 76 million members.

The "self-service" model is similar to what Facebook has done with its own ad platform--create an ad, choose how much to spend, select a target audience. But MySpace has a more obvious clientele in mind: bands. The MyAds homepage explicitly recommends the service for band promotion, something that gets very close to MySpace's roots as an independent music hub.

Promotional campaigns for bands, films, and other indie creative projects may have a more natural home on MySpace than Facebook, where the focus is less about media and more about communication.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 3 comments
by Universal_Indie_Records October 13, 2008 5:30 AM PDT
That's very interesting. I'm going to have to look deeper into this.
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by Harrison912 October 13, 2008 7:57 AM PDT
Thanks, Caroline, for this great info. I typically us MySpace and FaceBook to socially market my safety and security web site as well as interact with potential customers and raise awareness for my products which help save lives. I will definitely keep this in mind for future ad campaigns.
Reply to this comment
by BeBop1219 October 15, 2008 10:37 PM PDT
MyAds on www.myspace.com is alrady up and running.
Reply to this comment
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About The Social

CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

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