Sponsored Content Advertising on DealerRefresh - Share Your Feedback Here

[ed.brooks]

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

 

[craigh]

Thank for the understanding, but I won't be "taking my ball and going home."

It's not my "ball" and it's not my problem to address. (This is Jeff's and Ryan's baby. They can address the problem if they choose or they can continue to allow the uninformed to bash each other - I truly do not care which way they take it.)

If you enjoy the forums; please stay and enjoy. I don't (and never really have). Would you advise someone to keep doing something they do not enjoy? Life's too short to do something you do not enjoy; wouldn't you agree?

...

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

Fair enough. I really did enjoy your time on Fridays Refresh, but as you are someone who was financially supporting the site and had that thrown in their face, I understand.

 

[ryan.gerardi]

Way too much drama. Worse than a Rock-N-Roll band.

 

[john.quinn]

@Jeff Kershner

Rule #1 - How does it benefit the DEALER community?
Rule #2 - How does it benefit the AUTOMOTIVE community?

Perhaps, maaaaaayyyyyybe, there have been business owners/vendors over the years contributing to DR for purely altruistic reasons.

But c'mon -- there has ALWAYS been an interest in selling/promoting products, services, and even a "personal" brand. And that's OK. Over the years this has been, among many other things, an utterly fantastic automotive networking device.

Whether it's paid or free, as long as the content provides some type of VALUE to the community, then what's the big deal??

I haven't seen anybody trying to sell ginsu knives or the shake-weight yet (guys... better nix those in the rotation...

As long as the moderators continue what they're doing (and doing well): evaluating content for relevant value, the only real difference between Sponsored and Non-Sponsored content is that you have to take the recommended products or services with a grain of salt, knowing there is self-interest there.

But what we've always done here is evaluate and debate the value and relevance of the content provided. That's the fun part, no? Does it really matter so much if the content is "paid" and links to the authors own products and services? Someone is putting their money where their mouth is... at their own risk.

Let the debate continue

 

[yagoparamo]

Sponsored content (native advertising) is a fact - DealerRefresh will cease to exist without sponsors who are willing pay to reach their audience. My only word of advice; add " - Sponsored Content" to both the title and the HTML Title Tag to make it more obvious.

From the IAB -

"Regardless of native advertising unit type, the IAB advocates that, for paid native ad units, clarity and prominence of the disclosure is paramount. The disclosure must:

- Use language that conveys that the advertising has been paid for, thus making it an advertising unit, even if that unit does not contain traditional promotional advertising messages.
- Be large and visible enough for a consumer to notice it in the context of a given page and/or relative to the device that the ad is being viewed on. ​

Simply put: Regardless of context, a reasonable consumer should be able to distinguish between what is paid advertising vs. what is publisher editorial content."​

And that right there is the key.

No one has otherwise said that sponsored content is bad, or that Ryan shouldn't make money, or many other allegations.

 

[craigh]

I'm curious how anyone can read the opening paragraph and not understand exactly what this is.

Yep. One of the biggest wastes of money I see for most dealers today is the $1,000 to $5,000 every month they shell out for outsourced phone training. Whether the budget is used for interactive online phone training videos or phone mystery shops or some outdated DVDs, most dealers are just throwing their money away. Given this, if you’re looking for ways to save money in the face of market softness, I honestly recommend (for most of you) that you eliminate your outsourced phone training expenses before you cut a dime from your marketing budget. While it’s true that I am in the business of training and consulting with dealerships, groups and even OEMs on everything from digital marketing to (you guessed it) how to dominate on the phones, I am indeed advocating that most of you eliminate the expense of phone training.