# The Advantages of Utilizing O&O Inventory

> A NachoTuesday interview — the C-Suite Insights series from NachoNacho, the B2B SaaS and AI
> marketplace. In conversation with Rachel Owens, SVP of Product and Technology, Admessenger.

- **Page:** https://nachonacho.com/nachotuesday/video/The-Advantages-of-Utilizing-OandO-Inventory
- **Guest:** Rachel Owens, SVP of Product and Technology, Admessenger
- **Guest on LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelturko/
- **Recorded:** 2024-06-24
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md78nUJQ8FY

## Summary

In this NachoTuesday webinar, Rachel Owens from Optimum Media introduces AdMessenger, a unique and highly customizable scrolling text and mobile ad solution that boasts high click-through rates and engagement compared to traditional display ads. Ad Messenger offers a self-managed platform with real-time ad creation, various expandable options (like website links, videos, and surveys), and advanced targeting and reporting. It serves both direct advertisers and agencies, as well as enabling companies with their own sales teams to monetize their owned and operated mobile websites and apps with unique advertising opportunities. Key Talking Points: Ad Messenger is a High-Performing, Self-Managed Mobile Advertising Solution : Its dynamic scrolling format leads to significantly higher engagement and click-through rates compared to standard display ads, while its user-friendly admin portal allows for easy, real-time ad creation and campaign management with zero production costs. The Platform Offers Extensive Customization and Targeting Capabilities : Advertisers can tailor their ads with logos, colors, and text, and precisely target their desired audiences through geolocation, demographics, and other criteria, ensuring more relevant and effective campaigns. Ad Messenger Provides Unique Opportunities for Owned and Operated Inventory Monetization : Companies with their own websites and apps can leverage Ad Messenger as a technology platform to offer distinctive and high-performing mobile ad placements directly to their advertising clients, bypassing traditional DSPs and maximizing revenue potential.

## Product discussed

- **Name:** AdMessenger
- **Page:** https://nachonacho.com/product/a4advertising
- **What it is:** Small screens, simple solutions. AdMessenger is a fully customizable scrolling text ad for mobile phones and tablets.
- **NachoNacho deal:** 20% CASHBACK All Rates. Forever.
- **Estimated savings:** Save up to $12,000/year

## Full transcript

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to another episode of NA Show Tuesday. Today, I have Rachel Owens with Optim Media, and they have a product named Ad Messenger. Without further ado, we’d love for you to introduce your company and explain what Ad Messenger does. Sure, thanks so much for having me. Optim Media, owned by LTC, is one of the largest broadband communications and video service providers in the U.S. We're number one in the New York DMA and number four in the country. Optim Media is an advertising agency that provides data-driven, multiscreen advertising solutions for local, national, and political clients. Because Optim Media is part of a large media consortium, our data-driven solutions set us apart as an agency. We have a myriad of data and technology capabilities, and direct access to viewership data that enables better-targeted and more effective advertising campaigns. Our technology-first and technology-driven approach is where Ad Messenger fits into Optim and Optim Media. So, tell us more about your career and how you got to where you are today working at Optim Media under LTC. I’ve been at Optim Media for almost three years now. My background is primarily in tech. I’ve spent a lot of time at tech startups or helped large companies build tech to improve operational efficiencies and create new routes for packaging their expertise as SaaS products, like Ad Messenger. My career has involved roles in sales operations, sales strategy, customer success, and other areas that are technology and product-specific. I’ve layered these experiences to work in product spaces where my job is to identify marketplace pains and deliver solutions to address them. At Optim Media, our expertise is advertising. Ad Messenger and other tech products we have are about leveraging that expertise and packaging it for our clients to deliver the right audiences, optimize return on ad spend, and provide the best ad solutions for their own local clients. Sounds great! How long has Ad Messenger been around? Ad Messenger has been around for over a decade. It was acquired by Optim Media about six years ago, so it has been part of our portfolio for the last six years. We’d love to learn more about Ad Messenger and how it works. Could you tell us what it is and how it stands out from other mobile advertising platforms? Ad Messenger is unique in that it’s a fully customizable scrolling text and mobile ad solution for phones and tablets. It functions as a scrolling ad unit that allows users to click for additional expandable options. It has a very high click-through rate compared to static display ads. Ad Messenger displays on mobile browsers and apps across various websites. It targets different markets effectively and delivers about 5% engagement compared to standard display campaigns on average. It also allows our clients to manage their advertising through an admin portal where they can add logos, colors, and customize text in real-time, with zero production costs. The ad can expand to show a video, direct to a website, or lead to surveys for target audiences. It’s highly customizable and provides advanced reporting, including impressions, heat maps, and more. It’s an all-inclusive, self-manageable mobile advertising solution that outperforms competitors. It sounds like an agency’s dream! I used to run an agency myself and would have loved to work with a platform like this. It seems very turnkey. Could you describe how you specifically help advertisers and enable agencies to use or resell Ad Messenger? We have a dedicated team to support our clients, but ideally, the tool is designed to be plug-and-play. It guides users through a wizard to build and launch their campaigns, including setting targeting parameters for their audience segmentation. We offer the ability to launch ads on third-party mobile websites and apps that partner with us and the DSPs we work with. Additionally, agencies or publishers who own and operate mobile apps and websites can use Ad Messenger to monetize their platforms with unique ad solutions. (06:12) Proposition for Their Advertising Clients One proposition for our advertising clients is to push Ad Messenger’s scrolling mobile ads to their owned and operated websites and apps. Very cool! How Many Partners Do You Work With Today? The number of partners, when referring to resellers or advertisers, is probably close to around 100. Some of these partners are a bit difficult to quantify because they might be one corporate entity with multiple locations or agencies around the country that use us, so they have separate accounts for those. We’re now starting to grow the owned and operated opportunities as well. (07:11) Owned and Operated Inventory So, Owned and Operated (O&O) inventory is what we’re here to discuss today. For those unfamiliar, O&O means owned and operated. Can you expand on this concept and explain how you work with owned and operated inventory? We work with owned and operated inventory similarly to how we handle inventory for other websites and mobile apps. Ad Messenger allows advertisers or agencies to publish digital mobile ads across websites and apps. The O&O opportunity provides the ability to bypass DSPs and bidding platforms. Instead, companies that have their own sales teams and sell advertising to monetize their own websites and apps use Ad Messenger as a tech enablement platform. This lets them create and publish ads directly to their sites and apps. (08:11) Automation and Future Trends A lot of this process is automated, correct? Yes, it is. The system is designed to be automated. You can build, publish, and go live almost instantaneously, making it very user-friendly. What’s Next for Advertising? Looking ahead, what do you see as the role of AI in advertising, and how might it impact your product strategy? AI is poised to enable businesses to generate catchier ad messaging and quickly customize messaging for various segments. It helps customers better target their market, providing a highly personalized ad experience, especially when paired with ad tech products like Ad Messenger. As data models improve, we can expect more data-driven, efficient, interactive, and effective ads that drive higher engagement, click-through rates, and return on ad spend. However, it's crucial to use AI responsibly. The rapid changes and vast amounts of data involved necessitate that products like ours use anonymized data benchmarks to ensure the best results while protecting audience data and addressing privacy concerns. (10:02) New Rules and Macro Trends If you're comfortable, could you expand on some of the new rules around cookie tracking and other macro trends affecting your industry? Cookie tracking has been evolving for years, and it seems that Google might phase out cookies by 2025. This means we need to find new ways to target audiences. Historically, we’ve been able to retarget users based on their site visits, but with changes coming, we’ll need to rely on user opt-ins and alternative tracking methods. Pixels will need user approval, and many websites are now asking visitors to choose which cookies to allow. People often default to accepting all cookies, but managing cookies and tracking will become more complex. As third-party platforms like Google Ad Manager adapt, we’ll need to find effective ways to navigate the new landscape, especially as browsers like Chrome, which holds 90% of the market, move away from cookies. (11:25) Emerging Solutions and User Tracking I think there will be many disparate solutions as people try to create unique identifiers. A consortium may eventually develop a new method to uniquely identify and track individuals. There will likely be more emphasis on opt-in and opt-out scenarios, where people who are cautious about their data usage will carefully choose which companies they allow to track them. (11:48) Personal Inspirations On a more personal note, what are some of your favorite books from the past year that inspire your work? While not all of them directly inspire my work, I do tend to read a lot of memoirs. My background isn't strictly in advertising—I've come through product and technology. I’ve worked in health tech, emergency services, and IoT. Over the past six or seven years, I’ve been in ad tech. Regardless of the field, I believe it's crucial to lead with empathy. I’ve read "A Place Called Home," a memoir about a child's rise from foster care. One of my favorite authors is James McBride. His memoir, "The Color of Water," traces his upbringing in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and his journey to adulthood. I find such books helpful in understanding diverse perspectives and experiences. They help me consider the various lived experiences of others, which is vital when building solutions like Ad Messenger to ensure we cater to different types of businesses. (13:41) Building Solutions with Empathy Whether it's an ad agency or an owner-operated business, we try to be mindful of various user experiences when building solutions. I also spend time listening to podcasts about product and technology, and I recently read "How Women Rise," which explores habits that might hold one back. I’m always seeking ways to improve myself as a leader and team member to build better products and deliver better results for our clients. A wise person recognizes they always have room for improvement. We need to approach ourselves like we do with products—understanding that perfection is unattainable and focusing on continuous iteration and enhancement. (14:32) Empathy in Marketing You touched on the importance of empathy. Good marketers understand that their role goes beyond pushing ads—they aim to connect with customers and solve problems. Empathy is essential for understanding diverse needs and building solutions that address those needs effectively. (15:23) Lessons for Product Managers What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned as a product person that a new product manager might find useful? Product development is an interdisciplinary effort. It requires collaboration across sales, marketing, operations, and technology. The best product managers often come from diverse backgrounds, such as engineering, sales, or marketing. Experience in these areas provides insight into the needs of different teams, helping to build and operationalize a product effectively. Understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders—both internal and external—is crucial. This comprehensive view ensures that products are well-supported and deliver real value. (18:03) Balancing Design and Engineering It’s essential to translate design into practical solutions. For instance, a design might look great but may not align with engineering capabilities. Finding the balance between design aesthetics and engineering feasibility is crucial to avoid creating a bloated product. Understanding user personas and their journeys helps in building a product that addresses diverse needs. Whether it's a daily user or an executive checking reports, knowing their experiences allows us to create solutions that truly meet their requirements. (21:05) Iterative Improvement Analytics play a significant role in both product development and marketing. Whether it’s click-through rates or support calls, we need to continuously evaluate and iterate based on key performance indicators (KPIs). This iterative approach helps in refining products and strategies to drive revenue and reduce costs effectively. (21:59) Why Choose Ad Messenger? Why should customers choose Ad Messenger over other platforms? Ad Messenger is a self-managed, easy-to-execute ad platform that allows advertisers to create and launch new campaigns within minutes. It offers a higher return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to traditional digital and social advertising and boasts a 2.7% click-through rate, which is significant compared to other market options. It simplifies campaign creation, reduces operational costs, and eliminates the need to integrate with multiple SSPs or bidding platforms. Companies can create impactful campaigns directly for their owned and operated websites and apps without sharing revenue with SSPs. (23:20) Learning More and Partnering To learn more about Ad Messenger, visit admessenger.com. There’s a button to request a demo or contact us for more information. On desktop, the contact us button is on the right side of the screen, and on mobile, it’s at the top. We look forward to seeing you on our website and hope to connect with you soon. (24:14) Looking Ahead What’s next for Ad Messenger in the next five years? While I can’t disclose specific roadmap items, I can assure you that we’re focused on continued growth. As mobile experiences become increasingly prominent, we are committed to advancing our platform to meet evolving needs and maintain our position as a leader in digital advertising. (24:43) Looking Ahead at Mobile Advertising As mobile devices become the primary platform for most of the population, it’s crucial that we take full advantage of the dynamic nature of the Ad Messenger app. With more eyeballs and time spent on mobile devices compared to larger screens, we are constantly seeking new ways to enhance the unique branded experiences we offer. We are exploring innovations such as expanding our video experiences and incorporating real-time elements, like weather conditions, into our ads. These updates are aimed at increasing the effectiveness of Ad Messenger and ensuring that our clients' campaigns stand out. (25:09) Final Thoughts Rachel, it’s been a pleasure having you on today. For everyone listening, remember that Ad Messenger is available at admessenger.com—think of it like the apps you use every day to send messages. You can also find us on the NachoNacho B2B SaaS Marketplace, where we currently offer a special 20% cash back promotion. Whether you visit the website directly or go through the NachoNacho platform, please support this great business. Ad Messenger provides all the tools you need to make your advertising more effective than ever. Once again, Rachel, thank you so much for joining us. We look forward to growing our companies together.

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