BOSTON, MA – ChoiceStream, the top choice for brand advertisers interested in advanced target optimization and programmatic buying, announced the next installment of its Audience Cost Calendar — a monthly aggregation of impressions traded on digital ad exchanges. The Audience Cost Calendar was created to help media buyers and marketers understand trends in the cost of various online audiences. Last month’s data (August 2013) shows the cost index narrowed from July (from 33 to nearly 250) whereas July showed a wide range between 45 to nearly 300. The results also highlight that six of the top 10 segments by rank were Travel related. The biggest riser in ranking for the Travel segment in the top 10 was Canada, rising from 32nd in July to 8th in August. Other top Travel segments included Italy, France, the UK, South Pacific and Australia & New Zealand.
“Travel segments continued to be strong performers both in ranking and in average cost index,” said Bill Guild, vice president, product management and marketing at ChoiceStream. “Interestingly, some of the luxury auto segments showed surprising strength in August including makes such as Hummer and Maybach. Perhaps this is further proof that that the economy is looking up. When things are really bad, it stands to reason interest in travel and vacation destinations and luxury vehicles would be waning, but this clearly isn’t the case.”
“Also rising was the Fantasy Sports segment. Judging by the excitement here in our office, Fantasy Football is pretty popular. The anticipation for the Pro Football season kick off in August only further propelled Fantasy Sports rise in average cost (from 122 to 173) month-over-month from July to August,” Guild noted.
Some of the top performing segments based on month-over-month (July to August) increase in rank includes:
- Automotive: Hummer – rose 161 spots to #103
- Home & Garden: Lighting – rose 160 spots to #38
- Sports: Fantasy Sports – rose 155 spots to #27
- Society: In a Relationship – rose 149 spots to #113
- Sports: Boxing – rose 129 spots to #61
Relationships – Finding, Keeping or Losing Love Popular In August
Some segments directly related to relationships and love were big risers in August in both ranking and average cost index. “It’s interesting to see those segments rise during August. Traditionally wedding season is in the spring and early summer and Valentine’s Day takes place much earlier in the year,” noted Guild. Among the big risers the Society: In a Relationship segment which rose 158 places in rank month-over-month while Society: Divorce Support rose 69 spots as well.
To view the full infographic, complete dataset and the most active categories for the month of August, take a look at ChoiceStream’s Audience Cost Calendar that can be found here.
About ChoiceStream
ChoiceStream improves ad relevance and digital campaign performance by programmatically selecting optimum advertising opportunities based on a dynamic understanding of consumer’s active preferences. With an extensive first and third party data network enhanced by proprietary data, ChoiceStream can target and convert the most valuable consumers in real-time. ChoiceStream is headquartered in the Innovation District of Boston and works with industry leading brands and their agencies. For more information on ChoiceStream, please visit www.ChoiceStream.com.
