PC Matic – A Direct Response Advertiser
Lately, we have been receiving a significant amount of feedback regarding ad placements, specifically when they air. This feedback has included praise for what shows we air on, to indifference, to threats of boycotts. We wanted to address these concerns immediately, however, there are a few things people need to know.
First, we are not what is called a general advertiser. General advertisers utilize an ad agency. The ad agencies are able to request when their client’s ads air, or don’t air.
Unlike a general advertiser, PC Matic is a direct response advertiser. What this means is, we place orders containing rates for the air time that is remaining after the general advertisers have chosen their ad spots. Therefore, we are not guaranteed any air time at all. We simply receive whatever ad spots are available and within our order. Also, for some of the TV providers, specifically Dish Network and DirectTV, we place orders based on what is called a “news cluster”. The news cluster contains a predefined list of news networks such as Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. When an ad spot clears for the cluster, we air at the same time on all of the networks within the cluster. For example, an ad that is on at 9:20 p.m. EST on Fox News, will also be on at 9:20 p.m. EST on CNN and MSNBC.
We understand the concerns expressed regarding our ads airing during certain programming. However, it is important our customers understand, our ad placements are out of our control. We do not have an ad agency to decide when our ads air, nor do we purchase ad space based on programming.
For readers who encourage us to obtain an ad agency to gain control over when our ads will air, PC Pitstop CEO and founder, Rob Cheng, explains his decision not to hire an ad agency here.
We hope our supporters understand our advertising methods a bit better. If anyone has questions, feel free to drop a comment below.
