Spotzer and SpotRunner Should Align with YP, Local Media

More and more yellow pages firms are offering search services to local advertisers, but the types of ads normally associated with big brand advertisers could be made available through YP publishers or other firms with close local sales ties (newspapers!). I think so, anyway. I spoke with Spotzer, an Amsterdam-based firm that’s just moved into the U.S. market earlier today. I think there’s a good chance we’ll hear about this firm aligning with YP companies or local broadcast companies in the future.

Essentially, the firm works with film production crews to create templated spots that can be customized for use by local businesses and targeted to specific audiences in specific locations both TV and online. SpotRunner, according to my research, only does TV. Spotzer CEO Andy Klein told me the firm has relationships with Yahoo, Google, Advertising.com and other sites and networks for running video ads.

If companies like SpotRunner and Spotzer (what ever happened to originality, by the way?) aren’t already talking to YP and local media firms about either partnering to resell their services to local advertisers, or perhaps even being acquired, no doubt they will be. (Actually, Klein said they are talking to YP firms). The fact is, these old-school companies have entrenched local salespeople with connections companies like SpotRunner and Spotzer (or Yahoo or Google for that matter) want. It makes way more sense to partner with those guys than to try to compete with well-networked sales forces.