Denton's cynicism

Like his bloggers, Nick Denton is popular for his cynicism. Before his ad:tech panel yesterday, he told me there’s nothing he’s very excited about in online advertising. And during the session, he said blog advertising shouldn’t be undertaken for purposes of community buzz, but for simple demographics. He said one-off deals like Nike’s “Art of Speed,” which Gawker did two years ago, aren’t really worth the effort. And he said his approach to selling ads is more conservative than ever.

“I’m skeptical about the ability of advertising to influence word of mouth,” he said. “The real reason for advertising on weblogs is to reach an audience that’s younger, richer, more influential. They should be bought for the demographics rather than the word of mouth. If the marketer wants to influence word of mouth through weblogs, it’s better for them to use PR.”