A couple of weeks ago Spot Runner contacted us by phone stating that the following post “Google TV vs. Spot Runner” contained inaccurate information about their company. They asked that we either remove the post or correct the inaccurate info.

We have corrected the inaccurate info in the original post and we are posting their official responses (below) to our previous statements. We have also provided a link from the original post pointing here for updates.

Here’s the exact response to our points that Spot Runner submitted to us in it’s entirety.  I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this info but I’d love to hear what you all have to say about their services.

The items marked in bold are the original descriptions written by Best Rank from our previous post. Directly below Best Rank’s description is Spot Runner’s revisions:

1. BestRank: Customers can select from a huge video library, Spot Runner charges a modest fee of around $500 to personalize your video.

1. Spot Runner customers can select from an extensive library of professional, high-quality ads which will then be customized with a customer’s images, messages and a new voiceover for as low as $499 depending on the level of customization. Spot Runner can also produce a completely custom ad from scratch, and can deploy the Spot Runner Production Network to any business in the United States to capture on-site footage of our clients’ businesses – such as images of their storefronts, customer testimonials, employees at work, product demonstrations and local landmarks. A customer can also use an ad they have created themselves.

2. BestRank: Spot Runner owns and controls your ads.

2. If a customer already has an ad, they can bring it to Spot Runner for placement and they retain ownership of the ad. When using a Spot Runner library ad, Spot Runner retains ownership of the template; however that ad is reserved for the customer’s exclusive use in the selected geographic area for the duration of their campaign and for a period afterwards.

3. BestRank: The minimum amount for a television schedule is $1000 per day

3. Spot Runner does not have established minimum buys. Based on its extensive experience in this space, Spot Runner works with clients to determine the minimum budget necessary for a campaign to be effective, especially relating to a client’s geographic target and campaign type.

4. BestRank: Spot Runner manages your ads according to your budget and preferences, you don’t have control on any negotiations.

4. Spot Runner’s media planning division works closely with a client to define their target audiences and locations to develop a media plan. Spot Runner then negotiates the buy on behalf of its clients.

5. BestRank: Spot Runner controls when and where your ad will show. You can see where the ad was shown only after the ad was aired

5. Spot Runner relieves their customers of the complex issues of buying airtime themselves and provides every customer with the services of an expert media planning team. After working with the customer to define their targets and the goal of their campaign, Spot Runner’s media buying team places the ad buys accordingly. Customers are well aware of what channels their ad will be running on as well as the daypart.

6. BestRank: You are not allowed to control your ad on any shows

6. Customers work closely with Spot Runner to define the best channels to advertise on to reach their target consumer. Spot Runner can also negotiate advertising during specific programming.

7. BestRank: You can buy local and National, the company is going after National Advertisers

7. With Spot Runner you can purchase local, regional and national advertising. Spot Runner’s proprietary geo-targeting technology allows customers to target down to individual neighborhoods. Spot Runner focuses both on local and national advertisers.

8. BestRank: You are allowed to run political ads

8. Spot Runner recently launched its Political Advertising Program catering specifically to the needs of candidates and causes. With this program, Spot Runner aims to leverage the internet and new technologies to open the door for candidates and cause-related initiatives to run highly targeted ads on TV, radio and online.

9. BestRank: You do not have the ability choose specific TV programs

9. Spot Runner can negotiate advertising during specific programs.

10: BestRank: Spot Runner controls when and where your ads will show

10. Spot Runner builds an airtime schedule to reach a customer’s target consumer on the channels they watch in their area of operation, providing detailed reports after the ad airs so they can track their results and grow their business.

11. BestRank: Spot Runner cannot tell you when your ad will air ahead of time

11. Spot Runner provides clients with information on when and where their ads are going to air.

12. BestRank: Greater Broadcast with mostly cable providers which provide a bigger coverage. Dish Network and other direct broadcast combined reach less than 17% of U.S. households, according to Nielsen Media Research (source Spot Runner FAQ section).

12. Spot Runner’s reach includes national and local broadcast and cable networks, a significantly larger portion of U.S. households than what is reached by satellite direct broadcast alone which, all providers combined, reaches less than 17% of U.S. households. Not only does Spot Runner have a geographical reach throughout the U.S. but it also has the proprietary technology to geo-target down to individual neighborhoods.

We still believe that Google TV has a more friendly service, which is easier to integrate with other marketing efforts. But we apologize for any inaccuracies in the original post. Sorry Spot Runner, no hard feelings.

At the beginning of May, Google announced the release of their new TV Ads Service. Spot Runner has been running a very similar program for over a year with great success. Here are some of the key differences between the two services:

Click Here for Spot Runner’s Official Response to This Post

GOOGLE TV ADs	SPOT RUNNER TV ADs
Customers can select videos from many qualified ad creators; outside vendors will customize your video from as low as $500 and up.	Customers can select from a huge video library, Spot Runner charges a modest fee of $499 to personalize your video
You own the ad, you can make future modifications.	Spot Runner owns and controls your ads unless you bring an ad into the network. Update.
The minimum amount for a television schedule is $250 per day.	There is no minimum amount.
Google will place your ad according to a bid process. The ad spots are sold in online auctions 24 hours before airtime.	Spot Runner manages your ads according to your budget and preferences and they negotiate on your behalf. Update
You can buy your own airtime.	Spot Runner controls when and where your ad will show. You will be made aware of what channel your ad is showing on and of the dayparting info. Update
You can block shows that you would not like to advertise.	You can work with Spot Runner to determine the appropriate channels and they can negotiate specific shows on your behalf.
You can buy local and nationwide ads, the local ads are only offered in a few selective areas.	You can buy local and national ads.(see article)
Cannot run any political ads	You are allowed to run political ads
Ability to choose specific TV program.	You do not have the ability choose specific TV programs, however Spot Runner can negotiate specific programs on your behalf.
Monitor in advance when your ad will air ahead of time.	Spot Runner controls when and where your ads will show. Update
You can control when and where each TV ad will show	Clients are made aware of when and where their ad will air in advance.
Ads air only in 125 DISH Network™ channels, the fastest-growing pay-TV provider in the country since 2000 and currently serves more than 13.1 million satellite TV customers. (see details)	Greater broadcast than Google, with mostly cable providers which provide larger coverage. **Dish Network and other direct broadcast combined reach less than 17% of U.S. households, according to Nielsen Media Research (source Spot Runner FAQ section).

Google seems to have a very affordable solution when it comes to placing, controlling and tracking your TV campaign performance, however they do not have the user-friendly video production capabilities of Spot Runner.

On the other hand you might say that, Google, acting only as an efficient broker on the video creation process, will begin gobbling up Spot Runner’s market share in the long run so long as nothing changes between the two - After all, Google’s specialty is to provide a user friendly interface to manage and control your Internet (and TV) marketing efforts, not to directly create or produce websites or TV ads. Spot Runner seems like they try to do-it-all.

Google TV allows many small to medium size companies to enter the TV media with a limited budget. Unlike Spot Runner, the management and control for TV commercials is also fully integrated with other Internet marketing campaigns through Adwords, so a professional Search Engine Marketing firm can measure and control the effectiveness of your TV ads sending potential buyers to an online website, and further track in greater details your total return on investment.

Read Spot Runner’s Official Response to This Post.

You’ve spent weeks getting your new website up and running. The content is good, the links work, and the site looks great. Now, how are you going to get people to visit? As far as online marketing goes, your two major options are Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and “organic” or “natural” search engine optimization (SEO). Each provides a unique list of advantages that can be leveraged to improve your site’s visibility and popularity on the web, depending on what stage your website is in.

The problem is that too often, PPC and organic SEO are viewed with an “either/or” mentality, rather than a cooperative one. In fact, most information regarding PPC and organic SEO on the web presents the techniques in opposing, comparative, or “versus” viewpoints.

According to some, choosing PPC as your online marketing platform means you must sacrifice the positives that organic SEO can bring (and vice versa). But why can’t you have your cake and eat it too? Well, if you play your cards (and plan your budget) right, you can. By implementing both PPC and organic SEO tactics to their online marketing campaigns, many website owners have found a winning combination.

Here are a few of the advantages that each online marketing technique can bring to the table:

PPC

• Instant Gratification- your ads appear instantly and bring traffic to site quickly
• Easy to Set-Up and Implement- getting a PPC campaign started takes a short amount of time and is a simple step-by-step process
• Easy to Track- PPC allows you to see how many clicks each keyword is receiving, where clicks are coming from, and how much each click is costing you

Organic SEO

• Provides Long Term Stability- investing in organic SEO ensures that your site will receive quality traffic over a longer period of time
• Its Free- unlike PPC, where you pay for each person who clicks on your ad, organic visitors cost you nothing
• Trusted More By Users- because organic listings are gathered and organized by search engines based on relevance, users are more likely to trust these listings over PPC advertisements.

By looking at the advantages that each technique provides, it is not difficult to see how using both can be beneficial to your site. The ease-of-use and immediate impact that a PPC campaign can provide is perfect for getting traffic to your site now. It can also act as a testing ground for keywords which can later be included in your organic SEO campaign.

While your PPC campaign is bringing your site instant traffic, you can also begin building the foundation of your organic SEO campaign. Although it takes time to build your site’s organic rankings, you will eventually be able to spend less on your PPC campaign for certain keywords that you are ranking for organically. The continuous stream of quality traffic that you can get through organic SEO will be well worth the wait.