Here’s an interesting article that speaks to the effectiveness and value of online ads: The New York Times takes a look at the ability to test Web and other interactive ads (such as mobile ads) on the fly, and adjust campaigns for better value and impact. The article leads with Varick Media Management, which was evaluating 27 ads run by scooter manufacturer Vespa to determine which led to the best response.

            “Where the data guys were once an afterthought in a marketing presentation, now they are at the core of the online strategy,” Stephanie Clifford wrote. “What’s more, they can help advertisers save money in traditional media by testing different phrases or images online to see what works before producing an expensive television commercial or magazine ad. Who attracts more clicks in a grape juice ad, for example — the blond girl or the brown-haired boy?”

            “The shift to data-based campaigns is forcing marketers to learn new skills and drawing a new breed of worker to Madison Avenue. … In addition to what an ad should say, and where and when it should run, advertisers have to figure out how much each ad, or “impression,” is worth. The data helps them do that. ‘You’re making, in some cases, real-time decisions about how much to pay for a specific impression,’ [said Matt Greitzer of Razorfish].”

            The article touches on behavioral targeting, and some of the information isn’t going to be new to people in our business who understand how online advertising works. Many of the papers in the Yahoo consortium, for example, are offering these types of services. Even so, it’s a good layperson’s view of how interactive advertising can reach people more effectively than traditional analog advertising.

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