Fox Interactive Media’s MySpace is seeking to jumpstart local and small business advertising by launching its homegrown Self-Serve Ad Service. Initial advertisers are likely to be rock bands – the first major segment to have adopted MySpace itself — but the service hopes to move up the food chain as time goes on.
Fox is making several dozen templates available for do-it-yourselfers. In this regard, it is similar to AdReady, which provides white label service to The New York Times Co. and WhitePages.com. Advertisers can also use their own art work. Targeting is also available by gender, age, region, city/state, and interests.
Newly released Kelsey Group research shows that 41 percent of small businesses say they would like to use self-serve in lieu of salespeople. But professional local ad sellers –especially on the Yellow Pages side — remain skeptical that people would actually be willing to use self serve for renewals, upsells, etc. (I think they will).