Media networker

As Head of Agency Relations at AdLink Media, Yves Keller wants to convince even more creatives of the opportunities of advertising on the web. Developments on the Internet are moving at breakneck speed. New products are constantly coming onto the market. No one can say which channels or media will be used in the future for communication and thus also for advertising. The only thing that is certain is that the Internet is now "understood as a mass medium and no longer as a purely supplementary medium, so logistics is playing an increasingly important role," says Yves Keller. Behavioral targeting, IP-TV using the example of Zattoo, the TV platform of 20 Minuten, advertising opportunities on podcasts and more and more interactivity possibilities from streaming to gaming speak for the strong diversity and the enormous development potential of the still young medium Internet. In addition, all these areas are made transparent in terms of the respective surfing behavior of users thanks to behavioral targeting. "An enormous amount is moving, and boredom is unlikely to set in for a long time, because things will continue at this rapid pace in the future," says the new Head of Agency Relations at AdLink with conviction. His job at the leading independent provider of Internet advertising in Switzerland and Europe: Yves Keller is to accompany even more customers into the Internet with the right advice or provide strategic support for existing partners at the Swiss branch in Goldbach.

The need for consulting is showing signs of change at the moment. When Keller started at AdLink just over two years ago, the share of consulting in relation to sales was still significantly higher. "That has to do with the fact that many media agencies are now aware of the possibilities of the Internet and have founded online units that can bundle their expertise there," Keller knows. In the past, he still had to negotiate with all media planners, including print and TV specialists, across all divisions about an ad placement on the web. At the agencies with online units, "we now know all the offers, have our own opinion and find the optimum in dialog with our consultants," says Keller.
Direct customers need even more advice. Here AdLink, with its Direct Sales unit, which was also newly founded, is sometimes still almost doing educational work: What is actually online? Keller also senses continued ignorance or even resistance among a surprisingly large number of creative professionals. "There is still a lot for us to do in the area of creative agencies. We feel that extremely. The media agencies are pushing the new medium, while it's still a no-go for many creative agencies." Whether this behavior has to do with the fact that you can't yet win the really big prizes online, or whether the new type of communication simply deviates too much from the well-trodden paths of classic advertising, "that's up in the air," says Keller.
The networker is all the more motivated by the fact that media agencies are becoming more and more aware of the issue, and thus demand is growing all the time. "You can also see that in the now proud online sales. So we're on the right track, but we're certainly not there yet, because media usage is still out of all proportion to spending."
Keller sees a significant benchmark for the development of Switzerland in the German or English market. There, the percentage of advertising expenditure in the online sector is significantly higher than in Switzerland. "This is an advantage for our argumentation." Around this development, there is also some pressure for internationally active companies in Switzerland to advertise more online. "The medium is being pushed. There are companies that have stipulations that, for example, 5 percent of the total media budget must be invested in online." A rule that naturally helps Keller a lot in building his business.
And what is most in demand among its customers?
"We have a subject pool for virtually every segment of interest, where you can buy different titles at a lower price. Our response network is certainly doing well, too. Only clicks are purchased there. In other words, buying instead of image advertising. However, behavioral targeting is on the rise. Here, for the first time in the history of media planning, we can really respond to consumer behavior, combine specific behavioral criteria into a segment, and thus put together a special advertising package for our customers," says Keller, who is fully versed in his profession.
After graduating from high school, Keller came into this world of media "rather by chance. Looking for a job that was as interesting as possible, he found work as a marketing assistant at the Handelszeitung. To further his education and at the same time have some fun, he also wanted to travel a bit at a young age. He earned a degree in English in San Diego and then briefly returned to Handelszeitung. Looking for a more concrete path, he later landed at Carat. At this media agency, he started as a print buyer, quickly became a planning assistant, then a planner. The direction was found. That's why Keller also completed training as a federally certified marketing planner while working, and was thus promoted to account manager.
What next?
The decision was taken from Keller by Stephan Suter. The latter offered him the opportunity at AdLink. "With the switch to online, I was thrown in at the deep end," says Keller. After all, he never felt like an "Internet freak," at most using his computer to send e-mails and, even as a boy, much preferring to play soccer on the field than electronic games on the screen. "But I learned quickly," Keller looks back. Moreover, he also saw an advantage in his netless past. "I knew exactly how my customers felt. After all, the media planners had just as little experience with the new medium - and thus a need for advice."
At AdLink, of course, Keller first had to earn his spurs until he was promoted to team leader and member of the newly formed management team at the beginning of 2008. In this role, he primarily maintains very close contact with the online managers in media agencies. Inhouse, Keller is more concerned with conceptual developments than with "daily business". He appreciates this confidence in being able to contribute to AdLink's strategic direction. Where is the company going?
"When a market is booming like our online business, there are correspondingly many competitors who want to get into that market, that's quite clear." For many publishers, doing their own online marketing is now becoming an issue. It would also be theoretically possible for a new player from abroad to come to Switzerland and find that this would actually still be an interesting market, "because we're just really about five years behind here." How can Switzerland arm itself against this already more developed competition from abroad? There are various factors that excite Keller about his profession, because he always has to reorient himself.
It is also a rewarding challenge for Keller to be able to lead a team of eight people at a young age. "It's fun to be able to respond to the different personalities. Different characters want to be nurtured differently." But Keller has always found the problem-solving process exciting. It's an opportunity he also sees as an obligation to continue to raise his profile. Working together toward a goal and achieving something together. This team player idea is something he holds dear. Even in soccer, where Keller still wrings time out of three training sessions a week to bring the right strategies to the field, even in central midfield, at FC Wädenswil.
Andreas Panzeri