Forbes starts digital ad network

Forbes is launching an ad platform that combines the Forbes Media Network with a new audience segmentation effort called FAST and offers custom units that blend advertising with content according to user preferences.

Bill Mickey of Folio writes, “Dubbed FMX, for Forbes Media Extension, the platform encompasses the entire Forbes network of branded and non-branded sites. Sites in the network include RealClearPolitics.com, RealClearSports.com, ForbesWoman.com and the Forbes’ network of business and finance blogs.

“FMX will also offer partner sites such as Yahoo and AOL along with smaller, vetted niche sites, says Forbes Media chief revenue officer Kevin Gentzel. ‘[FMX] will include the sites within the former Forbes financial blog network, but that has now expanded to include a network of other contextually relevant and clean and well-lit sites for us to find our audiences on. We want the ability to extend our contextual relevance to sites that aren’t just in the business and finance arena. You’ll find sites within the lifestyle arena, the automotive sector, and so on. But all have been vetted us and we include big sites like AOL and Yahoo and then other more niche content sites as well.’

“Anchoring the program is a segmentation project called FAST, which marries Forbes audience data with third party information to create customer categories for advertisers to target. The general idea here is to create a branded audience data set that can be packaged and sold into matching content verticals. The first six to launch with FMX are business and finance, small business, technology professionals, in-market users, wealth and personal finance, and wealth and lifestyle.Ultimately, the program will offer 24 audience categories.”

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