Advance advertising selling has become an emerging trend in online advertising. According to the article several forces appear to be propelling the trend, including the Internet becoming a more crucial advertising vehicles for traditional brands. As many categories grow more competitive, brands risk being shut out of the most desired inventory if they don`t act quickly.

Advanced advertising is the ability to lock up ad spots in retail stores and other areas, radio, TV etc., well in advance of what you are using it. This is predominantly done over a holiday season, most notably Christmas season.

Shields mentions in his article that, "Two years ago, MSN`s sales team started talking with retailers in the spring about locking up key ad avails for the holiday shopping season. Last year, those conversations were pushed up to February. Now, according to Mike Hard, MSN`s vp, U.S. online ad sales, his team is spending the current holiday season talking about the next one, and in some cases is selling inventory a year or more in advance."

There is obviously something to this since the big boys are buying ad space two years and more in advance.

Shields claims ,"The Web is becoming a more crucial ad vehicle for traditional brands, and thus the dollars are getting more serious: eMarketer predicts growth of 29 percent in 2008. And, as many categories grow more competitive, brands risk being shut out of the most desired inventory if they don`t move quickly."

Experts in the online advertising medium have suggested to their own clients to secure up various ad spaces to insure they won`t get shut out. Shields says that, "Greg Smith, COO of Neo@Ogilvy North America, said that several years ago he was encouraging pharma clients to sign deals with top health publishers like WebMD.com for as long as three years `to grab every single cholesterol impression out there.`"

Is future or advance advertising right for you or your business? It may be if you have plenty of competition. Imagine you are already locked up advertising for the holiday season, and your competition is scrambling for ad space.

Advanced advertising may be something you need to look into now for Christmas season 2008.

By: Bruce A. Tucker