Ten sites were cut from the buy, putting extra money in the pockets of four newspaper sites with more standard banner sizes and leaving the others empty-handed. Besides the energy they put into sizing ads, advertisers become strapped by the reality that even a single campaign requires multiple ad banners to remain effective. This is not sustainable. You'd be surprised how many folks balk. Some say they don't want to saddle a new medium with an such old-fashioned concept as prescribed ad holes.
People are out of their minds if they'll let something like a banner size stand in the way.
Ad sizes are just the first step. To see what else works, NAA's Marketing and Business Analysis Department recently surveyed current new-media business practices. Aggregated results will be shared, and we'll look for clues to what makes online newspapers profitable.