Are You a Pollinator? – Interview with Skip Brand, CEO of Martini Media

Article first written for, and published as Are You a Pollinator? – Interview with Skip Brand, CEO of Martini Media on Technorati.

Niche Marketing for Greater Market Understanding

Martini Media has been a pioneer in advertising to the wealthiest consumers across niche media. The company has a digital media platform for reaching American consumers with household incomes over $100,000, representing 25% of the internet population, and 70% of the spending power. In Technorati’s interview with Skip Brand, CEO of Martini Media, we learn that while it’s no secret that the influence of people is different, distinguishing who’s who isn’t easy.

“Every marketer wants to connect with people who have greater spending ability and influence.” Skip claims. “But influencers have been hard to find and expensive to cultivate, leaving many marketers to stick with the traditional methods of a mass marketing and advertising strategy.” 

Martini offers an alternative solution. They operate a publisher network of 1,000 affluent, engaging sites on the web in lifestyle and business. And for their 270+ yearly premium advertising clients, Martini leverages proprietary ad-targeting technology and audience data sets to maximize each interaction between audience, advertiser and media. “These online destinations that attract agenda-setters in meaningful numbers,” Skip explains.

The consumers with the most money and influence online are setting their agendas according to the specialty sites that focus on a single topic. Simply put, this audience reads more, shares more, and engages with ads more than anyone else. “They buy 3x more toilet paper, and are online 34 hours a week. Those with the most money are the most engaged, because they spend money online to save time,” Skip comments.

The characteristics of these influential consumers, includes:

• Make up 21% of the population and earn over $100,000 a year
• Spend up to 34 hours a week online following their passions
• Make up to 70% of the spending power in the Unites States
• Share a unique relationship with the niche sites they frequent
• Help voice and shape opinions online and across their social networks

Pollinators and Influentials

“We call this core group the Pollinators because they act like bees, picking up information and spreading it so that it reproduces,” Skip clarifies. “The remaining 45 percent of influencers we call Influentials; they still generate immediate and sustaining impact on the marketplace.”

Pollinators are more receptive to ads on niche sites, largely because the ads are more relevant to their interests. They frequent these niche sites for depth, interaction, insight, and a forum that facilitates like-minded, social bonding. “The serious, avid tennis player goes to Tennis.com for content, not the Yahoo Tennis site,” Skip clarifies. And when they’re on these sites, they buy. 

Here is where the value of Pollinator’s becomes clear. These people buy brands they are passionate about, because they make a personal statement for them. So much, in fact, they spend nearly seven times the amount/year invested by non-influential consumers (general population).

Influentials also respond more to advertising on niche sites, for the same reason. 36 percent of Pollinators say they see relevant advertising on niche sites compared to just 14 percent non-influencers. This all means one thing, and it’s the mantra of Martini Media as they educate brands on consumer behavior: The people with the most power online tune in to advertising when it’s on niche sites devoted to their passions.

For Martini Media, the goal, thereby, is to help brands understand the value of this. When they “get” it, they focus marketing ad and research spend on the concentrated long-tail opportunities that matter most. This gives brands a better return, and more insight into the consumers that will most actively promote them.