eBay’s Take on Auction Based Media

There were a bunch of great panelists on the panel, “The Move to Auction-Based Media and the Demise of the Upfront,” but Howard Rosenberg, Director of Private Marketplaces at eBay, kept providing the most concise, cutting takes, so you can get the gist of the discussion by reviewing Howard’s take.

Here’s Howard:

Auction based media is “all driven by what people do with the platform… Here’s a marketplace. Use it to create the most value for yourself.”

As for the marketplace: “It’s not going to be bad for anybody.” He noted that any marketplace that operates in the best interest of all its constituents can’t be a total failure. If it works, everyone will benefit.

Howard said that saying this auction-based marketplace won’t lead to the demise of the upfront, just like eBay Motors didn’t lead to the demise of the dealerships. Once again, we see one channel complementing another, not replacing it - a common trend as new channels constantly emerge.

“This is a pretty significant to change behavior, and any time you try to change behavior, it’s difficult and slow… It’s going to develop under its own momentum in any direction that works best.” He notes that offline ad buying is “stuck” in an old model that doesn’t work as well in today’s market. “I think it’s high time things start moving forward.”