The Rubicon Project
Rubicon Project
The Rubicon Project - http://rubiconproject.com/
The Rubicon Project is a network of ad networks that seems to work. Publishers can apply to one great catch-all for access to all the offerings of a whole bunch of networks. Great design, great fundamentals and function; this site is a winner. But, already some users are concerned that what worked pre-signup, now doesn’t work thru Rubicon. And if Rubicon ever starts to seriously squeeze the profits of its network partner, so that they become viewed as competitors, their business model might have problems. But, with a one hundred and thirty network depth that includes the top-tier players, they might just be on to a very good thing.
Ad formats available:
- Skyscraper (120×600)
- Wide skyscraper (160×600)
- Medium Rectangle (300×250)
- Standard Banner (468×60)
- Pops (728×300)
- Leaderboard (728×90)
Interface: 9/10
Positive:
Awe-inspiring design and content filters
Negative:
The endless pre-show sell
Maybe you’ve already heard some of the crazy hype about Rubicon. Once you’re in the system, you can track where your successful hits are coming from and make minute adjusts that are easy to follow. Everything works well, well designed and sign-up is easy. The thing is- you have to get past the endless sales pitch at the beginning to get to the product. Somewhat over PR’d. And truth is the product sells itself.
Support services: 7/10
Positive:
Moving in the right direction
Negative:
A lot of style; schools out on substance
The overall take on Rubicon so far seems to be fairly positive. It could be a certain amount of goodwill might exist because so many publishers would like to see this idea work. Also helps when you spend a fortune on Public Relations. That said, there have been a handful of reports about service and payment issues. For a company barely two years old, the publishing community seems to have decided to give those growing pains a pass because other aspects are good. A year from now, Rubicon had better have its payment and service delivery completely watertight. Nothing can kill a start-up, good idea or not, faster than bad word-of-mouth. And a year from now you can bet someone else will be cribbing from the Rubicon experience and setting up their own ‘network of networks’. If they want to stay number one in this category, they’d better stake their claim right now by doing everything absolutely right.
Payment schedule and payment options: 7/10
Positive:
Centralized single point of payment with PayPal
Negative:
10% fee on everything, some grumblings about late payment
Rubicon promises to capture every click, with ads that are better targeted for your region and site. Are Rubicon and its offerings going to deliver the jump in traffic that is worth it to your bottom line? If so, then 10% is money well spent. The problem is if you don’t see a 10% increase in return from your existing relationships, then it seems like a tax just to get a centralized bill. Other feedback is more interesting. Websites that use the Rubicon project indicate that what once worked pre-Rubicon now doesn’t. You need to keep a close eye on performance changes and test original relationships constantly to ensure that you don’t see your eCPMs slide. The bonus is you’ll no longer have to deal with your payments coming in by dribs and drabs- Rubicon will consolidate the results of your entire network resulting in one easy payment.
eCPMS: 7/10
10% less than if you were signed up individually
Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Above Average
The Rubicon Project is a smart idea at an early point in its execution. I suggest you give it a try and report back to us your experience so we can pass it on to the rest of the NetworkReview.com community and get the word out if this is as good as the venture capital fueled hype.