Out With A Bang

To carry on this week’s revolutionary theme – and Mr Greenslade’s sense that, perhaps, the funding of new media [big and small] might have to gird its loins, swallow hard and accept a post-capitalist model along not-very-much-by-way-of-a-profit lines – the People’s Republic of South Devon chimes beautifully with these times.

More so than for anyone hoping for a divvie off their ITV shares in 2009, me thinks.

www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk

They are one of our latest ‘addiply’ beta triallists; and a very welcome addition to the fold they are.

If only for the whole revolutionry zest and zeal they bring to the local start-up scene.

What is fascinating is the language and the thinking that they employ to their newly-enhanced search for advertising revenue.. that they won’t take any old text ad that Google deigns to throw their way.

Now, with addiply, they can control their own advertising destiny. They are controlling the means of advertising production.

It’s empowerment for the masses; no longer are we wholly beholden to our text ad advertising masters – aka Google – to dish up some tiny, ill-targetted crumbs off their top-down table.

As Jeff Jarvis found to his hilarity, you never know who might be popping into that Google-empowered space…

http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=106

Fortunately, of course, Jeff has his book to fall back on, WWGD.

Head off down to Totnes and beyond and the chances of a Jewish singles ad appearing on the People’s Republic of South Devon are now next-to-none.

Not that, I’m sure, they have anything against Jewish singles looking for love, per se. They just need to be in South Devon.

For the People’s Republic want ads that are applicable and appropriate to their sense of their own community; and when said community is locally-based as opposed to niche-centric then the geographical relevance matters. They have to ‘fit’ – ethically and artistically, just as much as locally.

The fact that the PRSD crew can approve or otherwise any proposed incoming text link to their publishing pride and joy via addiply off their mobile phones merely furthers – hopefully – their sense of empowerment.

So here we go… their ‘news story’ that here comes addiply…

http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/2009/02/18/text-ads-on-the-peoples-republic-of-south-devon/

All as part of a ‘crunch-busting’ advertising push…

http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/advertise/sponsors/

It’s the language that, for me, is the key. That what they can now do is control their own advertising (mini) fortunes; it’s in their hands… they set the price, the tone, the placement, the ’sell’.

‘We don’t take ads from just anyone. At the People’s Republic of South Devon we’re looking for ads for companies and products that are ethical, environmental and downright groovy…

And again, re addiply…

‘At 50p per thousand views we think it’s super value, and with it going through Addiply we control who advertises on our site, after all we don’t want just any old advert invading the People’s Republic of South Devon digi-space.

‘The text ads are part of our campaign to up our advertising activity. In a recession, are we mad? Well, no. We can offer low cost ad rates to a highly targeted and discerning audience (present company excepted).

‘We want to give an affordable platform to local ethical, environmental and artistic businesses…’

That’s what I think is crucial about all we’re doing right now – be it AudioBoo or addiply.

What we’re doing is empowering people to make their own choices; not to be enslaved to someone else’s.

So PRSD set out their stall as they see fit – to charge 50p per 1,000 views, a figure that they hope will prove affordable to local ethicial and artistic businesses.

It might not work; they might have set the ‘bar’ too high price-wise; they may have to do a spot of ‘ad selling’ themselves – gentle reminders in the pubs and clubs of South Devon that this new opportunity exists. In these current climes, the market simply might not be there.

End of. Period.

But at least they now have an advertising tool kit to call their own; that they can do what they want with it.

Now, I’m sure the good folk of PRSD don’t have the advertising acumen of a WPP; that having this new tool at their disposal will take some working out; some tweaking here and there. And, perhaps, they might need to be a bit more pro-active on the sales front…

But, you know what, so what? Good luck to them.

If they believe passionately that the glorious day isn’t that far away for the People’s Republic of South Devon, they will get out and sell. They will work it out. For themselves.

The web is a learning curve for all of us. No-one knows what really works.

But the more of such like-minded, inquisitve South Devon souls gather round the unfurling flag of the new republic, the more chance PRSD have of people placing an ad themselves – just as they would leave a postcard in the window of a Totnes Post Office.

DIY, self-service web advertising that empowers the people to start – perhaps – covering their monthly hosting costs.

And that, for me, is a big small step in the right direction.

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