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Is It A Pony Or A Hand Puppet? Enhancing Brand Safety Through Real-Time Bidding

"Data-Driven Thinking" is a column written by members of the media community and containing fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media.

Today's column is written by Ajay Sravanapudi, CEO at LucidMedia.

“If it is in fact a hand puppet, which finger is the head of the pony?”  This question nicely sums up the brand safety fears while running a display campaign.  In my last column, I explored the recent demand-side platform (DSP) trend focusing on its potential benefit to agencies.  This month, I want to look more closely at one specific aspect of the DSP movement: brand safety in real-time bid (RTB) inventory.

Real-time bidding is the latest positive evolutionary change sweeping the display advertising industry this year.  Despite its promise of efficiency and scale, many buyers view RTB inventory as potentially brand unsafe.  Contrary to these expectations, we have found that, with the right technology, RTB is the most effective and efficient means of procuring brand-safe inventory at scale.  This is so because (a) impression bid requests come with a lot of useful data attached and (b) the DSP can use this impression-level data to filter for brand safety in real-time.  Much of the impression level data can be used with minimal effort to implement a poor man’s brand safe filter like geographic, site level, day parting, etc.  Any DSP worth the price of admission should implement this kind of minimum filtering.  However, this is just scratching the surface. What is really needed for true brand safety is technology that can perform a deep semantic analysis at the page-level.

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Quantcast’s Feldman On Delivering Local Country Audience Insights

Quantcast announced yesterday that they are offering their traffic data and audience insights globally by local country.

CEO Konrad Feldman discussed the company's global push.

AdExchanger.com: How did you determine that Quantcast is the "World's Favorite Audience Measurement Solution"?

KF: Every week thousands of websites choose Quantcast to provide them with audience measurement and insights. We think of audience measurement as being the "who" and that's distinct from the "what" of web analytics. We're not aware of any audience service that's been as widely adopted as Quantcast - are you?

Outside of the U.S. market, which countries or areas of the world show particular surges of interest in audience measurement services?

We've seen strong interest in our solution from overseas publishers that had significant US audiences that they wanted to better monetize. Increasingly those publishers were asking us what we could do for their home markets and we're delighted to be able to support them more fully, not just in their home marketers, but in every market.

And, from your standpoint, is audience buying everywhere?

Certainly in the major digital media markets it is, though of course to varying degrees. Increasingly marketers are looking to coordinate and standardize their approaches to audience insights and real-time media on a global basis.

By John Ebbert

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Evolving Back to Basics… Ad Networks Can Lead the Way

"Networking" is a column focused on the evolving roles of networks in online advertising.

Today's column is written by Mike Seiman, CEO of CPX Interactive.

Looking back at a decade of online advertising, one thing becomes pretty clear. The arc of the landscape has slanted toward complexity and compartmentalization. While it is true that there are now any number of solution providers available to help an advertiser spend its online advertising budget, the question that should be asked is "Has all this compartmentalizing really benefited the advertiser, or has the process just complicated itself into inefficiency?" I tend to think that there is a good deal of inefficiency now built into the system and I predict a pendulum swing back in the direction of one-stop solution simplicity. Furthermore, I respectfully submit that the industry player best situated to lead this next-generation ‘back to basics' shift is the same one that was there at the beginning…the ad network.

So how did the landscape evolve away from the promise of a one-stop ‘easy button' originally offered by ad networks? Well, in truth, some of the blame must be laid at the feet of the ad networks, themselves. Access to huge pools of inventory was a unique selling proposition in its time. But ad networks probably were not aggressive enough in adapting to a rapidly evolving landscape. While spending time growing their reach, ad networks allowed 3^rd party technologies (demand side platforms and tools) to grow in prominence. Ad networks operated under the belief that, by adding their own USP to the mix, these ‘specialists' would create greater efficiency and that rising tide would raise all boats. In truth, if ad networks had been a little more protective of the industry space they had created, they could have developed the very same services, and these demand side platforms would probably never have come into existence.

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24/7 Real Media’s Pangis Looks At Her Company’s Publisher Platform Solutions

24/7 Real Media announced an upgrade to its publisher ad serving solution, Open AdStream this week. Read the release.

Nicolle Pangis, VP, Product Management Global Media and Technology for 24/7 Real Media, reviewed Open AdStream and its place in the publisher platform market.

AdExchanger.com: How is 24/7 and Open AdStream addressing the need for publishers to unlock and manage the value of their data?

Since 24/7 Real Media’s inception and the initial release of the Open AdStream ad management technology platform through to its current version, we have aligned with publisher interest to support and protect publishers’ valuable data.

24/7 Real Media has developed unique partnerships with other leading companies in the digital marketing industry to distinctively integrate data and technology partners. For example, our partnership with Omniture produced a first of its kind integration between Open AdStream and Omniture’s leading web analytics platform SiteCatalyst, allowing publishers to leverage their own robust analytics data to define and target audience segments with advertising messages.

Please discuss the competitive set.  How are you differentiating from the competition?

Open AdStream is the premiere ad management platform in the marketplace today, enabling publishers to deliver ads in any digital format to any digital platform including Web sites, mobile, IPTV and many emerging platforms. Along with developing the technology platform itself, 24/7 Real Media has embraced the philosophy of an open digital ecosystem, developing partnerships and integrations with other key players in the market in order to provide customers with best-of-breed solutions. 24/7 Real Media’s ad management offering can also be differentiated by the superior training, account management, and support teams that provide reliable and effective customer service.

What's your view: are demand-side platforms (DSPs) a threat to publishers given their ability to target audience across multiple supply sources?

Demand side platforms give advertisers the opportunity to obtain lower rates for publisher inventory and target audiences across multiple publishers, networks and ad exchanges, which is not always in the publishers’ best interest. Emerging DSPs and ad exchanges, along with various intermediaries such as yield optimizers, take a piece of the value as publishers sell their audiences and inventory; however, the market is still nascent and the technology and practices still developing. As these companies and business models evolve, there will likely be some consolidation along the value chain allowing publishers to reclaim more value from their inventory.

Will 24/7 develop a supply-side platform (SSP)?

24/7 Real Media is aligned with publisher interest and therefore provides best-of-breed solutions for publishers to manage their digital advertising and extract the greatest value from their inventory. In addition to the Open AdStream ad management platform, 24/7 Real Media enables publishers to monetize their inventory with our Global Web Alliance media network of Web sites across the globe. Aligning network and publisher goals, the Global Web Alliance represents publisher inventory through direct one-to-one relationships, and is virtually the only major network that does not purchase inventory.

By John Ebbert

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Microsoft Releases Brand Study; Glam Media And DSP Adchemy In WSJ 50; Ads Can Be Taxing

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Brand Effectiveness Study

On the Microsoft Advertising blog, Microsoft's Head Of Research & Market Insights EMEA Anita Caras announces new research that looks at the effectiveness of brand campaigns in digital. The whitepaper looks at 20 campaigns across 4 EMEA countries and was done in conjunction with ComScore and Eyeblaster. Positive outcomes of brand campaigns include "Branded search-term activity," "Visits to brand sites" and "Uplifts in numbers of engaged visitors to brand site (measured in pages consumed and time spent on the brand site)." Read the post. And, download the whitepaper.

Malware In Congress

CNET's Elinor Mills reports that WhitePages.com has halted the delivery of ad network campaigns that were suspected of delivering malware on its site. Incredibly, the people who discovered the malware attack may have been related to the United States Senate as a Senate rep said that Senate computers had been infected by malware from WhitePages.com and the Drudge Report the day before. They're reading the Drudge Report in the halls of Congress? You gotta be kidding me. Nope.

Specific Media Travel

On website Travolution, Ian Dowds, UK VP of Revenue at Specific Media, discussed momentum for the online ad network in the travel space. Business doubled in January compared to the year ago period and Dowds told Travolution that "two of his top five clients in 2009 were in travel, and that 22 travel clients booked 30 campaigns in January 2010 – up from just 11 clients in the same month in 2009." Read more.

Rubicon Project To Fill AOL Europe Gaps

Daniel Farey-Jones of Mediaweek UK says that Rubicon Project has been asked to take over AOL inventory in Europe for "all countries where AOL has had a network-only sales policy." These countries include Spain, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands . Read more.

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TARGUSinfo Integrates Data Into Demdex Behavioral Bank, Discusses The Data Biz

TARGUSinfo and Demdex announced a partnership which integrates TARGUSinfo datasets into Demdex's "'Behavioral Bank' [which is] full of robust user profiles with data captured from each client's Web properties and third-party data purchases." Read more.

Dave Helmreich, VP AdAdvisor at TARGUSinfo, discussed the partnership, the company and trends in the data market today.

AdExchanger.com: Why do you think being "neutral" is important in Demdex model and how is this compelling for TARGUSinfo?

DH: The data marketplace is a moving target and it would be impossible to predict which current and future technologies will perform best for your business.  As a neutral party, Demdex  gives its clients the maximum flexibility for plugging their data into any of the delivery platforms in each channel.  Whether it's the latest DSP to enter the market in display, an existing ad server that's been around for years, or some new creative optimization technology coming onto the market in the coming months, when you have a neutral audience management platform you remain 100% flexible and can to adapt to this rapidly changing marketplace.  Remaining neutral on the data side is also important as this allows clients to access ALL data sources available in the market, not just those available from a given exchange or data seller.  Neutrality is really what sets Demdex apart. Through our partnership, any clients using Demdex have a streamlined way to access AdAdvisor data to enhance interactions with their ideal prospects.

How does TARGUSinfo help data buyers purchase the right data? And, do you let them test to make sure the data will meet performance requirements?

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TRAFFIQ CEO Kahn Looks At TAAN Partnership And Exclusivity Among Agency Holding Companies

TRAFFIQ announced a partnership with Transworld Advertising Agency Network (TAAN), a network of independent advertising agencies in 40+ markets worldwide. According to the press release, "TRAFFIQ will be the digital media platform TAAN recommends to its member agencies." Read it.

TRAFFIQ CEO Mark Kahn discussed the TAAN partnership, agency holding companies and client momentum.

AdExchanger.com: How are you solving the services needs for TAAN members -- and other clients for that matter?  For example, it would seem that with TAAN's member agencies all over the world, it could be a particular challenge for TRAFFIQ and the agencies?

MK: TAAN and its member agencies face the same challenges as our other clients: the need to maximize scale and efficiency, but to also exercise total media control with as much transparency as possible. In the ever-changing digital ecosystem, buyers face a set of challenges that require specific tools built for their needs. Legacy marketing systems are being retrofit to adapt to today's digital climate; TRAFFIQ is custom-built for the digital world specifically to deliver scalable, SaaS-model infrastructure to agencies looking to do more with less.

TAAN's members are mostly mid-size agencies, which is an under-served market but one that is a focus for TRAFFIQ. Unlike the large holding company shops who seem to have limitless resources, many smaller agencies don't yet have access to planning data, ad serving software, or advanced analytics. For these bandwidth-constrained agencies, TRAFFIQ can be a complete digital display solution, addressing RFP creation, distribution, ad serving, analytics, and billing and reconciliation. Ultimately, what we really provide is bandwidth. As more marketing budget moves in the digital direction, agencies must master a new discipline. Adding digital budget means adding more tools, more personnel trained in digital media and ad operations, having to spend more time on billing, etc.

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Centro Looks To Automate The Buying Of Premium Inventory With Transis Says Pres Riegsecker

Shawn Riegsecker is Founder & President of Centro, a media services and technology firm and makers of Transis, a media buying system.

AdExchanger.com: Can you discuss the pivots in Centro's business model since 2001? And how has it led today's Transis offering?

Centro’s vision is the same today as the day we started. Our whole belief was that, with the fragmentation of media choices, agencies and buyers wouldn’t be able to scale digital via old processes and using outdated tools like spreadsheets, emails, phones and faxes. Great software was going to have to come into the mix to automate the entire process from beginning to end. We figured if we could create automated software that could profitably scale local online, which is one of the hardest and most fragmented parts of the industry, we could help agencies become more profitable by giving them the software to use also.

After years of developing the software, using it and perfecting it internally, it was time to release it to the industry.

What problem is Transis solving?

Planning, placing, tracking and reconciling digital campaigns are a nightmare for most agencies. A 2009 AAAAs report said the cost of servicing a digital campaign averages about 25% to 30% of the media cost compared to 2% for TV. This is unsustainable. The problem is the industry spends around 80% of its time in low-value transactional activities versus highly strategic and creative thinking. Transis automates the low-value activities and gives digital media teams anywhere from 30% to 70% more of their time back to do the important things they like to do and their clients want them to do.

AdExchanger.com: Centro offers a range of services. How do you anticipate the company evolving with Transis? Will it become a sole focus, for example?

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Publicis Has $489 Million For Digital Acquisitions; China’s Media Market Challenges; Auditude Gets Another Video Ad Client

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Levy Discusses Publicis Checkbook

At The Abu Dhabi Media Summit (location, location, location), Publicis CEO Maurice Levy reiterated his ad holding company's position that it is open to buying digital media companies. Levy told the media - including BusinessWeek -, "We are in a very strong cash situation and we might find a collection of small or medium-sized operations." The article suggests the company has $489 million to spend. Will it be on a DSP? Read it.

MDC Acquires The Experiential

MDC Partners announced that it had acquired a majority interest in experiential marketing firm, TEAM Enterprises, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "Experiential" marketing could include "Spectacle Events, Retail Product Demos, Mobile Touring" and more according to the release.
Experience it.

Search Business

Yahoo!'s search engine continues to die a slow painful death according to Business Insider's Jay Yarow who looks at the latest search rankings from ComScore: "Yahoo's search slipped to 16.8% in February from 17.0% in January." J.P. Morgan's Imran Khan notes the 10%+ increase in total search traffic among all engines. Get more search facts here.

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Argo Digital Solutions CEO Kates Discusses Digital-Out-Of-Home Audience Buying And Planning With rVue 2.0

Argo Digital Solutions recently released rev. 2 of its rVue platform which enables the buying and selling of digital-out-of-home media through rVue's exchange.

Argo Digital Solutions' Jason Kates discussed the rVue 2.0 and the digital-out-of-home market.

AdExchanger.com: Since you last spoke with AdExchanger.com, you've come out with a new rev of rVue, your digital-out-of-home exchange. Please explain why you describe rVue 2.0 as "social".

JK: rVue has created a transparent marketplace that allows digital out of home networks, industry professionals and advertisers to communicate openly via the platform. When you look at the network profile page or the dashboard, you'll see that many popular components of social media have been built into the 2.0 version of rVue to promote communication, such as status bars, the ability to "follow", photo uploads, rss feeds, search engines, etc. rVue embraces transparency and promotes communication in an effort to accelerate the industry's visibility as a valuable media.

How are the datasets gathered for the platforms targeting capabilities?  How do you verify the data?

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Adometry Offering Effectiveness Metrics And Verification Says CEO Ewel

Jim Ewel is CEO of Adometry, which provides verification and effectiveness metrics products for display advertising.

AdExchanger.com: What gave the team the idea for Adometry?  And, what problem is Adometry solving?

JE: Our founders, John Dietz and Rob Perrier, had built a large-scale ad server for a major publisher.  They understood that the kind of information that they could gather would be very useful to advertisers, both for verification purposes and to help them understand where best to spend their advertising dollars.   This led them to found Adometry back in 2008.

The problem we’re solving is essentially one of transparency and trust.  Much has been made of the fact that fewer advertising dollars go to online than you would expect, given the amount of time that people spend online.  We believe, as do many others, that it will take greater levels of transparency and trust for advertisers to move more advertising dollars into online.

We’ve all seen what transparency, trust and clear effectiveness measures have done for search; we believe that display advertising can also benefit from similar kinds of tools and measurement.

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