Criteo's Mobile Play; Aussie Private Exchange From Ebay, Rubicon Project

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Criteo’s Mobile Play

With yesterday’s acquisition of Ad-X Tracking in Europe, Criteo CEO JB Rudelle claims his company is “the one-stop display performance partner for both desktop and mobile devices” in spite of the inherent difficulties around targeting the mobile cookie versus targeting the desktop version. The release offers, “AD-X Tracking provides a solution for global brands to utilize in-app events and downloads to optimize their mobile campaign performance.” Read more. Ad-X may also be seen more simply as a Criteo acqui-hire – mobile talent is in demand. A Criteo representative says that “the majority of the [9] new employees will be based in London and some going to other Criteo offices.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ebay Exchange Strategy

Down Under, Ebay launched a localized private exchange with the help of its partner Rubicon Project. The press release tells part of the story, “eBay Advertising Australia has today created the country’s largest private marketplace, via a partnership with Rubicon Project. The newly created marketplace gives brands access to over 7M unique visitors a month and the ability to programmatically trade on over a billion ad impressions.” Read more. Ebay announced a Rubicon-powered exchange in the UK in September of 2012. One can’t help but wonder -is Rubicon Project a likely acquisition target for Ebay?

Ads And Pirates

Google and Microsoft pledged to follow new advertising guidelines, found here, in an attempt to reduce piracy, according to The Next Web. “By working across the industry, these best practices should help reduce the financial incentives for pirate sites by cutting off their revenue supply while maintaining a healthy Internet and promoting innovation,” said Susan Molinari, Google’s VP of Public Policy and Government Relations. Read more. And, still more on The Hill.

Ad Listing Battle

Google’s ecommerce display ads – known as Product Listing Ads (PLA) – could be a threat to Amazon’s revenue stream, according to Business Insider. The image ads not only grab more attention from consumers, they also push Amazon’s ads lower down in the search results. Furthermore, Google may update the PLA system to allow for purchases directly from the ad, giving consumers an even more direct route to the product. Read more.

Do Not Track: In-Store Version

Tracking is tracking, online or off – right? Not according to the New York Times, which examined the difference in consumer sentiment about being tracked in-store versus online. The general consensus is that people feel more anonymous online and therefore don’t feel it’s as creepy as being “followed” in-store via their mobile phones. “The idea that you’re being stalked in a store is, I think, a bit creepy, as opposed to, it’s only a cookie — they don’t really know who I am,” said Robert Plant, a computer information systems professor at the University of Miami School of Business Administration. Read more.

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Cross-Screen Creative

For cross-screen creative junkies, yesterday’s announcement by the IAB that its ad operations council had produced a final version of its HTML5 implementation guidance will come as joyous news. Read the release. File and ad unit size, code and asset compression and in-banner video advertising and animation are just some of the recommendations made for those using HTML5 to create web presences that work across devices. See the spec (PDF).

Ad Tech Kinks

In an iMedia Connection column, Upfront Digital’s MIchael Hegarty runs through the problems stunting ad tech innovation and puts fragmentation at the top of the list. Trust and hierarchy also make the list. He writes, “Forcing each other to fit into labeled categories prevents meaningful collaboration toward finding the right solutions by introducing unnecessary constraints.” Read more.

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