Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
WPP Buys i-Behavior
Data, data, data…. WPP Group bought i-Behavior on Wednesday as the ad holding company looks to leverage i-Behavior’s direct marketing services “to multi-channel merchants – retailers, financial services firms, catalogue sellers, consumer magazines, B2B companies – based on consumer purchase transaction data.” Read the release. Investment bank The Jordan, Edmiston Group (JEGI) helped bring the two sides together and as part of Wednesday’s announcement, JEGI provided a quote from i-Behaviour CEO Chris Dice who noted that the investment bank also helped sell an i-Behavior subsidiary – Acerno – to Akamai in 2008.
New Media Agency Model?
Mike Shields asks rhetorically in Mediaweek, “Why should big agency holding companies have a monopoly on real-time, audience-based buying?” Answer: They don’t as nimble players like Accordant Media position themselves as an alternative to the larger holding company trading desks. With an ability to potentially not get bogged down in a larger company’s bureaucracy as it test drives and implements fast emerging tech, the smaller trading desk – or digital media agency, if you will – would seem to be in a good spot. That appears to be Accordant’s positioning anyway. Read more.
The Leakage
Underscore Marketing’s Tom Hespos returns to iMedia with his own take on the popular phrase ignited by Krux Digital founder Tom Chavez – data leakage. He writes, “So what’s the solution then? Do we build an auditing entity that certifies networks, DSPs, and agency tools in order to prevent the data leakage?” Read more. In fact, there appears to be a number of companies that are full-steam ahead on trying to provide the solution for Hespos (and others) in the space.
Facebook Dominates Imps, Not CPMs
The subtitle says it all in a Wall Street Journal piece about Facebook’s display impression dominance: “The Site Commands 24% of Online Display Ads, but the Dollars Don’t Match.” In spite of 24% of all display emanating through Facebook from the latest comScore data, “the company accounts for just 9.5% of the spending on display ads in the U.S., according to research firm eMarketer Inc.” Read more. Emarketer takes a guess and says that’s $1.28 billion in annual display ad revenues. A nice chunka change even though its paired with the gargantuan inventory figures.
Aol Rumor On Property Re-Alignment
According to a Business Insider article, Aol is restructuring its media brands. TBI’s Nicholas Carlson says that this doesn’t mean someone is getting fired. Instead, “Headcount at AOL media properties should remain the same, though some people may be replaced by others. Our source says current employees will likely have the opportunity to move to properties that fit the company’s strategy.” Read more about the properties that fit.
You’re Hired!
Online ad technology company Ad Summos said that it has hired “TACODA and 24/7 Real Media veteran Art Dolimpio as Sr. Vice President of Publisher Services.” Curt Viebranz, CEO, ad summos said, ”I couldn’t imagine a better person to lead our Publisher Services team.”Read the release.
Adometry Scanning Tags
Adometry is determined to not be left out of the online advertising verification race and is branching into more audience verification. Adometry talked up its release about development of a new product called TagScan and added, “TagScan will be in production before the end of 2010, and is currently available to publishers in a limited beta program.” Read more.
Addressing The App
Catalyst SF’s Cory Treffiletti turns to the popular “app” format and says, “The expansion of ‘app nation’ signals a cosmic shift in the way that consumers will engage with content (again), and brands need to be planning for this now.” Read more about addressing the ‘app.’
Complexity Isn’t Worth It
Doug Weaver rails against the complexity of the data-driven ad world on Upstream Group’s ‘Get The Drift’ blog. He writes, “The direct response advertisers, agencies and technology vendors at the wheel have apparently given little thought to what the next wide turn might bring. Deal sizes go down, complexity goes up, all in the service of shaving a few cents off acquisition cost or goosing the click rate a half a point.” Read more.
Last Click Ain’t Slick
The last-click attribution model remains a thorny issue as Andrew Pancer writes on the Media6Degrees blog, “[Marketers] should also look at how technologies that are focused on finding new customers and prospects are impacting the success of their campaigns.” Read more.
Pushing Deeper With Video
Video ad network YuMe says that it has been busy releasing video ad solutions for the “iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software development kits, as well as two new mobile ad units (Mobile Connect and Mobile Billboard), to help advertisers, web publishers, and app developers extend their reach to iOS devices.” Power to the iOS devices!
