Pinterest API; Digital Upfront Gets Real

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Pinterest API

Pinterest has been driving retail referrals like crazy, and is now offering an API allowing websites to display their most popular pins. According to a blog post, the API has been offered to BuzzFeed, ModCloth, Target, Whole Foods, and others. Read the post. As Pinterest experiments with a promoted pins option, this could give sites the data they need to figure out which products are worth promoting.

Digital Upfront Gets Real

AdAge reports Publicis Groupe’s Digitas LBi and Razorfish have committed more than $100 million for inventory on multiple Google properties. “Google wants to become a player in non-search inventory and grow things like YouTube,” said Rishad Tobaccowala, chairman of DigitasLBi and Razorfish. “They have some capabilities to develop content, but that’s not the business they really want to be in. We know how to make that engine run.” Read more.

OneSpot Spots Some Cash

Content advertising company OneSpot netted $5.3 million after its A round financing. Mohr Davidow Ventures, known for betting early on tech startups like recent Wall Street darling Rocket Fuel, led OneSpot’s A series. OneSpot’s technologies are designed to blend content–either earned or owned media–with display advertising. Read more.

CMO Measuring Stick

Business analytics company Domo surveyed 301 marketers and found they aren’t getting all they need from the available data. Part of the problem is knowing how to use it – actionable insights! – as well as keeping up with it. Although 83% see value in having real-time data, only 37% can access it in real-time. Furthermore, 54% of marketers surveyed are compensated for ROI, despite limited measurement abilities. Read the release.

Twitter Ads International

Twitter has opened its ad platform to small companies in the UK, Ireland and Canada, The Guardian is reporting. British telecom O2 is working with Twitter to help advertisers get the most out of advertising on the platform. “We believe that it’s our responsibility as both a large corporate and a digital services company to guide them. That’s why we are investing our time, money and expertise in this new social insights platform,” said O2’s Ben Dowd. Read more

It Must Be Amazon

Many an ad technology company uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for some part of its technology backbone. SunTrust analyst Bob Peck attended the recent Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference and came away impressed. He thinks AWS is a ~$3-4b business today and growing “north” of 60% per year. Peck adds, “In fact, AWS Senior VP Andy Jassay stated that [CEO Jeff Bezos] and the management team remain excited about the platform and ‘that in the fullness of time’ could be the biggest business at Amazon.” More on the conference from ZDNet.

In Market Buyers

On Marketing Land, Ginny Marvin notices that Google’s AdWords platform has taken another step forward in attribution capabilities with a new feature called “In Market Buyers.” She writes, “In-Market Buyers is an extension of the Interest Categories available in AdWords and represents Google’s first attempt to make ROI a central focus of advertising on the Google Display Network.” Read it.

You’re Hired!