Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Demand Media Going For IPO
Demand Media is preparing for an IPO which will give the company a $1 billion valuation according to securities filings. Among the first to take note was All Things D’s Peter Kafka who writes that if the company achieves, say, a $1.5 billion valuation – Demand would be worth more than the NY Times. But, he adds, “I think the real hurdle for Demand will be making investors comfortable with its reliance on Google to bring in traffic and revenue: Demand relies on Google to bring eyeballs to its content, and Demand relies on Google to turn those eyeballs into money, via AdSense.” Read more.
ValueClick Rebounds, Going RTB
Last Thursday, ValueClick announced earnings for Q2 2010 that were at the high-end of their original estimates as “the Company generated $99.6 million in revenue and $27.3 million in adjusted-EBITDA.” CEO Jim Zarley said in the release, “I am confident that we can accelerate this growth in the second half of the year, while continuing to look for high quality acquisitions like Investopedia that provide synergy opportunities with our existing businesses.” Read the release. CEO Zarley said on the earnings call that the company’s new real-time bidding platform and more feet on the street will help the company meet an expected double-digit increase in its media business at the end of the year. Also on the call, it was apparent that the company sees the Investopedia acquisition announced last week as an important audience targeting opportunity that will be unlocked by real-time bidding – especially as ValueClick’s owned & operated and media businesses merge. And… Zarley added that ValueClick is the best DSP around.
FCC On Google/Verizon Broadband Deal
After reports that Google and Verizon had reached a deal to essentially offer better internet delivery service to Google over other content owners, the U.S. Federal Federal Communications Commission chair, Julius Genachowski, announced to reporters. “Any outcome, any deal that doesn’t preserve the freedom and openness of the Internet for consumers and entrepreneurs will be unacceptable.” Read more in the NY Times.
ClickZ’s Jack Marshall looks at Adapt.ly, a new ad media buying platform that aims to aggregate the campaign management of social network advertising. According to Marshall, “Adapt.ly will deploy ads on a number of social networks and ad platforms, including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon, as well as third-party Twitter ad services such as Ad.ly and 140proof.” Read more. And, visit Adapt.ly.
Mobile Ad Network Biz
Amobee Media Systems is gaining traction in Europe and the noise that the mobile ad network business comes down to just Google and Apple appears to be just that – noise. (Millennial Media, Mobclix, Nexage, Medialets and others would likely agree.) According to WirelessWeek, “Amobee will be the exclusive mobile advertising partner for Gruner + Jahr Electronic Media Sales in Germany. Gruner + Jahr is the largest publishing house in Europe.” G + J was a Google relatioinship formerly. Read more.
Bonjour Ad Network!
Canadian media powerhouse Rogers Media has made a healthy investment in the French-speaking Quebec market by purchasing content portal and ad network BV! Media for approximately $25 million. According to the Toronto Sun, Rogers Media’s Claude Galipeau said. “BV! Media has an extensive line of ad solutions that we will incorporate into our existing digital media sales offerings. In addition, the Branchez-Vous! network of sites in Quebec will give us greater reach in the Francophone market.” Read more.
Pitching The Cloud
Microsoft has reached out to holding companies Publicis and Omnicom Group and requested that they put forward their best agencies to pitch for MSFT’s cloud computing ad business. According to Ad Age”s Rupal Parekh, “It’s hard to put a number on the value of this particular segment of Microsoft’s advertising account, which leans heavily on business-to-business services. But it’s likely to be significant considering the marketer’s hefty budget. It spent more than $1 billion on advertising in the U.S. last year. (…)” Read more.
Glass Talking Cookie Business
Bizo CEO Russell Glass writes on his company blog about the business of cookies which is especially relevant to his company’s B2B data enterprise. He takes exception to recent reports by the WSJ that the data-driven ad tech industry was “spying” on users. Glass asks himself – and then answers – questions such as: “How is a behaviorally targeted user being tracked?” and “What are the actual risks that people fear?” in an effort to debunk myths that he thinks are being spread unnecessarily about digital ad targeting. Read more.
Glossing Over Details
PR maven George Simpson writes in his regular column on MediaPost about the recent WSJ “spying” article series. He says, “There was a significant glossing over of industry and individual company efforts to try and educate consumers about ad tracking and the multiple ways they can stop it if they wish.” And he doesn’t stop there. Read more from Simpson.
API Ads for InterPublic
IPG Media Labs’ Brian Monahan discusses his Labs’ evolution as IPG looks to put API hooks into its databases and software according to MediaPost’s Joe Mandese. Quoting Monahan, Mandese writes, “The third element focuses on the real-world application of new technologies or advertising formats, such as the API-based ads, in scalable market trials on behalf of one or several clients. For the API-based ads, (…) Interpublic has organized several, as-yet-unnamed agency clients, to participate in market trials currently in the field.” Read more.
What I Really Know About You
Digital marketing strategies Erin Jo Richey takes the WSJ to task in an Ad Age Op Ed. She thinks, “Rarely do I feel like I have pieced together enough details to be considered a spy. But with all that data, what do I really know about you?” She then tells you what she knows – data point by data point. Read more.
The Paths To Purchase Shifting
OwnerIQ CEO Jay Habeggar says from his company’s blog, “The evidence just keeps mounting that the path-to-purchase is rapidly shifting to be dependent on online activity.” He points to a recent NPD Group study that says Canadians are using online for research more and more to buy offline. See the release on the study.
