Programmatic's Hot Stock; Data For Advertising

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Programmatic’s Hot Stock

Jim Cramer invited Rocket Fuel CEO George John to his CNBC “Mad Money” TV show on Friday. In the process, Cramer offers his take on why ad network 2.0 Rocket Fuel has been successful in the public markets: “Programmatic online advertising is smokin’ here and so far there hasn’t been a good stock that’s allowed you to profit from this theme.” See the interview.

Data For Advertising

Facebook updated its privacy policies on Friday with changes it first proposed in August, reports The New York Times’ Vindu Goel. Goel simplifies the change thusly: “By having an account on the service, its 1.2 billion global users are allowing the company to use their postings and other personal data for advertising.” Read more. The WSJ Digits blog notes a controversial emendation about teen use of Facebook has been withdrawn.

Mobile Marketing Automation

Silverpop is releasing an SDK for mobile app developers, according to The Next Web. The SDK will also tie into Silverpop’s database to give developers analytics about users. The software allows for personalized marketing messages through mobile apps, and will let developers follow up through email and other messaging. Read more. This move reminds an editor of Mopub’s SDK proliferation which led to its acquisition by Twitter.

Forbes For Sale

According to a staff email, Forbes Media is up for sale. A New York Times reporter’s source says the company could garner up to $400 million from the sale. That’s more than WaPo. This isn’t the first time, and probably not the last, that a high profile sale like this has occurred for a legacy publication. The New York Times Company and The Washington Post Company both sold off major publications to private owners. Read more.

Mobile Ad Net Machinations

Mobile ad network and tech firm Millennial Media’s stock price plunged last week due to a near-breakeven outlook on future earnings. That plunge has pricked the ears of Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry, who has started coverage – albeit with a “neutral” rating. Is the “smart money” getting in to Millennial? Finance news site Benzinga quotes Terry’s note to investors on Millennial’s earnings: “While the acquisition [of Jumptap] expands the company’s reach with advertisers and developers and extends its programmatic capabilities, we believe third party ad networks remain challenged as first party advertising platforms and their native advertising models drive innovation and share gains in mobile advertising.” Read a bit more on Benzinga. With Millennial’s current market value of $500 million, the company would appear to be a ripe acquisition target itself.

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Tweeting Workflow Love

Late last week, the CEOs of somewhat-competitive Mediaocean and Centro traded pleasantries over Twitter. Centro CEO Shawn Riegsecker tweeted: “@billwise You’re handsome. Smart. A great visionary. And confident. I’m surrounding you with compliments.” Wise answered, “@ShawnRiegsecker With enemies like you… Who needs friends? Thanks for the compliments!” Is a workflow automation merger in the offing? Only the Twitter knows.

Addressable Reach Theory

It’s not an ads story explicitly, but you can now log in to your favorite Windows OS using your Facebook login. The Facebook Developers blog explains, “Facebook Login for Windows 8 is ready to use in production apps, while Windows Phone 8 support is being launched in beta.” In time, login data could – in theory – enhance addressable advertising opportunities across Windows and on Facebook.

Billion Dollar No

When Snapchat turned down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook, it left some wondering what the messaging service has to offer brands on its own. Ad Age’s Cotton Delo found a few examples, but it could be a tough sell initially. Right now it seems that musicians and movie ads make the most sense, if they pitch a product in a short window of time. Some food companies, such as 16 Handles and Taco Bell, have also experimented, looking to capitalize on SnapChat’s young audience. Read more.

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