Purch Buys Consumr; Dissolving VivaKi AOD

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App-quisition Sets Up Purch For Mobile

Purch bought the price-comparison and barcode-scanning app Consumr on Tuesday. The mobile app adds to Purch’s portfolio of websites that target consumers with high intent to purchase (like review site Top Ten Reviews). “Consumr is an important piece of our overall mobile strategy that will help consumers make complex buying decisions on the screen of their choice,” Purch COO Doug Llewellyn told AdExchanger. Long-term, the company plans to fully integrate the app with its commerce properties and offer its marketing players extension into the platform. Read the release.

Dissolving Desk

The partial dissolution of Publicis Groupe’s trading desk, VivaKi AOD, felt just a little bit momentous for close observers of agencies’ programmatic efforts. And, as Marco Bertozzi, VivaKi’s president of global clients, hints in an interview with Digiday, it’s also smart business. “Clients don’t trust the concept of a trading desk anymore. … The general sentiment is that this was definitely the right move. It’s going to be quite a tough argument for another agency to go up against in this current climate.” Gauntlet, thrown! Read more.

Ad Tech’s For Kids

A UK startup called SuperAwesome has built an ad platform for the express purpose of honoring COPPA, the US privacy law prohibiting collection of PII from kids. WSJ’s Mike Shields writes, “Essentially, it’s ad tech designed explicitly to not collect any data on kids or target them based on their behavior in any way. That means it does essentially the opposite of what most online advertising technology is designed to do.” Read it.

Short Shelf Life

Notoriously struggling ecommerce startup Fab.com has finally been snapped up – by custom manufacturing firm PCH. As Re/code first reported, the flash-sale design site was nearing a fire sale of the business back in November. Fab.com was heavily venture-backed, having raised some $300 million in its five-year lifespan and lived, albeit shakily, through several pivots and mass layoffs under the watch of its outspoken co-founder, Jason Goldberg. According to GeekWire, 35 employees from Fab.com will join PCH, Goldberg will exit and GM Renee Wong will lead day-to-day operations. Undisclosed funds from the cash and equity transaction will go toward Hem, Goldberg’s new furniture upstart. The official announcement.

But Wait! There’s More!