IAB’s Rothenberg On Quality Publishers; Microsoft Funds Foursquare

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

Ad Limitations

The openness of the online advertising industry has allowed in sites of all types, and as Randall Rothenberg points out in an article for Business Insider, this could threaten the whole system. The solution, according to Rothenberg, is to have strict guidelines for sites that want to serve ads and preventative measures against fraud. He writes, “We must create an all-inclusive program that identifies qualified participants, and commits them to good actions, guaranteed by continual monitoring and sanctions for non-compliance. We must make it clear that doing business with unqualified companies subjects customers and shareholders to undue risk.” Read on.

Microsoft’s Local Data

Microsoft is putting faith in Foursquare’s data, offering it a $15 million investment. As GigaOM points out, Foursquare has struggled in the past with revenue, but last month the company was able to raise $35 million. Microsoft will be able to use Foursquare to enhance searches through Bing. Read more.

Omniture Founder Funds

Domo, founded by Josh James, just raised $125 million, according to TechCrunch, which puts the company’s value at $825 million. James is no stranger to success; he founded Web analytics SaaS company Omniture, which was sold to Adobe in 2009, and has also survived a near-death experience. Domo is a business intelligence company that allows companies to make decisions in real time. Salesforce.com is one of the investors in Domo, which reportedly has around 500 customers. Read more.

Amazon’s Video Future

Amazon’s video capabilities are growing opening up a new advertising channel, which it plans to capitalize on through FreeWheel. According to Re/code, the video ads may also feature “Shop Now” and “Learn More” features, making them even more lucrative. “What we’re seeing and hearing is that our advertising partners are very, very interested in working with us to make the customer experience that much more relevant with video,” Amazon’s Lisa Utzschneider said. Read the rest.

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