Mobile Native; Wal-Mart Stops Sharing Data With Google

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

Two Buzzwords In One

Rubicon Project and InMobi have teamed up on a native ad server for mobile. Publishers can direct sell mobile, native campaigns using the technology, and also backfill with programmatic demand. The announcement comes in the wake of new specs for OpenRTB 2.3, which includes a protocol for native ads. Read the release. In related news, InMobi launched something on Wednesday it’s calling “Appographic Targeting,” a tool which allows advertisers to segment users based on individual app interests rather than categories or broad demographics. “The lifetime value is much higher when you’re able to target users with the apps they really use,” Atul Satija, InMobi’s VP of revenue and ops, told AdExchanger at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday. VentureBeat has more.

No Soup For You

Wal-Mart has pulled the plug on a data-sharing arrangement with Google that exposed local product availability to shoppers, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the story, “The retailer pulled out over concerns about sharing store inventory and pricing data with Google, according to two people familiar with the situation.” Wal-Mart was sharing the sensitive data to inform Google’s Local Inventory Ads. Macy’s and Office Depot are reportedly among those still supplying their store inventory data. Read more.

The Digital Sales Unicorn

Ad sales ain’t what it used to be. Ad Age writes about the challenges faced by publishers as programmatic spending increases. Many are laying off people who don’t have technical chops, and hiring those that do. BuzzFeed, for example, hired its president, Greg Coleman, from Criteo, and Condé Nast hired away BuzzFeed data scientist Ky Harlin. Bloomberg requires its salespeople to pass IAB training and sell across radio, digital, TV and print. Read on.

Pair with this AdExchanger column on programmatic sales models of the future.

TV Acceleration

In a piece for Adweek, The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green poses a question: “Is programmatic advertising in TV going to be adopted slowly, like color, or quickly, like nearly all other major changes over the past two decades of TV?” He comes down on the side of speed over deliberation, citing consumers’ rapid adoption of on-demand addressable entertainment options. Future, commence! Read the column.

Digitally Savvy CIOs

CIOs used to be confined to the inner workings of the enterprise, but according to Forrester analyst Nigel Fenwick, they’re playing a bigger role in the digital transformation of their organizations. A growing number of savvy CIOs – think Starbucks’ former CIO, Stephen Gillett – are being brought in now on business strategy discussions. “CIOs with experience in marketing and/or business-unit leadership – especially eBusiness – are well-equipped to lead the digital transformation journey in many companies,” Fenwick wrote. Forrester blog post.

But Wait! There’s More!