Amazon Offers Self-Serve; AudienceScience Releases Supply-Side API

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Amazon Automates

Amazon debuted a self-serve ad-buying tool on Wednesday, and VivaKi is the first in training to trial the offering (although the Publicis-owned agency has yet to run a campaign). Amazon plans to extend the tool to “select” agencies, but for the time being it only has eyes for VivaKi. Amazon exec Seth Dallaire tells Ad Age, “We chose them as the launch partner for this exercise because we recognize they have a lot of experience in the programmatic media space.” Both Amazon and VivaKi declined to comment on a definitive timeline for extending the offering or launching the first campaign. Read more.

P&G Supply Hooks

AudienceScience has released a supply-side API to give its advertisers direct access to a wider set of digital inventory. Initial partners include LiveRail, AOL’s Marketplace SSP, and sovrn (née Federated Media). There’s no mention of P&G in the press release, but the subtext here could be the world’s largest advertiser – widely known as a big client for AudienceScience – is casting a wider net in programmatic media. That would jibe with reports that P&G plans to automate up to 75% of display ad spend by the end of this year.

Programmatic Consolidation

Media business management software company WideOrbit acquired Admeta on Wednesday, the third company WideOrbit has bought in the last three months. Headquartered in Sweden, Admeta offers a programmatic sell-side platform and works with clients such as Alma Media, Prisa Digital, Grupa Onet, Agora and MKT Media. Read the release.

Partnering For Coupons

RichRelevance and Tapad forged a partnership on Wednesday geared towards deepening retail advertising engagement. Founded by a former Amazon exec, Dave Selinger, RichRelevance’s Shopping Media tool helps customers find promotions, offers and discounts in real time. Through the partnership, Tapad will help Shopping Media brands connect to consumers across devices. Unification is the name of the game! Read the release.

Opposing Forces

For the first time in four years of analyzing mobile app marketing competition and costs,Fiksu reported that its cost-per-loyal-user index surpassed $2 in June, coming in at $2.23, a 25% increase from May and a 49% increase YoY. While Cost Per Loyal User rose, June’s cost per install decreased by 23% from May, hitting $0.98 on iOS. Frequently, these two metrics move in the same direction, but because of summer consumer behavior of opting for activities beyond smart phones, accentuated by the World Cup, they moved in opposite directions – says Fiksu.

Email Marketing Resurrection

A new report by Forrester Research evaluates nine enterprise-class email vendors, signaling a new wave of email marketing innovation. Markedly, the report details that standalone email specialists outperformed cloud marketing platforms. Forrester’s 34-criteria evaluation surveyed email marketing providers including Acxiom, Epsilon, Experian Marketing Services, Oracle, StrongView and Salesforce, with three key considerations in mind: current offerings, strategy and market presence. StrongView, which is featured in the report, is giving away a copy here.

Yahoo’s Flurry

Gartner analyst Mike McGuire chimes in on Yahoo’s acquisition of Flurry via his company’s blog. Though he sees opportunity for marketers created by the purchase, he warns, “If you’re a mobile marketing exec who has made an investment in Flurry, keep the clear lenses in your glasses, because a lot of folks will be offering you rose-colored ones. Yahoo’s global scale is undeniable, and that bodes well for Flurry. But Yahoo’s uneven history with acquisitions is just as undeniable.” Read it.

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