AdSense Alternatives; MasterCard Mixes Transaction Data, Ad Targeting

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

AdSense Alternatives

Google has long banked on small- to medium-sized businesses to boost revenues through AdWords and AdSense offerings. But the search giant can no longer take those dollars for granted, as the NYT’s Darren Dahl reports that small businesses are looking for alternatives. “Most of our paid efforts shifted to platforms like LinkedIn, where we could target for the right kinds of job titles in line with our target customer profiles,” said Dan Slagen, who is in charge of advertising at HubSpot, which helps set up blog programs for small companies. Read more.

Power to the Data Brokers

In an AdAge piece on the impact of Do-Not-Track, Evidon CEO Scott Evidon says if privacy advocates and Microsoft get their way, “Those transacting data online will continue to do so, and perhaps will get richer. This could go down as the mother of all unintended consequences.” Read it.

EMEA Powers Up

First-half 2012 saw digital ads explode in the Middle East & Africa (+30.3% spending growth) and Europe wasn’t too shabby either, according to Nielsen’s global AdView Pulse report. “Interestingly, despite being down in overall ad spend, Europe saw the third highest increase in Internet ad spend of any region (+11.2%).” Read more.

Greene ‘Likes’ Vendor

Data-driven, digital ad research guru, Michael Greene, has left Forrester Research and joined AudienceScience as its Director of Research. From the release, “He will be working with sales and strategic accounts to provide world-class thought leadership, training and support to enterprise clients. This includes research, reporting, and training programs.” Goals for the AudienceScience sales team just increased. Read more. Greene reports into former Forrester Research-er Emily Riley who is AudienceScience’s VP Marketing and Sales Strategy.

Creative Ad Tech

In a ClickZ piece on display advertising’s so-called “awkward stage,” Aubrey Beck of agency SteelHouse writes, “We spend so much time and money coordinating, planning, and executing thoughtful and engaging creative collateral across all other marketing channels – eye-catching print campaigns, hypnotizing television spots, interactive live social events – but now it’s time for online ads to perform along with their fellow comrades in the well-oiled interconnected brand marketing landscape.” Read more.

HTML5 And Apple

Specific Media’s Myspace investor partner, Justin Timberlake, has scored venture capital gold. CNET reports that an HTML5 and web app creative agency – “Particle” – in which Timberlake was invested has been acquired by Apple. Read more. CNET writes, “Several of Particle’s employees previously worked with Yahoo as part of its user experience design group. Founder and Chief Technology Officer Aubrey Anderson also consulted for Apple between 2006 and 2008, according to his LinkedIn profile.”

Charge It!

After a false start last year, MasterCard has started to analyze transaction data and is selling it to marketers looking to support direct targeted ads, the FT’s Emily Steel reports. Read it (subscription). The credit card company is launching a program designed to help generate revenue from its copious database of consumer purchases. The foundation of all of our solutions is transaction data,” Susan Grossman, MasterCard’s senior vice-president of media solutions, said during the pitch that has been viewed by the FT.

Programming The Partner

Tag manager TagMan has started a partner program called “Stream” to help grow its business and that of its partners. The press release explains, “Once partners are certified on STREAM they gain instant access to TagMan’s newly launched ’Drag-&-Tag’ library…” Read more. Turn, MediaMath, AppNexus, x+1 and others have previously started various flavors of partner programs to make their solutions sticky in the ad tech ecosystem.

But Wait. There’s More!