IAB Data Sees $8.4 Billion In Q1 Ads; Aol Fighting For Ad-Supported Content

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

Digital Billions

The IAB and the number crunchers at PriceWaterhouse Coopers revealed yesterday that overall digital ad revenue in Q1 hit a new all-time record at $8.4 billion. The release continues, “It is the highest first-quarter revenue ever measured by the IAB and PwC and a $1.1 billion–or 15 percent increase–over the $7.3 billion figure reported in the first quarter 2011.” The ‘hockey stick’ continues.

The Battle For Ads, Content

The Wall Street Journal depicts the fight between Aol and a “dissident” shareholder, Starboard Value LP, as a litmus test for digital ads. The WSJ’s Keach Hagey writes, “The debate highlights a fundamental issue in media nowadays: whether online content supported solely by advertising is a viable business model.” Read all about it (subscription).

Saving The Mobile Ad Nework

Mojiva’s Mocean Mobile division has launched an update for its mobile ad serving platform. MediaPost’s Mark Walsh quotes Mojiva CEO Dave Gwozdz about the problem his company is trying to solve with the new rev: “Over the last year-and-a-half, we’ve been approached by an increasing number of online ad networks saying, ‘Hey, I’m getting so many pings from mobile users onto the content I represent. I have no way to monetize this stuff that’s becoming a significant part of my impression count. And I’m losing money.” Read about it.

Be Young, Not Old

In a think piece on Digiday, Charlie Thomas, svp at Centro, sees the necessity for everyone in the ad ecosystem to become kids again in order to succeed. Trouble is.. not everyone is into it. He writes, “Our industry is experiencing the young and old stages at the same time, which explains the feelings of turbulence and uncertainty. In its youthful state, digital media is creating an evolving, chaotic environment with a wealth of unpredictable possibilities and new ideas. (…) The challenge is that we are also an aging industry, particularly when it comes to ideas and systems around paid media. These mainly center on efficiency, which forces creativity to naturally take a back seat.” Read more.

Rich RTB

Is rich media better in a real-time bidding environment than poor/lo-cal media? Point Roll says “rich” is the way to go as it digs up some data for a post on its company blog: “We’ve found that interactive expandable ad units drive better performance for branding and direct response campaigns in RTB. For instance, in a 2011 study, PointRoll rich media campaigns that ran across Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) drove a 75% increase in click-through rates versus standard biddable ads.” Read more.