E-tail Versus Retail; Whither The First-Party Data

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E-tail vs. Retail

Mobile ad-tech firm Media Armor released its Q2 2013 report examining the differences between retail and e-tail shoppers. Ironically, one of the findings is that retail shoppers own more devices than e-tail shoppers — and are also more likely to engage with a brand on a smartphone first. E-tail shoppers, however, are more likely to use all of their devices to make purchases. Read more.

Whither The First-Party Data

Pulling from a recent research effort by data-management platform and data exchange BlueKai, eMarketer makes some pretty graphics and pulls out a few observations along the way. An eMarketer blogger notes, “Fully 87% of marketers said they relied on first-party data (…) in making marketing decisions. The most frequently used type of first-party data was website data (83%), followed by customer relationship management (CRM)/registration data (79%), email data (72%), digital campaign data (67%), search data (45%) and mobile site or app data (28%).” See it now.

VCs Just Don’t Understand

Getting funding is crucial for a lot of ad-tech startups, but according to Digiday, there is a gap between what VCs want to invest in, and what is actually possible. For instance, a lot of VCs don’t understand the need for a service layer, which is still crucial in the dynamic advertising world. “They don’t get why the model can’t be an enterprise technology one with completely self-service tools,” said Fahad Khan, CEO of social tech firm One Public. “The reality is we’re dealing with 24-year-old media buyers and we still have to do some of the lifting. That’s what VCs don’t want.” Read more.

New CFO

Yesterday, the former online ad business of Rapleaf continued to transform through its progeny, LiveRamp. The company announced that it has hired a new chief financial officer, Bryan Morris, who comes from video ad firm Ooyala, where he was VP of finance. According to their boilerplate, LiveRamp helps companies onboard their CRM data online for addressable display advertising purposes. Read more. Also of note… an ad-tech trend: hiring a CFO. The reasons could be several: prepare for an IPO; prepare for an acquirer; C-level oversight on finances looks good for the brand; or something else?

Driver Data

Dash Labs hopes to take geotargeting on the road by tracking users while they are driving and tying that data into mobile offers, billboards and more. The technology would be similar to what Progressive uses for its Snapshot feature, tracking driving habits and giving users a discount for being a good driver. Dash aims to make the product more than just an advertising opportunity by indicating to users when they brake too hard or providing more information when the “check engine” light comes on. Read more.

Define “Premium”

On iMedia Connection, Netseer CEO John Mracek takes a crack at defining “premium.” He concludes, “The rules of premium no longer apply as, more and more, the ad world adopts programmatic media buying. I’d say it’s time for some new math, where premium, exchange-based inventory equals relevance plus the assurance of brand safety.” Read more.

NYC (Ad) Tech Boom

The candidates in the NYC mayoral race should pay close attention to the technology industry, according to PandoDaily. Between these tech companies thousands of jobs are being created, and the industry is booming. Companies like Google, AppNexus and Facebook were called out for adding the most jobs, among many others. “The consumer tech startups get all the glory, but in New York, the ad-tech startups are getting all the talent.” Read more.

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