Mobile Ad Server Heat; Brien Out At McCann

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

Mobile Ad Server Heat

Ad servers have been in limbo for the last few years, which has come as a surprise to some. To quote a recent AdWeek comment by Ari Paparo, alum of DoubleClick & AppNexus, “No one thought that all the ad server M&A would be largely wasted and that most efforts from these companies would be mothballed.” Mobile is another story, at least for now, as Medialets yesterday announced an eight figure deal to be the mobile ad server of record for Publicis’s Vivaki unit. “For Vivaki, the advantage of having a preferred ad server is being able to provide insight into the server’s technological development and, in turn, use a product catered to its clients’ needs.” Read more.

Data Coup Fails

Among the lessons to be drawn from today’s ouster of McCann Worldgroup CEO Nick Brien (AdAge story) is just how different are the languages spoken by media and creative. Brien came to McCann in 2010 with a strong data and media sensibility, having previously run IPG Mediabrands and before that Momentum. But the gamble didn’t pay off, as the agency’s creative product languished and it lost some big accounts. McCann’s choice to replace Brien is Harris Diamond, known as a solid agency business guy. One spin on the shakeout is that it was a failed coup d’etat for data. Maybe it takes more than performance-driven thinking to run a global “ideas” shop.

Gen-C Is Gen-Mobile

Most of us haven’t heard of Gen-C — Nielsen identified them two years ago as the “connected, collective consumer” (hoo boy) — but social media marketing provider RadiumOne has been taking the pulse of this 18- to 34-year-old cohort and it has some information on their mobile purchasing habits. “A huge percentage of people are making brand choices based on recommendations and that is really important for marketers,” Kamal Kaur, RadiumOne’s VP of mobile and display, told Clickz’s Lisa Lacy last week. Read it. Kaur added, “They have to be able to strategize their mobile presence and not treat mobile as an adjunct [phenomenon]… If they leave mobile out, it’s not going to serve them well this upcoming holiday season.” Read the release.

Tapjoy Redux

Wired’s Ryan Tate picks up where Michael Arrington left off in his Sunday smackdown of mobile app incentivizer TapJoy. Tate notes Apple may struggle to police mobile installs as stakes rise in the app space and the paid install market goes underground. “Apple’s guidelines are all well and good, but $60 million tends to be far more interesting to your average entrepreneur. To win this fight, Apple’s app store enforcers are going to need a lot more muscle.” Read more.

Tumblr Meets Mad Men

Now that we’re all satisfied with Facebook’s and Twitter’s evolving advertising programs, we can turn our attention to the other micro-blog service without a clear revenue model: Tumblr. The company has assembled a dozen ad agency and tech providers in its “A-List Partnership Program.” Adweek’s Chris Heine likens it to Facebook’s Preferred Developer Program. Read it. Rick Webb, marketing and revenue lead at New York-based Tumblr, said in a statement: “We couldn’t be happier with the early success brands have had using Tumblr to tell their stories, and we’ve been honored to work with some of the most creative and talented agencies around the world.”

Funding Frenzy

Former Tremor CEO Jason Glickman has raised $4.3 million to fund his new project Connected Sports Ventures. Glickman’s company wants you to play games along with the games – or sports – you watch on TV. Read more on TechCrunch. How will they make money? The second screen has “ways.” See the company’s site.

You’re Hired!