Agencies

Yesterday, search and display media buying platform company Efficient Frontier acquired Context Optional which the company said “expands Efficient Frontier’s social media offering [and] will combine the company’s advertising campaign management and optimization with Context Optional’s page management platform,” according to the release. Read it. Efficient CEO David Karnstedt discussed the implications of the acquisition. […]

Chris O’Brien, Managing Director and Digital Office Lead, for Mindshare Chicago recently discussed his new role (read the release) and his agency perspective on the digital space. AdExchanger.com: Can you talk a little a bit about your background and new role? CO: I’ve been in marketing for 15 plus years, and 10 of those have […]

AdExchanger.com asked ad industry executives: “What’s your take on Google announcing yesterday that it is now selling guaranteed ‘premium’ inventory from publishers on the Google Display Network?” Cathleen Ryan is Chief Results Officer, MEA | DIGITAL, partner of Arkitektive. Google has been trying to figure out how the get their hands in the brand dollar […]

This past week, IPG Mediabrands agency, Universal McCann (UM), announced it’s data and analytics “Media 3.0” strategy calling it the agency’s “new operating platform [which] bolsters UM’s proposition as a strategy and analytics-led organization, centered on business outcomes,” according to a press release. The new strategy includes integration of data and analytics capabilities from Nielsen. […]

Tuesday night’s keynote address at the Advertising Research Foundation’s Re:think 2011 show featured WPP Group CEO Sir Martin Sorrell, who reviewed his notes on what the future holds for the advertising world. He stressed that ad research will be in the middle of figuring it all out – and so will the importance of data. […]

Often, a question doesn’t have an easy answer in the digital advertising business. This is a column devoted to an answer to a single question – and providing a bit of space for it. Today’s participant is David Skinner, SVP Client Solutions / Account Management at [x+1], an online targeting platform. He recently answered the […]

The panels continue at 4As Transformation 2011 conference. A morning gathering featured agency leaders on the topic of “Communications Planning” where buy-side agents hover above digital and offline communications strategies on behalf of the marketer. Participants included: Scott Hagedorn, CEO, Annalect (He works with Matt Spiegel of Annnalect Marketplaces and Accuen – OMG’s agency trading […]

The Director of the U.S. Census bureau, Robert Groves, took to the stage at the 4As Transformation 2011 conference to discuss results coming from the 2010 census which will guide the understanding of “media connections” according to Groves. With all the talk about digital, big data, real-time bidding, the 4As takes us back to what […]

Rich Astley is Senior Partner, Practice Lead, Data Planning and Optimization at MEC, a WPP Group agency. AdExchanger.com: How prevalent is audience buying today in the media plans that you see? Can you share a use case or two of where you see strength? And maybe where you are still waiting? RA: It’s an increasingly […]

Sean Muzzy is Managing Director, N.A., at Neo@Ogilvy, a full-service digital and direct media company and division of OgilvyOne Worldwide, a WPP Group company. Where are the big opportunities for digitally-minded agencies today in your opinion? Digital is complex and it’s getting even more technical. There also doesn’t appear to be a slow down in […]

Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners of agency holding company MDC Partners announced the launch today of its new investment initiative known as kbs+p ventures which will “seek to invest in early- and mid-stage companies that focus on advertising and mobile technologies and design,” according to The New York Times’ Tanzina Vega. Read more. kbs+p’s chief […]

“Ad Agents” is a column written by the agency-side – and those servicing it – of the digital media community. Aaron Reinitz is Supervisor, Brand Relations, VivaKi Nerve Center – part of Publicis Groupe. In display media, direct response tactics are gaining momentum toward the concept of audience buying. This approach, reliant on cookie-based targeting […]

Matt Spiegel is CEO of Annalect Marketplaces, a unit of Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of Omnicom Group. He discussed the evolution of Omnicom Media Group’s trading desk strategy with AdExchanger.com. AdExchanger.com:  What are Accuen and Annalect? MS: Accuen is the name for our trading desk. As the industry knows, we operated as […]

Publicis’ Performics announced that Daina Middleton, CEO of Performics is the performance marketing agency’s U.S. CEO and discussed the agency’s strategy as well as expansion of its company’s products and services into 72 countries. Read the release. AdExchanger.com: What are your thoughts about using search retargeting with display? And, given growing momentum for integrated search […]

On January 4, Centro announced that it had raised $22.5 million from FTV Capital. In a release, the Company said, “This financing will fuel increased investment in Centro’s automated digital media buying software, Transis, as well as accelerate a significant expansion of Centro’s sales force targeting mid-tier advertisers and ad agencies.” Read the release. Shawn […]

Petsky Prunier provided investment banking services in today’s announced acquisition of ClearSaleing by GSI Commerce. Sanjay Chadda, Partner & Managing Director at Petsky Prunier discussed the transaction. AdExchanger.com: How long was the deal in the making? What’s your view on M&A momentum currently? SC: As a high profile company and given its #1 ranking in […]

One last prediction for 2011 from new Geomentum CEO Sean Finnegan who writes: “A serious shift of focus and funds towards the Utility aspect of Advertising as Brand Marketers place real emphasis on Engagement over Exposure. Brands will increasingly adopt accountable, functionality based media vehicles that a customer embraces and use for their personal benefit. […]

Peer39 announced today that it has integrated its semantic targeting technology into Rubicon Project‘s REVV platform. From the release, “This partnership will also allow the more than 600 demand sales channels (ad networks, exchanges, DSPs, etc.) that transact in the Rubicon Project’s REVV Marketplace to optimize their display advertising campaigns based on Peer39 cookie-free semantic […]

“The Debate” is a column focused on the current debate around ad targeting and consumer privacy. Today’s article is written by Russell Glass, CEO, Bizo. This article is about the importance of transparency. In that vein, let me start out by saying that I am the CEO of a company that specializes in business audience […]

VivaKi Nerve Center CEO Curt Hecht discussed his company’s relationship with Google as well as Publicis/VivaKi’s strategy for pursuing this key relationship as it looks to provide audience-driven buying services to VivaKi member media agencies. Hecht also addressed a recent TechCrunch report that intimated rebates may be a part of VivaKi’s deal with Google. AdExchanger.com: […]

Publicis’ VivaKi Nerve Center CEO Curt Hecht recently discussed Vivaki Nerve Center (VNC) momentum and the renewal of VNC’s agreement with Google as reported by The New York Times here last week. AdExchanger.com: What exactly is the agreement VivaKi Nerve Center (VNC) which just renewed with Google? Are there guaranteed minimum spends by VNC, for […]

“Data Driven Thinking” is written by members of the media community and containing fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media. Today’s column is written by Matt Shanahan, SVP of Strategy for Scout Analytics. Engagement is the unit of monetization in the ad world, yet engagement is not what is bought and sold in online […]

Publicis MediaVest svp, director of publisher investment and activation, Robin Steinberg, and Sarah Baehr, svp, director of digital publishing solutions, discussed transformation occurring at their agency which serves the magazine publisher world and how digital is impacting that strategy. Baehr was recently hired by MediaVest after spending six years at digital agency Razorfish as head […]

Dilip DaSilva is CEO of Tribal Fusion, a digital marketing solutions company and division of Exponential. Where do you position and differentiate Tribal Fusion today in the marketplace?  Is it starting to take on agency skill sets? Our key differentiator is seamless integration of inventory, data, and technology to create customized solutions for each industry […]

Martin Lawson of media agency Maxus Global – which is under WPP’s groupm umbrella – was recently appointed Maxus’ Global Data and Insights Director. Previously, he was Head of Insight at digital agency i-level. From the release, much of Lawson’s work for Maxus “will focus on strengthening Maxus’s ‘Relationship Media’ offering, a new media agency […]

Last Thursday Brand.net announced the launch of “MFP On Demand, the demand-side interface to its Media Futures Platform, in partnership with Digitas and one of its largest customers.” Read the release. Brand.net COO Andy Atherton discussed the new platform and its implications for the company as well as the futures and market concepts. How will […]

Aaron Goldman is the founder and principal of Connectual, a digital marketing consulting firm. Goldman has written a new book called, “Everything I Know About Marketing I Learned From Google.” AdExchanger.com: Please share a little background on you and what inspired you to write this book. AG: I’ve been in a digital marketing guy for […]

“Networking” is written by members of the online advertising network community. Today’s column is written by John Garber is VP, Business Intelligence, Lotame Solutions, Inc. Much has been said recently about new and as yet unrealized data opportunities for publishers.  Many companies are knocking on the doors of publishers and peddling our DMPs, SSPs, and […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here. Rothenberg Unloads On “Spy” Story Creators In the USA Today, Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) chief Randall Rothenberg makes it clear that his organization doesn’t support the recent “spy” case introduced by The Wall Street Journal. He writes, “A wild debate is on about websites […]

Vikram Sharma is CEO of ShopLocal, a multi-channel online services company. AdExchanger.com What problem is ShopLocal solving today? VS: ShopLocal solves the problem of achieving in-store traffic toward key promotions and deals in an age where consumers have multiple options to purchase that don’t require them to actually physically visit their local Walgreens or JCPenney. […]