Mobile ad platform Millennial Media is buying up mobile exchange Nexage and the message to agencies seems fairly clear: We want to be your everything. Announced Tuesday, the $107.5 million deal, a mixture of cash and stock, is expected to close in Q4. The tech integration will start in earnest in the new year. With […]
You could be forgiven for not thinking of WPP Group-owned agency POSSIBLE as a media agency. It’s not, of course – certainly not compared to the dedicated media advertising shops beneath WPP’s GroupM umbrella. But POSSIBLE does have an in-house media practice. “We have many clients for which we provide comprehensive media services, but we […]
It’s hard times for late stage advertising technology companies. Many public and private investors are gloomy on ad tech, and older startups needing new funds lately find themselves forced to choose between unattractive options, such as going public or raising money at a lower valuation, a painful event sometimes referred to as a “down round.” […]
When one thinks about media planning, one does not think of Omnicom-owned agency RAPP. This is understandable. RAPP built its reputation as a creative, CRM and digital agency. But the confluence of advertising and marketing means that the media planning and buying disciplines are increasingly areas RAPP hopes to build out. AdExchanger spoke about this, […]
Just a few years ago, brands needed to be educated around the messaging and measurement technologies available in the digital age. That imperative has since shifted as marketing departments try to figure out how they take that technology and maximize results. As a side effect, the line between data and marketing services providers like Experian […]
Agencies and holding companies are pointing to customized algorithms as a way to differentiate from the competition. Tech providers, too, claim that algorithms developed in-house offer better optimization capabilities than those that are more generally available. But as these algorithms become more popular, the parameters of what entails customization are loosening. In most cases, agencies […]
As news of the Publicis-Omnicom mega merger settles, questions remain about what this means for the advertising landscape. AdExchanger reached out to venture capitalists who fuel much of the ad market and asked them this question: “What impact do you expect the merger will have on ad tech and venture capital, if any?” Click or […]
“Data Driven Thinking” is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media. Today’s column is written by Sacha Xavier, partner, media and innovation director for for Neo@Ogilvy, and Paul Chenier, vice president of national sales at AskMen.com. Are you frustrated by the number of emails and calls […]
RBM Co-founder and CEO Elliott Easterling is a believer. For his San Francisco-based performance marketing agency, which has broadened its scope beyond search to display as well as other channels, agile marketing works – and the $6 million in net revenue last year is the proof. Ignited by Silicon Valley startups and its agile product development […]
Creative agencies, media agencies, PR agencies, “general” agencies. All have faced significant technology disruption in the form of shifting consumer behaviors, disintermediation by vendors, and relentless waves of “marketing tech” requiring evaluation and training. To understand the changes afoot in marketing services business models, we asked a number of senior execs who should know to […]
When David Williams bought Merkle in 1988, the first online display banner was still a few years away. But that doesn’t mean marketing tech wasn’t a part of his CRM agency from the get-go as Merkle ‘grew up’ building platforms for direct mail, and then the phone, and then email as the Internet made its […]
Kurt Unkel, President of VivaKi Nerve Center, has been giving Phileas Fogg a run for his money lately as he travels the globe looking to ignite client solutions emanating from his Publicis-owned research and development unit. Last week, he discussed a range of topics with AdExchanger including his group’s agency trading desk solution, Audience on […]
Last week, media communications agency Starcom USA announced that former Hill-Holliday executive Phil Geyskens has been hired as EVP/analytics & development director. He will join Starcom’s Managing Board and report to CEO Lisa Donohue. According to the press release, Geyskens’ new role is “to find and tell data stories, which includes inventing new interfaces, visualizations, […]
Our series continues as AdExchanger reached out to several executives from the agency side of the ecosystem and asked the following question: “Given the increasing complexity of ad technology needed to service clients – particularly in digital media buying -, and ad tech companies need to build a service layer to activate its tech, where […]
Building digital consumer products for clients – in contrast to marketing campaigns – is a growing discipline for agencies, but they have to get the data right. That means embracing analytics and A/B testing from the outset; tapping customer databases; and using targeted ads to spread awareness among both existing customers and prospects. “Clients are […]
Both the following are true: It’s a brave new world for holding companies. New competitors, fee structures, and technology requirements are forcing change to the old service models. The fundamentals of agency groups are as strong as they were before the digital disruption. Tech fragmentation is helping rather than hurting. At the Association of National […]
Last week, JWT announced it would rebrand its Minneapolis office to become part of Digitaria’s growing network. The Minneapolis outpost is a dedicated digital operation with clients including UnitedHealth Group. San Diego-based Digitaria was founded as a digital design firm in 1997 but has extended to website development, search, analytics, and even digital product invention […]
As part of the breakout sessions on the first day of sessions at the 4A‘s “Transformation LA” conference, agency trading desks and their competitors gathered on stage for a frank discussion on the use of trading desks and demand-side platforms (DSPs) at the agency. Joe Apprendi, CEO, Collective JT Batson, President, Mediaocean Quentin George, Chief […]
The use of data has created a bunch of scammers. The auction is killing us. And then – the Internet has destroyed more value than it has created. These were the suppositions from Microsoft Research’s Jaron Lanier that challenged advertising agency executives attending the opening panel of the 4A‘s annual conference titled “Transformation LA.” The […]
“Ad Agents” is a column written by the agency-side of the digital media community. Peter Randazzo is Chief Technology Officer of iCrossing, a global, digital marketing agency. Perhaps no single technology has as much potential to disrupt the advertising ecosystem of online publishing as Real Time Bidding (RTB). For an imperfect but simple 30 second […]
Peter Massey, the former CFO of WPP’s JWT and Ogilvy & Mather agencies, as well as CFO/General Manager of early-days digital agency Modem Media, has been named President and COO of online ad tech firm, X+1. According to a release, he will be “responsible for management of the day-to-day operations of the company and report […]
Curt Hecht is CEO of VivaKi Nerve Center, part of agency holding company Publicis. As part of its “State of…” series of articles with industry executives, AdExchanger.com sat down with Hecht to discuss the Nerve Center, his views on the space, and the state of VivaKi Nerve Center today. Click below or scroll down for […]
Brian Lesser is CEO of Xaxis, a digital partner of GroupM agencies, and WPP Group company. To learn more, visit the new company website here. Lesser, previously GM of WPP’s Media Innovation Group, discussed Xaxis and its implications. AdExchanger.com: What is Xaxis? And how will it differentiate itself within the marketplace? BL: Xaxis is a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Brian Lesser is SVP and General Manager at the Media Innovation Group, WPP’s proprietary ad technology firm. What is the Media Innovation Group (MIG)‘s role within WPP? MIG is WPP’s technology-driven digital marketing company designed to help marketers navigate the increasingly complex digital landscape. At MIG, our goal is to build technology and leverage data […]
Art Muldoon and Matt Greitzer are Co-Founders of Accordant Media, a media buying and optimization company for agencies and in-house marketers. AdExchanger.com: Please share a bit of background. Where did you come up with the idea for Accordant Media? Matt: The idea behind Accordant is that we integrate strategy, technology and execution to provide a […]
Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here. Impression-Level CEO Havas Digital Co-CEO Anthony Rhind talks with CMO.com about a range of digital issues for the agency and explains his agency’s views on media. Rhind says, “In terms of trading media in real time, we have been focused on how the evolving […]
