The native ad company Sharethrough expanded its services nearly three years ago from a purely video ad platform to multiple types of branded content. The move to include additional branded content has paid off. The company raised $17 million in a third round of funding in January. It also released a new SDK in early April […]
The rules of marketing have changed drastically for organizations that traditionally relied heavily on the big broadcast buy. Consider political campaigns, which are placing a growing premium on targeted messaging across multiple channels. The tech-savvy campaign that President Barack Obama’s aides unleashed six years ago was only the beginning – employing digital strategies is quickly becoming […]
Despite the growth of mobile real-time bidding (RTB) platforms, some publishers remain skeptical about the benefits of this technology, as they are fearful of cannibalizing inventory and driving down auction rates. The mobile ad platform TapSense, which offers a private mobile RTB marketplace, is tackling this challenge by making a deal with publishers. “We want […]
Facebook is increasingly focused on connecting audiences across screens and channels, and helping clients measure those results. Graham Mudd, the company’s director of advertising measurement for North America, described aspects of the company’s approach to AdExchanger at the IAB’s Mobile Marketplace conference. “We believe the future of marketing is being able to find specific consumers […]
Like their US counterparts, mobile startups in China and India are urging app developers to embrace mobile real-time bidding (RTB). Two such companies, AppFlood and Vserv.mobi, both launched RTB platforms on Tuesday. China-based mobile ad network AppFlood launched a mobile RTB ad exchange and demand-side platform (DSP) designed to serve publishers and advertisers across the […]
Mobile ad platform 4INFO ties mobile ad campaigns to offline conversion rates by matching offline consumer data with mobile devices on a household level. Founded in 2004, the company started out as a SMS publishing company but pivoted to mobile advertising in 2010. Its client roster includes Macy’s, Target, Kraft, Campbell’s, Walmart and Southwest Airlines. […]
Location data is a key component of many mobile ad strategies, but more is needed to make the ads relevant. Sportswear company Columbia wanted to reach people who were likely to be interested in its Omni-Heat jackets, but it knew that serving ads in cold climates wasn’t enough. Through the ad agency BSSP, Columbia tapped […]
Mobile ad startups take note: Opera Mediaworks is revving up its acquisition engine. Spun out from the Norwegian browser company Opera Software last year, Opera Mediaworks is made up of companies such as AdMarvel, Mobile Theory, 4th Screen Advertising and Handster. After integrating its various services into one suite, the company’s next goal is to […]
Mobile app retargeting firm ActionX is the latest company with a solution to help retailers target consumers across screens. ActionX’s Crossfire technology uses a set of pixels on a retailer’s app or website to track customers logged in to the site across a mobile device and desktop PC. “[Customers] roll up their cross-screen data and […]
Facebook and Google have emerged as the front-runners in the race to capture mobile ad dollars, with Google leading the charge. Facebook’s efforts to extend its mobile reach and rapid growth has made it a strong contender for first place, but can the behemoth social network overtake Google’s hold on mobile advertising? It is difficult […]
Media agency MediaCom launched a partnership with mobile ad creation and analytics platform Celtra on Wednesday, a year after the two began working together. The two companies hope to develop solutions that simplify the management, observation and delivery of mobile advertising. Traditionally, these steps required clients to work with individual publishers and multiple tools. In […]
Kargo, a mobile ad platform, has undergone several transformations and is about to make another one. Following the 2001 dot-com crash, Kargo pivoted from providing wireless operators with software and services to helping media brands launch mobile ad campaigns. The New York City company now has a client roster that includes CBS, Univision, Meredith and […]
Pegasystems, a company that offers customer relationship management and business process management solutions for B2B customers, is moving deeper into the marketing world. The Cambridge, Mass., company last week added location-based mobile targeting capabilities to its marketing solution and appointed Robert Tas, JPMorgan Chase’s former head of digital marketing, as its new CMO and SVP […]
Enterprise software provider Oracle moved further into targeted advertising by acquiring BlueKai, a third-party data provider and data management platform (DMP). Analysts and vendors differ however, on the mobile advertising implications behind the acquisition. Bluekai’s technology will be combined with Oracle’s Responsys application, which is geared toward B2C marketing campaigns, as well as Eloqua, which […]
Millennial Media is at a crossroads. With a new CEO and recent acquisition, the Baltimore company has made several moves to strengthen its position in the mobile advertising space and speculation over its next move is growing among industry insiders. Last month, Millennial tapped ad tech veteran Michael Barrett to replace founding CEO Paul Palmieri, […]
Tremor Video’s fourth-quarter financials, reported Thursday, included a continuous rise in mobile ad revenue and a reduction of its demo pricing-related losses. The company’s total revenue for 2013 rose 25.3% to $131.8 million year-over-year. Its in-stream revenue was $128.3 million, a 28.7% increase from the same period in 2012. It reported a net loss of […]
Many app developers and ad tech vendors received a jolt recently when Apple began rejecting some apps that retrieve a user’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) without serving an ad. Apple’s decision was especially surprising, since the device manufacturer had allowed that activity for nearly two years. Regardless of Apple’s motivations for this change (the company did […]
The advertising industry has been wrestling with what exactly constitutes ad viewability. Trade organizations like the the Media Rating Council (MRC), among others, are working to develop and refine guidelines on this issue. The MRC in particular has approved several viewability measurement solutions. Only a handful of vendors have been approved so far, such as […]
Yahoo and mobile ad-serving platform Mocean Mobile jointly announced Tuesday the launch of the Mocean Mobile Marketplace. Mocean Mobile brings mobile inventory from publishers such as Nokia and Univision to Yahoo’s Ad Exchange. Publishers in return can access Yahoo’s ad-targeting capabilities and other services. The Mocean-Yahoo partnership comes one week after Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer […]
Mobile app developers rarely use traditional paid media to advertise their products. That might change, according to the mobile advertising firm Motility Ads, which is helping app publishers like King.com, Wooga and SGN create TV commercials to promote their games and drive downloads. AdExchanger spoke with VP of business development Josh Rinsky about the company’s […]
Although Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer emphasized the importance of mobile advertising to the company’s growth during Tuesday’s earnings call, she acknowledged that Yahoo’s mobile ad revenue has yet to become a significant portion of the company’s total revenue, which could greatly hamper the company’s future profits. The company’s mobile revenue “is still not material,” Mayer […]
Entrepreneur and paid-search pioneer Bill Gross, who in 2003 sold search company Overture Services to Yahoo for $1.6 billion, has set his sights on a new venture: mobile advertising. Gross’ mobile ad firm, UberMedia, started as a developer of free utility apps in 2010 before transitioning into mobile advertising last year because it needed a […]
Last summer, the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) unveiled its guidelines for behaviorally targeted mobile advertising, which included a consumer opt-out tool, similar to the organization’s blue Ad Choices icon. AdExchanger spoke with DAA managing director Lou Mastria about what advertisers can expect as the DAA prepares to implement its guidelines and mobile AdChoices tool. AdExchanger: […]
The race to reach consumers on mobile devices has advertisers juggling a mountain of data as they try to deliver relevant ads. Mobile ad network AdTheorent, whose clients include Samsung, Pepsi and IBM, argues that weather conditions, along with other data points, should be included in ad-serving decisions. AdExchanger spoke with CEO Anthony Iacovone about […]
Online business directory company YP announced Monday its acquisition of mobile ad firm Sense Networks for an undisclosed sum. Sense Networks offers location and behavioral-based ad targeting capabilities. Sense Networks analyzes data sets such as the latitudinal and longitudinal information in ad requests from mobile apps to help advertisers target mobile users. Its offerings include […]
Driving continued mobile app engagement is a continuing challenge for businesses — and the stakes continue to rise. Mobile app downloads will reach 102 billion in 2013, up from 64 billion in 2012, according to a September report from Gartner. The research firm also said that in-app purchases will account for 48% of app store […]
Pushing hyperlocal mobile advertisements is becoming increasingly viable for businesses as tech giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter, as well as startups, enter the space. One such hyperlocal ad startup is Thinknear, which was acquired by GPS solutions provider Telenav for $22.5 million last year. AdExchanger spoke with Thinknear CEO Eli Portnoy about the evolution […]
Mobile rewards and advertising platform Kiip is hoping to put a spin on online offers with its new self-serve platform. Tuesday’s launch of the Kiip Self-Serve platform, following a five-month beta period, is intended to enable marketers to serve targeted offers to consumers who complete an activity or other action on a mobile app. The […]
This year’s third quarter was marked by a lot of activity in the mobile ad space — several startups specializing in ad targeting, optimization, distribution and other services were snapped up, such as MoPub, JumpTap, Ad-X and EveryScreen Media. Marketers also continued to explore programmatic buying in mobile and saw Apple’s new iOS 7 drive […]
Krishna Subramanian, the chief marketing officer of the mobile marketing agency Velti and co-founder of ad exchange Mobclix, which Velti acquired, has resigned from the troubled agency. In an email, Subramanian writes, “As many of you already know I have moved on from Velti. I am grateful to have co-founded Mobclix and humbled by the part […]
