• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 18, 2013

Toronto-based media marketplace technology developer Casale Media has quietly introduced a real-time index of programmatic advertising activity, including the overall marketplace, as well as for vertical advertising categories. Dubbed the Index Exchange, the new platform features live streamed data, including actual “winning bids” by advertisers in various categories and in specific geographic regions.

The centerpiece of the index is a live “Bid Pulse Map,” which functions like a real-time heat map of biddable media trades across two nations: the U.S. and Canada.

The overall index tracks more than 40,000 brands and/or advertisers that actively participate daily in the global RTB marketplace.

“Before diving into programmatic advertising – as with any new digital advertising initiative – it is crucial that brand marketers and publishers are fully informed about the dynamics of the RTB market,” states Andrew Casale, vice president of strategy at Casale, adding: “I think visitors will be surprised about how much information we have made available, including everything from pricing information to bid activity.”

Vertical industries featured in discrete versions of the index include:  automotive, retail, telecommunications, financial services, food, careers, business, government, health, dating, media, non-profit, real estate, tobacco and travel.