• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, June 9, 2009

Coremetrics AdTarget launched Tuesday, giving advertisers a way to reach consumers with specific ads. The San Mateo, Calif. company partnered with AudienceScience, ChoiceStream, Dotomi, OpenX, and [X+1], which have become Coremetrics Connect certified partners.

The application is geared toward advertisers that see the value of predictive advertising, but struggle to get the most from display advertisements. AdTarget lets customers link into one or many ad networks and use behavioral data to better target ads, similar to the way they might increase email targeting with other Coremetrics apps.

The benefits range from reducing implementation of putting tags on the site, finding the correct network that works, and exploiting the large amount of inventory that sits in the display ad network, according to John Squire, chief strategy officer at Coremetrics. Macy's, for example, might want to use ads geared toward summer clothing to men who browsed the men's area of the site, put shirts and flip-flops in the shopping cart and then left. "This would be a great customer for Macy's to go out and find again," Squire says. "One way to do it would be to spend more on keywords, such as 'flip-flops,' on Google, Yahoo and MSN. Or they could target a display ad through one of the networks using the behavioral data off the site."

Squire says there is research that suggests relevant ads can drive at least a 20% lift in click-through rates. People interested in a specific product typically have a more positive attitude toward the brand when seeing a related ad.

Coremetrics will charge advertisers like Petco, Lamps Plus, IBM and Staples a monthly service fee for the application. Ad networks are charged a monthly connection fee, which includes using the BT tag and adhering to specific privacy policies.

Coremetrics works with about 1,900 brands globally to optimize marketing. Clients run about $150 million worth of media through Coremetrics' applications. Email is also among the applications that rely on behavioral data.