• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 22, 2010

The advertising display industry continues to go through massive change in terms of targeting and how ads are bought and sold. Susan Wojcicki, vice president of product management at Google, pointed to changes in business models and technology during the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting 2010 in Carlsbad, Calif.

Google launched the next generation of ad-serving technology Monday in an effort to continually improve ad-serving. DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) will come in two versions: a pay version for larger publishers that require more options, and a free version for smaller publishers with simple needs that replaces Google Ad Manager.

Written on Google technology, the upgraded version of DFP offers publishers a new way to serve ads. The completely redesigned interface aims to save time and reduce errors. Detailed reporting and forecasting data give publishers tools to help them understand where revenue originates and what ads are most valuable with more than 4,000 data points in reports. And sophisticated algorithms should improve ad performance and delivery.

The platform also provides an open public API that enables publishers to build and integrate their own apps with DFP or integrate those created for DFP by third-party developers. Applications under development include sales, order management and workflow tools.

It should become easier to buy and sell inventory, and checks and balances should become automated, Wojcicki says. "I'm committed to building a much better platform, so advertisers can buy inventory for less administrative costs," she says. "About 28% of the online costs go toward administrative costs, compared with 2% for TV."

Wojcicki also believes inventory and yield management should work seamlessly together.

The new version of DFP also lets Google work closer with the DoubleClick Ad Exchange that officially launched in 2009. Publishers will gain access to the updates this year as features roll out.

Since acquiring DoubleClick in March 2008, Google's engineering and product teams have been working with online publishers to tackle obstacles that prevent them from getting the most from investments. The Mountain View, Calif. company saw an opportunity to improve DoubleClick's infrastructure by building out its display advertising and ad-serving technology.

Meanwhile, companies such as AdMeld and Rubicon Project, which recently declared the ad server dead, emerged to mediate the relationship between ad networks and Web sites. The Los Angeles Times points to a manifesto from Google rival Rubicon Project, which asserts that publishers need to reaffirm their relevancy to advertisers. "Publishers who effectively sell their audiences -- not just their sites, zones, brand and content -- will be most successful, because if they can be the very best at delivering a particular audience, then they are of the utmost value to advertisers."

Delivering that audience requires technology, similar to platforms Google has spent years attempting to build and simplify.

Google also unveiled changes to the DoubleClick logos -- including typeset changes -- incorporating a new "by Google" theme and retiring the "DART" brand to reinforce a commitment to display advertising.