• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 13, 2011

Competition is leading ad firms to find new and more creative ways to connect digital ad dollars with premium online inventory. Take WPP’s 24/7 Real Media, which on Thursday is expected to debut an expansion to its proprietary technology platform, Open AdStream.

On the sell-side, 24/7 Connect has been designed to help publishers gain a single point solution for campaign and deal management with easier integration.

On the buy-side, the extension purports to help agencies and advertisers gain full-service access to premium publisher inventory and audiences.

As a WPP company, 24/7 Real Media is well positioned to bring this automated technology offering to market, and service clients that navigate both sides of a fragmented buying equation. 

“We saw the market need to create a direct connection between advertisers and agencies,” said Nicolle Pangis, executive vice president, product management, global media and technology at 24/7 Real Media. “We are bringing together both buyer and seller in a way that benefits both parties.”

Open AdStream publishers are expected to make their inventory available through 24/7 Connect so they can leverage the firm’s relationships. Advertisers and agencies can select the specific premium inventory appropriate for their campaign objectives. 

Since acquiring 24/7 Real Media in 2007, WPP has been gunning for DoubleClick, which was swallowed up Google that same year.

24/7 now points to Open AdStream's integration with Omniture as its greatest market differentiator, along with its ability to support ad targeting on multiple platforms, such as mobile, video, online display and TV advertising.

Rather than focusing only on automating processes to buy a publisher's inventory at the least expensive cost, 24/7 concentrates on building an "ecosystem," which can generate revenue for publishers.