• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, May 23, 2014

IDG Enterprise, a media company comprised of several tech-focused Web publishers, recently announced its intention to enter the “programmatic direct” space.

Marketers looking to use "programmatic direct" to buy IDG Enterprise inventory will be able to make use of IDG Enterprise's first-party data, per a release. The marketers will also be able to use any third-party data stored on IDG’s data management platform (DMP).

“Previously, we only offered retargeting,” a company representative said. The company recently launched a private exchange to support retargeting. “Now we offer programmatic direct, which is not retargeting. We allow data use against our inventory.”

The rep said IDG will work with marketers to build the audience segments they want to reach before using programmatic tech to deliver the ads.

In response to data’s increasingly important role in advertising, the company has also announced the promotion of Farrah Forbes to the position of data strategy lead. She has held sales and leadership roles at InfoWorld, ITworld, Computerworld -- all of which are owned by IDG Enterprise. She has also worked at ZiffDavis.

“Data will continue to play a vital role in media and technology marketers’ digital strategy,” stated Matthew Yorke, CEO of IDG Enterprise.