• Native RTB: A Long Way To Go
    Everyone's getting excited about the possibilities of sponsored content. It's no surprise, then, that companies Federated Media, OneSpot, and PulsePoint are gunning for a future where sponsored content is bought and sold at scale through the automated mechanisms and laser-focused targeting of programmatic RTB exchanges. Advertising that works at scale! It sounds great, but it's an extremely tricky endeavor. Currently, these ads are handcrafted units, the result of careful collaboration between publisher and advertiser, and thus completely antithetical to advertising at scale. So, how, exactly, do you automate sponsored content? In short, by changing it pretty drastically.
  • More Than A Trading Desk: Xaxis Takes On Traditional Media By Working Holistically
    The mission of Xaxis, GroupM's audience buying company, is to use data and technology to help advertisers reach and engage audiences at scale. GroupM is the largest buyer of media in the world; Xaxis is the largest audience buying company.
  • Managing The Profit Margin In Display Advertising
    What can retailers do to test and ensure their display campaigns are working? First is working with partners you trust. Without a basic level of trust in both parties to deliver on what they promise and offer, nothing will work. Second, and more pragmatically, a basic A/B test with exposed and control groups, using roughly 10% of the impressions towards the control provides enough data and insight to determine if a campaign is working profitably.
  • On The Rise: Undertone's Eric Franchi On IAB Rising Stars
    One thing Eric Franchi, co-founder of Undertone, and I have in common is our love for the IAB's Rising Stars ad units. We both believe that these oversized rich-media units are a stellar vehicle for brand advertising at scale.
  • Three Programmatic Tools To Consider That Are Flying Under The Radar
    Addressing a brand's image, reaching its target audience, or simply maintaining an existing base requires thoughtful direction as consumers consume more content on more devices and platforms than ever. Most of these mediums can be tapped in real time via programmatic buying and, managed correctly, will amplify campaign objectives.
  • Solving RTB's Pricing Crisis
    Programmatic platforms and bidding systems were designed to democratize the display-ad space. These solutions meant that advertisers would no longer need to spend on "black box" or "blind" buying solutions that failed to provide brand quality and return on investment. By bidding in an auction, buyers could apply their own value to audience targets and gain a clearer understanding of how much acquisitions and conversions really cost. That has not proven to be the case, however, because two inventory suppliers still control most of the exchange trading: Google and Facebook. Despite all efforts at transparency, buyers still lack visibility into …
  • Programmatic: Using Data and Analytics To Drive Media Decisions
    Initially synonymous with RTB, DSPs, and direct-response marketing, the definition of programmatic advertising is evolving. Omnicom Media Group's programmatic agency Accuen recently rebranded to refresh its identity and more sharply define its role in the programmatic business.
  • Facebook Jumps On Retargeting Bandwagon
    News from Facebook just keeps on coming. Yet, for a company focused on connecting brands with consumers, you would think that Facebook could develop a name that was a bit more engaging than "website and mobile app custom audiences." While this is certainly new, it's more of an expansion of the "custom audiences" platform that Facebook has had for a few years now. Since there are a variety of articles that can explain how to use the custom audience feature, I'd like to explore why Facebook has decided to expand its audience targeting offering.
  • Insights Are For Brands, Data Is For Direct Response: The IMP Is Born
    To the marketer inundated with disparate, disjointed data, I suggest a new tool: the insights management platform (IMP), which has four major functions:
  • How RTB Enables Lifestage Marketing
    We buy different things at different stages of our lives. That's obvious enough. But what's not always obvious is exactly when a consumer is transitioning between these stages. For marketers, knowing when these transitions take place is crucial because these are the times when consumer habits form. The products they use during these transitions will likely be the products they use for years to come. Luckily, real-time bidding (RTB) offers the perfect tool for detecting these transitions as they're happening and serving up display impressions instantly. That tool is known as Search Retargeting, and it's turning RTB into a much …
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