Real-Time With Forbes: Mag Touts 'Most Promising' Ad Techers by Tyler Loechner

Forbes released its list of America's Most Promising Companies earlier this week, and real-time media's presence is felt. Rocket Fuel (4) and OpenX (7) both crack the top 10, while AdRoll (30) and Rubicon Project (40) are both in the top 40. With so many ad tech firms being so promising, it's easy to see why many in the industry believe that programmatic is the future of advertising. But another thing this list shows is that programmatic isn't just a success in terms of delivering ads - successful companies can be built around programmatic. None of the four companies listed ...Read the whole story

  • Google AdWords Update Could Shake Up Mobile RTB by Tyler Loechner

    As OnlineMediaDaily reported on February 7, Google has updated AdWords to be better equipped on the mobile front. The update causes a ripple effect that will force more advertisers into mobile whether they had plans to or not, which will shake up the RTB space. Google announced Enhanced Campaigns this week, which combines paid-search ads on desktop and mobile. The changes "rely on time, location, relevance, context and content rather than device distinction." Mobile ads have been relatively cheap, but the increased number of players will increase the cost. In any auction environment, including real-time bidding, more bidders means higher ...Read the whole story

  • X Marks the Spot: Cunningham Joins Gradient X From OpenX by Tyler Loechner

    Real-time mobile DSP Gradient X this week named Stephan Cunningham as vice president of marketplace operations. Cunningham joins the company after overseeing OpenX's RTB platform marketplace strategy. "Our mission is to unlock the incredible potential of mobile advertising," stated Brian Baumgart, founder and CEO of Gradient X. "Stephan will be an outstanding resource for our customers and partners, given his 12 years of experience in digital media." Cunningham is not the first person to join Gradient X from OpenX. OnlineMediaDaily reported in June of last year that one of the company's founders is CTO Michael Lum, former OpenX head of ...Read the whole story

  • brand marketing No Saturday Mail Means Marketers Must Adjust by Aaron Baar

    "Anytime there's confusion in the business customer ranks, it can have an effect on mail volume," Jerry Cerasale, senior vice president of government affairs for the Direct Marketing Association, tells Marketing Daily. "You have to eliminate that legal uncertainty and do it quickly." ...Read the whole story

The No. 1 Reason Why Companies Fail by Jeff Green

When a company goes out of business or sells at a discount to its last round of funding, spectators ask the obvious question: What happened? There are typically three possible explanations: wrong team, wrong market, or insufficient funding. While these are the most discussed causes, the list does not include the most common reason why companies fail, especially in digital advertising (a market that's growing like crazy): they do not sufficiently align their incentives with the incentives of their clients. ...More