Advertising Age has posted an article written by Adam Kleinberg, CEO of Traction, predicting that "in 2014, we will see a big shift toward the integration of media and creative." The number one reason given for why "marketers should look to integration of media and creative" was the "democratization of media-buying," which is being driven by programmatic tools.

Don’t call it a bubble, but investments in software companies recently reached their highest levels since 2000. Yes, according to MoneyTree’s latest report, investors pumped $11 billion -- or 37% of total venture capital -- into the software sector, in 2013. “Internet-specific companies also soared last year, raising $7.1 billion, which is the biggest amount since 2001,” Venture Beat notes, citing MoneyTree’s findings. 

Mashable has posted an article exploring why Henrique de Castro, Yahoo's former COO, has been fired. Mashable wrote that de Castro was "tone deaf to the demands of the advertising industry that he was supposed to be charming on Yahoo's behalf. Instead of wooing the industry, he was repelling them with an arrogant attitude and slow response to industry trends, notably programmatic buying."

Google Now is breaking out of it mobile box. Developed as a mobile service, the search giant’s “personal assistant” will reportedly being readied for consumer desktops. “Google Now is being tested in Chrome Canary, the test sandbox that Google uses for new builds, features and functions in forthcoming versions of its browser,” ReadWrite reports. Explaining the rationale behind the expansion, it adds: “Google Now is an important part of Google's vision for the future of search.” 

Street Fight has posted a Q&A with Eli Portnoy, GM of Thinknear at Telenav, a navigation and mapping company involved in mobile advertising. Portnoy said, "[T]he emergence of location-based mobile ads coincided almost perfectly with the emergence of RTB and mobile. And it did so for a reason."

Search Engine Journal has posted a video interview with Marc Poirier, co-founder of Acquisio, on the topics of real-time bidding (RTB) and bid management.

The Drum has reported that Guy Phillipson, CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK, believes 2014 will mark the "end of the be inning for digital advertising."

Business Insider has posted a Q&A with Jeff Green, CEO of The Trade Desk, exploring how real-time bidding (RTB) will influence the 2016 election "and change Don Draper's job" in the process.

Ecommerce services vendor Volusion just raised $35 million in debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank. “Volusion’s software allows anyone to build a fully functioning ecommerce site and includes the ability to control the design of the site, merchandising of products, SEO and social media, as well as payments and processing,” TechCrunch reports. Clients include Disney, Motorola, Chicago Tribune and 3M. 

Joining potential employers, educational institutions and life partners, lending companies are mining social media channels to determine individuals’ and businesses’ character and creditworthiness. “Lending companies … are looking at potential problems, such as whether applicants put the same job information on their loan application as they posted on LinkedIn,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “A small business that draws negative reviews on eBay also could undermine its chances of getting more credit, lending companies say.”