Snapchat is getting serious about ad targeting, including "letting advertisers target customers using email databases and other data sources," according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Snapchat is launching three new targeting options for marketers. "Through a product called Snap Audience Match, Snapchat is enabling marketers to take existing lists of email addresses and mobile device IDs, and anonymously match that data with Snapchat’s own pool of consumer data, allowing enhanced ad targeting. In this process, Snapchat is taking steps to make sure it does not employ any personally identifiable data when executing these ad campaigns.The company has …

In a column for LinkedIn, Mark Torrance, CTO at Rocket Fuel, argues that real-time marketing capabilities are already here and that Rocket Fuel "is one of few programmatic platform providers who combine segment data (whether batch or real-time) with other truly real-time signals about behavior and context, to drive tremendous performance gains for marketers." Further, Torrance maintains that Rocket Fuel "has real-time-enabled server-to-server (S2S) integrations with Adobe DMP [data management platform], BlueKai, and Krux, as well as our own DMP (formerly [X+1]). Through any of these DMP partners, we are able to learn about new first-party data and audience segments …

Research firm eMarketer, in its first programmatic media forecast for Germany, projected that the programmatic digital  market will grow by more than 24% this year to reach $885.34 million. By eMarketer's projections, that accounts for 41% of all digital display advertising. The firm estimates that next year more than half (54%) of all digital display advertising in Germany will be traded programmatically. In addition, eMarketer projects that by 2018, the programmatic digital display ad market in Germany will reach $1.55 billion.

Apple's latest mobile software update, iOS 10, launches on Sept. 13, and  offers a new setting that will give users much more protection against advertiser tracking. "The current iPhone operating system, iOS 9, already features a 'limit ad tracking' option that users can toggle on or off by going to Settings > Privacy > Advertising. The setting will look the same in iOS 10, but it will act a lot differently," according to a Business Insider report. The Future of Privacy Forum explained  that "advertisers can currently target specific groups of iPhone users (such as 18-34-year-old males in London …

More publishers are adopingt header bidding, technology that's designed to help them sell more ads at higher prices by allowing multiple ad tech companies to compete for their inventory simultaneously. Better prices and more competition for inventory are making publishers more comfortable with programmatic ad sales, according to a Wall Street Journal report. But header bidding is also making more premium inventory available that was once direct sold by ad sales. The Journal reported that USA Today "has embraced header bidding for its sports properties. Chris Pirrone, general manager at USA Today Sports Media Group, said he now has eight …

Startup Beeswax, founded by three former Google ad executives, has raised $11 million in Series A funding, TechCrunch reported. "The company offers what it calls a bidder-as-a-service--a set of customizable technologies that allows customers to participate in real-time bidding for ad inventory. Beeswax’s offerings include access to inventory, bidding algorithms and analytics, but CEO Ari Paparo (previously a senior vice product of product management at AppNexus and a product director for advertiser products at Google) said what really sets the company apart is giving businesses the ability to use Beeswax’s API to customize and extend the product. In Paparo’s view, while …

The release of ANA guidelines last month found a unanimous call, from top holding companies and groups in the advertising industry, for brands to hire CMOs to police media transparency and accountability. Despite citing the ubiquity of non-transparent business practices, the reaction to the report from agencies has been less than enthusiastic. Certain agencies pointed to the “inflammatory” and “sensational” report, but questions clearly still linger.

Marketers and ad buyers can add a new upfront to their busy calendars: an upfront for podcasts. This week marked year two for the podcast event which was run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). "Podcast producers including Midroll Media, WNYC, HowStuffWorks, PodcastOne, Panoply, NPR, ESPN, Time Inc. made their case at an all-day event," according to a Wall Street Journal report. "Ira Glass and Marc Maron, have become stars through the medium, while others, like Katie Couric, Malcolm Gladwell and Shaquille O’Neal, are among a growing group of celebrities drawn to podcasting....About 57 million people, or 21% of …

The Audio Committee of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released guidelines on measurement and analytics for podcasts as the sector has grown. The guidelines, created by 23 IAB member companies, attempt to define podcast content, ad, and audience metrics in the context of downloaded podcasts whether saved for later listening or listened to while being downloaded The document noted that podcast ad measurement presents challenges. The guidelines represent the IAB's first attempt to tackle the podcast medium in a detailed fashion.

Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei will launch a media outlet targeting corporate executives and other professionals with a mix of business and political news, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. "The soon-to-launch company secured about $10 million in financing late last week, according to people familiar with the matter. The investment round was led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures, the venture-capital firm that helped launch the Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. Comcast Corp.’s NBC News unit also is backing the startup and will serve as its media partner," the report said.