• by Joe Mandese , March 5, 2009

Dave Morgan, one of the pioneers of so-called "behavioral targeting" in online media, has shifted his focus to Madison Avenue's 800-pound gorilla, television. Morgan, who founded behavioral targeting firm Tacoda, and ultimately sold it to Time Warner's AOL unit, has launched Simulmedia, a company he says will focus on helping TV programmers improve their audience ratings by "lifting the effectiveness" of their promo spots and tune-in advertising.

The move comes as the TV industry is undergoing its own fundamental changes, including a shift to addressable advertising that will make it more akin to online planning, targeting and buying.

"Each year the television industry spends more than $10 billion in cash and commercial time to drive viewers to new and existing programs," Morgan said in a statement announcing his new firm. "Our goal will be to use sophisticated data analysis and predictive technology to redirect where and when cable operators and broadcast and cable networks place these spots in order to make them more effective and efficient in delivering the most desirable audiences."

In effect, Morgan seems to be taking a page out of his old Tacoda play book and bringing it to television. While he did not get into specifics, he said the company is developing its first generation of products, which would focus on putting the "right promotion in front of the most likely potential viewers using only aggregated consumer and industry environmental data."

Morgan, who cashed in big time when he sold Tacoda to AOL in September 2007 for $275 million, also closed on $4 million round of funding for Simulmedia from Avalon Ventures and Union Square Ventures.

Most He most recently was executive vice president of global advertising strategy at AOL.

Morgan also writes a weekly column for MediaPost's Online Spin.