• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, June 18, 2012

engage:BDR, a full-service display ad network, on Tuesday will publicly debut First Impression, a real-time bidding (RTB) self-serve display platform that focuses on serving advertisers. The platform works across desktop and mobile with targeted ads.

First Impression, built from the ground up, incorporates methods used by performance marketers. engage:BDR's engineering team focused on support tools that are familiar to marketers working with direct-response advertising to measure successful campaigns. It had to integrate with display ad networks tools, as well as provide access to a large amount of inventory.

About 75 companies have begun testing the desktop platform, and 1,000 are slowly coming on board. The RTB tools for mobile have also rolled out.

Nick Lynch, vice president of platform at engage:BDR, said that the company's full-service display network the company usually sees "upwards of 1% CTR" when buying direct from publishers. As former Fox Interactive Media senior account manager, he saw exchange inventory reach .25 CTRs.

The mobile display offering of the RTB platform will focus on targeting specific handsets as well as publisher sites. It will automatically convert desktop campaigns into mobile to assist advertisers in making the transition.

Forrester Research analysts believe the advent of RTB and ad exchanges creates opportunities for increased transparency and better control in media buying and management for buyers.

Engage:BDR's focus on supporting premium ads in First Impression could be helpful to media buyers. During an interview from Cannes, MagnaGlobal Managing Partner Brian Monahan told MediaPost Editor-in-Chief Joe Mandese the research firm wants to gain a better understanding of changes in the supply side and how to define a "fully deviated consumer" to determine their exposure to ads.

Monahan said if consumers are exposed to 1,100 ad units daily, it's important to determine which ones are noticed, so media buyers can learn where to shift the money and budgets.