• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 22, 2021

Opera, the Norwegian technology company specializing in web browsers, on Wednesday launched a self-service ad platform that connects brands and advertisers with the hundreds of millions of consumers who actively use the company's desktop and mobile browsers.
The self-service platform, powered by DanAds, an adtech infrastructure for publishers, rolls out globally today.

Per Wetterdal, executive vice president of commercial at Opera, says the self-service option complements the company’s managed services ad business, allowing small and medium-sized businesses to run native ads across its network.

“We still have the managed services for larger advertisers, but it’s not a good option for smaller ones,” he said. “This is an extension that allows everyone to advertise in compliance.”

Advertisers can create, manage and report on digital campaigns. The minimum spend limit for the launch is $100, but that is likely to change.

There are tools for ad placement, budgets, and safety requirements. Advertisers set an objective and a target audience and then upload creative or use the creative builder in the platform.

Opera Ad Manager is designed to create, manage and report on digital advertising campaigns. Marketers can run video or image ads, decide on brand or performance targeting, and pick the devices and other targeting parameters such as gender and age.

Hundreds of millions of people use Opera products, from global browsers to news and discovery feeds for specific topics.

The company's consolidated financial results from second-quarter 2021 show advertising revenue rose 128% year-over-year to $28.9 million, predominantly fueled by monetizing Opera News and its mobile browsers.

The revenue for Opera News grew 442% year-over-year and 49% sequentially versus the first quarter of 2021. 

One reason that Google has become so successful with SMBs is the company’s ability to educate marketers on how to use its ad platform. Wetterdal says Opera plans to offer a step-by-step guide and other collateral to teach advertisers how to run ads.

There is also a reporting option. In the future, Opera plans to introduce a recommendation feature to help advertisers determine how much to spend and where to spend it.