• by Tameka Kee , September 25, 2007

Kiptronic announced that it will integrate data from the Nielsen//NetRatings SiteCensus tool into its media management platform--giving publishers and advertisers a better grasp on tracking and monetizing downloadable content.

The New York-based online ad technology firm places, tracks and manages ads that CondéNet and other clients use to monetize content like white papers, podcasts and video, while Nielsen's browser-based SiteCensus service tags content to measure and verify downloads.

According to Kiptronic founder and CTO Jonathan Cobb, bundling third-party measurement into Kiptronic's ad management platform is the next logical step toward providing a more complete view of how users interact with a publisher's content and ads. "It's important because advertisers are interested in whatever metrics they can get their hands on," said Cobb. "If a publisher creates a podcast or video that has their ad in it, there's a need to understand where it's going."

Cobb added that the Nielsen metrics allow for finer-grain targeting that ultimately allows publishers to increase their effective CPM rates. "An online news outlet can say, if you want my NY metro area downloads, it's going to cost you 'x' times the rate," said Cobb. "Advertisers will get fewer downloads, but they'll only come from the people that are in their market. Then the publisher's media becomes a much better value to local or regional advertisers."

As more traditional media outlets seek to monetize the full scope of their content on the Web, Cobb says the industry will see an uptick in use of solutions like Kiptronic. "Radio and print are big sectors that have really reached out to us to expand online," said Cobb--"especially newspapers, because the traditional sources of revenue are drying up."

While Kiptronic has done some work with TV and other media sectors, their interest is less need-driven. "Unfortunately," Cobb noted, "fear is a stronger motivator to put ads in downloadable content than being innovative right now."

Kiptronic plans to offer the added SiteCensus measurement to clients for no additional cost, although there may be a subscription fee increase in the future--since the firm continues to add new features to its ad management platform. And though Kiptronic's client base is largely business-to-consumer, the company forecasts a strong surge of business-to-business growth over the next 8-12 months.