• by Wayne Friedman , April 14, 2008

The growing business of addressable advertising has given Visible World, one technology provider, a financial shot in the arm.

Visible World has raised $25 million in financing--led by new investors Adams Street Partners and AllianceBernstein. Existing investors include Comcast Interactive Capital, Dawntreader Ventures, Grey Ventures, Leucadia National, Marketing Services Risk Surety, Time Warner, and Viacom.

In the first quarter of this year, the company has run 11,000 spots and 200 campaigns using a variety of addressable market segments. For example, Visible World works with advertisers to target different creative on the network level, on the market-by-market level, and on the zone level (cluster of ZIP codes).

In addition to deals with 13 TV networks, it also has all six of the big MSOs signed on: Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Insight, and Brighthouse.

The key for many advertisers in future years is having addressable set-top boxes deployed at the cable system level. Some test markets, such as Huntsville, Ala., have boxes installed. Visible World, according to advertising executives, has some 200,000 addressable set-top boxes in Brooklyn, NY.

Visible World says its intelliSpot technology can be adapted not just to digital set-top boxes, which other addressable advertising technologies offer, but to online video, national TV network, local TV, IPTV, and analog TV.

"You need a solution that can go across media types," says Tara Walpert, president of Visible World.

The company's client roster includes seven of the top 10 automotive companies and national brands, such as Lenovo, Sears, Kmart, and Wendy's.