• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 4, 2008

Social networks analytics firm Sometrics has launched what it calls the first ad-serving platform designed especially for social media.

Combined with its analytics software, the free platform will enable application developers to target ads based on user demographics, geography, interests and social actions within networks such as sending links and uploading photos.

Leading online ad-serving systems such as DoubleClick's DART and aQuantive's Atlas "don't come out of the box with this level of social targeting," said Ian Swanson, CEO of Sometrics. "In the social media space, it's about how you move beyond the click to be able to tell who was the person engaging with an ad."

Advertising on social networks has proven to be a major challenge for marketers because of the sheer glut of inventory across millions of member Web pages and the difficulty of pairing standard online ad units with user-generated content and communications.

The dearth of analytics and measurement around social media has also been an obstacle to monetization efforts.

With Sometrics ad-serving software, developers will be able to test campaigns based on various demographic and other factors to hone in on the right audience, according to Swanson. Warner Bros., for instance, might use the platform to promote its upcoming Batman sequel by devising a social ad campaign targeting fans of "Iron Man" and other comic book-based films.

By virtue of its social hyper-targeting, Sometrics expects to be able to deliver CPMs of $1 to $2 for application-based ads, which typically command rates of 10 cents to 80 cents today. The company's system could also be used to serve premium and remnant display advertising on social networks.

Swanson also expects developers to use its new platform to optimize campaigns across nascent social ad networks such as Lookery and Social Media Networks. "Developers still need help simply rotating ads," he said. More than 1,000 developers already use the company's analytics tools to track applications on social networks including Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and hi5.

Sometrics ultimately plans to make money from selling premium analytics and consulting services to big brand advertisers. At an Interactive Advertising Bureau conference on social network advertising, keynote speaker Seth Goldstein, CEO of Social Media, said consumer packaged goods companies and other traditional marketers are allocating budgets specifically for social media in 2009.

Sometrics received its first round of funding in May from the Mail Room Fund in Los Angeles, an investment consortium that includes the William Morris Talent Agency, Accel Partners and Venrock. AT&T and Greycroft Partners also participated in the funding round.