New AdMob; Acxiom Reports

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New AdMob

Google unveiled a rebuild of AdMob at its I/O conference today. The changes, which incorporate tech from AdSense, are all about optimizing conversion for advertisers and boosting yield for app developers. There are some bells and whistles here too, such as better filters for developers that want to slam the door on low-rent ads for dating sites, mortgage re-fi offers, etc. A million or so AdWords advertisers now have access to AdMob inventory. Blog post.

Acxi…umm

Acxiom is pushing hard to make enterprise data as easy to work with as Google Analytics. But it was slow-going in Q1. Earnings slides. BMO Capital Markets’ Dan Salmon, in a research note: “Marketing and data services revenue was down 2.9%…while IT infrastructure management declined 3%…Revenue has a long way to go before it approaches management’s long-term goal of double-digit organic growth.” He believes we can expect divestitures such as IT outsourcing as Acxiom doubles down on the data opportunity. Read it.

Advertisers Without Borders

Hearst’s new division, Totally Global Media, seeks to streamline advertising internationally to make the process more efficient. “Before now, if an advertiser wanted to buy across every edition of Cosmo, there was no way to do it,” said Gina Garrubbo, SVP of Hearst Magazines International and now SVP of TGM. “There is a need [for this type of service] in the marketplace and a number of clients who want to buy multi-country from one source.” Read more.

Funding Triggit

Facebook retargeting company Triggit locked in a $6 million debt facility, with North Atlantic Capital joining Spark Capital and Foundry Group as investors. The new money comes just six months after a $7.4 million raise. From the press release: “70% of Triggit’s business is now international, heavily driven by Latin America and Asia. Prior to the launch of Facebook Exchange, only 16% of Triggit’s business was non-US.” Read more.

BlueKai Stamp of Approval

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But Are They Really Integral?; Don’t Pontificate, Verificate

BlueKai is launching a new data validation methodology that will focus on ensuring the accuracy of third-party data. The three-part method includes consensus testing and assigning attributes for data that is matched well. “We feel that the single-expert methodology is a flawed approach. There is far too much data across the digital landscape for one data provider or company to be the unchecked arbiter,” said Pieter De Temmerman, SVP of Exchange and Global Business at BlueKai. Read more.

“Priceless”: Facebook Card

Marqeta announced that it’s the technology company behind Facebook Card, the reusable gift card system that launched in January. There hasn’t been widespread adoption of Facebook gifts yet, but the company continues to add retailers to its offerings. Marqeta’s announcement comes amidst their latest round of funding. Read more.

Bumpy Programmatic

Executives from BBC Worldwide, the French ad exchange La Place Media, and Amnet weighed in on programmatic video at a recent Adap.tv event in London. Tom Bowman, VP of global strategy and sales operations at BBC Worldwide, said he “would get rid of his sales team if the yields were better via programmatic,” reported ExchangeWire EMEA. La Place Media MD Fabien Magalon reportedly said his co-op’s publishers were “very protective” of direct deals on online video. Read more.

Web Video’s Hurdles

This month’s NewFront appeared to be a grand opportunity for Nielsen’s Online Campaign Ratings and comScore’s Validated Campaign Essentials, both which track web video in a way that is familiar to TV media buyers. The problem is, according to Adweek’s Mike Shields, that web video bellwether YouTube refuses to sell according to the metrics. Secondly, other publishers have their own issues with metrics like Nielsen’s OCR. “Publishers have to overdeliver significantly to deliver against OCR and they lack the tools to understand their audience,” says Brian Kane, COO of Liverail, a web video tech platform. Read more.

Counseling for CMOs and CIOs

Forrester’s Sheryl Pattek makes the case for CMOs and CIOs to work more closely together, saying, “Marketing and technology have become so intertwined that technology should now be thought of as the foundation of marketing. Effective customer engagement across the ever-growing touchpoints of the digital age requires technology to support your marketing objectives.” She shares several ways CMOs can do that, including understanding where the CIO is coming from, focusing on customers and their experiences first, establishing shared goals and rewards, and getting the two teams to also work together. Read more.

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