Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Netezza Is Acquired By IBM (For Now)
New-digital-future infrastructure provider, Netezza, has been acquired by IBM as Big Blue (does anyone still call IBM that?) makes a play in the data storage and analytics business. CNN/Fortune writer JP Mangalindan says “IBM is clearly banking on the analytics business for growth — it currently estimates the total annual market at approxmiately $100 billion. Analytics was up 14% in the second quarter.” Read more. But, The New York Times Business blog notes that there could be other bidders for Netezza. NYT’s Cyrus Sanati writes, “H.P. is seen as the company most likely to make a rival bid for Netezza at this point. H.P. has spent most of its cash on deals and an impending $10 billion stock buyback, but it still generates about $3.3 billion of cash each quarter, more than enough to pay for Netezza.” Read more.
MediaMind Gets Buy Rating
ThinkEquity analyst Aaron Kessler has started coverage of MediaMind with a “buy” rating (target of $18) for ad serving company MediaMind (stock is now at $14+, IPO was at $11). Kessler thinks MediaMind is acquisition target material and sees three differentiators on why MediaMind can outpace growth in display advertising: “1) advertisers will increasingly utilize high-impact creative formats such as rich media and video 2) the international ad serving market should outgrow the U.S. ad serving market, given the relative maturity of display advertising in the U.S. 3) MediaMind is currently the only major independent provider of integrated campaign management solutions. We believe these three factors should enable MediaMind to continue to gain market share.”
Display Ads And CAPTCHA
First Round Capital and AOL Ventures-backed Solve Media (formerly “AdCopy”) unleashed a creative new way to approach display advertising. As Peter Kafka says in his All Things D column: “Goodby Crummy CAPTCHAs, Hello Ad Dollars.” Read more from Kafka. The company’s product delivers an ad united with brand messaging where the “crummy CAPTCHA” letters used to be. In return Solve Media says the marketer gets better engagement. See the Solve Media website which includes a video demo. And, read about it in the WSJ.
Ad Age reports that an unfolding scandal is bringing to light the kickbacks and corruption that are allegedly a part of the Chinese media business. Ad Age’s Normandy Madden writes, “Details aside, media corruption has been a not particularly well-kept secret in China for years, and companies, not just individuals, are involved. Industry execs estimate more than half of the revenue earned by multinational media agencies in China comes from media owners rather than clients’ budgets.” Read more.
Yahoo! For The Win
CBS has pulled expected ad spend for AOL and MSN for it fall digital ad campaign focused on new TV shows, and is putting its big wad of ad money on Yahoo! says Susan Kuchinskas of ClickZ. She writes, “CBS bought premier placement on the Yahoo home page, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Messenger search, and the mobile front page. It even splurged on Yahoo’s Times Square billboard. Yahoo estimated that the campaign will generate more than 800 million impressions among adults 25 to 54.” No estimates on the $$ number. But it’s big. Big – as Yahoo! leverages its “premium” status. Read more.
Display Advertising Australia
In Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald looks at Google’s display advertising push. In the article, Google managing director for Japan and APAC media and platforms, Shailesh Rao says, “‘We are seeing a really positive response from the advertising community and we are pleased with the way things are going after just three quarters.” Rao adds that 17 of the top 20 Australian advertisers have bought display ads across the Google Display network. Read more.
Philly-Area Startups
Philadelphia-area startup leaders will gather November 17 for Founder Factory 2010. Among the speakers presenting to the crowd of 200 angel investors, VC and start-up types will be Invite Media’s Zach Weinberg and Nat Turner . Read more.
Digital Creatives Exiting Agencies
Digitally-focused creative directors are looking to escape the confines of today’s creative agencies says Ad Age’s Matthew Creamer. Creatives are finding the “You’re nobody’s bitch” motto appealing, says Creamer who adds, “Since the beginning of the year, a veritable Cannes jury worth of senior creative talent has shrugged off the leashes of big agency networks for their own start-ups or for creative pursuits outside the ad industry. their digital skills.” Read more.
Ringleader Gets Lawsuit
MediaPost’s Wendy Davis says that Ringleader Digital has been served a lawsuit due to its media stamp technology. Davis writes that Ringleader Digital describes the stamp as the describes as the “mobile equivalent of an online ‘cookie.'” The lawsuit also names other companies including CNN, Medialets and WhitePages.com, which allegedly worked with Ringleader. Read more.
Now Opening In The UK
Collective has crossed the Atlantic and announced yesterday that it was opening an office in the UK and “Steve Filler, formerly of Unruly Media, has been appointed as managing director to lead the UK operation. While at Unruly Media he was the Commercial Director responsible for all global revenues,” according to the release. Read more. See the Collective UK site.
Vertical Sites Get Millions
The Business Insider reports that publicly-traded Internet Brands has been purchased for $650 million by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman Capital Partners VI. According to their home page, Internet Brands has over 100 vertical sites reaching 62 million uniques. Read more. The niche wins again! That $300 million for Adify by Cox isn’t looking as unbelievable anymore.
