After growing its open source ad server “business” for nearly a decade, OpenX (formerly known as OpenAds, which was formerly knows as PHPads) appears to be gaining traction as well as branching out to supply publishers new tools for monetization.
Yesterday the company announced impressive growth for its OpenX Hosted (Hosted) and OpenX Download (Download) iterations of its ad serving products.
From the OpenX press release:
Hosted has attracted more than 8,000 publishers to sign-up since its October 2008 launch and has already achieved a monthly run rate of more than 5 billion impressions flowing through the service. In addition, OpenX’s original Download product has continued to enjoy its enormous, global popularity and the newest version, launched in July 2008, now has more than 15,000 publishers actively using the software.
And what’s even better:
The company also announced that it has gained strong initial revenue traction in the four business lines it first announced in December 2008.
We don’t hear “profitability” in the release but we do hear “promise.” And, why not? OpenX is positioning itself similar to yield optimizers and cloud computing companies as they build a backbone for the ad exchange model and add value for its participants.
The OpenX ad server with its open plug-in architecture fits well with an exchange where traders, advertisers, publishers and technology companies bring their unique requirements and “plug in” chosen technology or data sources to understand value for the media profile and create a market for efficient buying and selling.
OpenX’s “OpenX Market” is the yield optimization product which could help morph the company into an exchange. Currently in “beta” according to the release, further information on its success or failure is not mentioned other than as one of the four revenue-producing product lines which includes:
(1) Professional services for publishers
(2) Premium support packages
(3) Premium Hosted packages
(4) OpenX Market, a new publisher monetization platform currently in beta.
Led by CEO Tim Cadogan, former SVP of Global Advertising Marketplaces and CTO John Linden, formerly of AdKnowledge and Kowabunga, OpenX closed$15.5 Million in funding led by Accel Partners 15 months ago.
Though, the address is Openx.org, Openx appears to be headed toward a .com future as yet another technology company is bringing efficiency to the world of online advertising. Please pass the premium pork bellies, we’re hungry.
