Spotify To Sell Video Ads; Quaero Gets Cross-Device

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Sounding Out Video

Spotify is about to sell its first video ads, including a mobile unit that exchanges one marketer message for a half-hour of commercial free listening. More in Ad Age. Missing here is any mention of targeting in video, though we know Spotify is working on the broader segmentation opportunity. “We’ve built predictive models to determine how particular lifestyle attributes can be useful to brands,” Jim Lucchese, CEO of The Echo Nest (acquired by Spotify), told AdExchanger in August. “By correlating all this data, we’re able to draw predictions. We can come in and give the advertising partner a lot more insights.”

Data Hub

Quaero is tossing its hat into the cross-device ring with a data-management and analytics tool aimed at digital media companies. Dubbed AdVantage, the platform integrates multiple data sources – first- and third-party data, clickstream, social, search, etc. – for a full view of the user, including all the usual metrics; think time spent, cross-device consumption and user value. Quaero President and CEO Naras Eechambadi told AdExchanger that the company has four clients signed on, “with plans to onboard several more in the near future.” More details.

High-Growth Africa

Facebook now reaches 100 million in Africa (80% via mobile devices), and it’s trying to provide maximum utility there for users and advertisers. “From testing new ad units based on how people connect with each other, to enabling advertisers to customise campaigns for people depending on their device and connection speeds, we’re learning, testing and optimising.” Blog post.

Tuning Audio

The IAB suggested new standards for audio ads on Monday, and opened a comment period for its so-called Digital Audio Ad Serving Template (DAAST). “Bringing consistency to the digital audio advertising space is key to its potential growth,” said Triton Digital Advertising SVP Benjamin Masse. “By requiring that all audio players support at least one DAAST-compliant format, we are helping advertisers increase demand while maintaining flexibility for player manufacturers.” More.

Pricing Programmatic

Speaking to Beet.TV, Forrester senior analyst Richard Joyce said agency trading desks need to rethink their pricing models, adding that traditional roles are evolving. “Agencies traditionally have always been closer to the vendors and publishers, and more knowledgeable about the advertising space,” he said. He added pricing should be “more geared toward performance and marketers having transparency across different ad tech fees.” Watch it.