eXelate And comScore Make Data Deal; $12 Million More For Buying Platforms; Amazon's Scale

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

Targeting Rich Data

eXelate and comScore announced an agreement that will overlay comScore panel data on eXelate’s targeting data and the result will hopefully be richer ad targeting data. eXelate CEO Mark Zagorski tells Adweek writer Erin Griffith that this deal is a different offering than what comScore’s recent acquisition AdXpose provides: AdXpose verifies media and eXelate verifies audience. Read more on Adweek. And, read the release. comScore appears to be on the business development warpath as this agreement follows a similar agreement with B2B targeting data provider Bizo. The more places comScore can sprinkle its data and brand, the better. Embrace and extend. eXelate or Bizo could make interesting acquisitions down the road, too.

Platform Gets $12 Million

Acquisio announced that its search and display marketing platform for agencies has received a $12.1 million in funding led by Canadian private equity firm Tandem Expansion. The company said it will use the funds for staffing in sales, account management and product among other areas of internal investment. According to a press release, “In the past year the company’s revenues have doubled and the number of brands managed via the Acquisio platform now tops 7,000, with more than 2,800 users.” Read more. With its roots in search marketing, Acquisio is targeting the same area (search, display, social) as Efficient Frontier, Marin Software, Kenshoo, Clickable and several other firms.

The Clients Of Krux

Krux Digital said in a release yesterday that it is seeing traction for its data management platform services for publishers. Specifically, the company said “its US and European client count [grew] to twenty-five through the end of Q2 2011.” Clients include Reuters, IDG, and Univision among others. Krux also announced a reseller arrangement of sorts with marketing services company Acceleration. Read more.

Automation Nation

GroupM Search CEO Chris Copeland reviews the effect of Google on society and whether we’re all going to turn into owned and operated Google properties someday. He sees potential symbiosis, “Google is making us obsolete only if we are too stupid to change and innovate at the pace necessary to keep up with the leading companies of this age and the next.” Goodbye typewriter! Read more on ClickZ.

Agency Adds Data Management Platform

Media Contacts in the UK announced that it has chosen AudienceScience for its data management platform services. According to the release, “The AudienceScience Gateway will be used to identify and create specific audience segments relevant to the online advertising objectives of Media Contacts’ clients. It will also be integrated into Havas’ existing solutions, including Artemis, its proprietary, cross-channel data reporting and analytics tool, and Adnetik.” Read more.

One Word: Scale

DIGIDAY editor Brian Morrissey asks Razorfish chairman Clark Kokich to explain himself after several recent tweets about the advertising biz. One tweet had Morrissey wondering why Kokich thought Amazon.com is going to be a powerful advertising player. Kokich responded, “One word: Scale. Behavioral targeting is a powerful tool. Direct marketers have known for years that knowing what you do is more valuable in targeting than knowing who you are or what you think.”Read it.

Google And Hollywood

In the Wall Street Journal’s “Heard It On The Street” column, Martin Peers ruminates, “Maybe Google’s next big purchase will be in Hollywood.” He thinks Google’s decision to buy Motorola Mobility is over-the-top – and I’m not talking about set-top boxes either. Peers suggests Google clarifies its position as to whether or not it’s trying to be like Apple or make it’s living off of ads and free software. Read more (subscription).

But Wait. There’s More!