» With all the debate on the convergence between search and display, it was timely that SES London devoted a whole session to the very subject. The illustrious panel was made up of industry luminaries, including: Jonathan Mendez, Founder & CEO, RAMP Digital; James Sandoval, Founder & Managing Director, Invizua Limited; Dax Hamman, Vice President of Display Media, iCrossing; and Sacha Berlik, Founder and CEO, mexad. The majority of the panel agreed that some convergence was happening.
Jonathan Mendez highlighted five key areas where he thought convergence was happening: namely, intent, segmentation, creative, buying and campaign management. Most of the panel agreed with Mendez’s assertations. The one contrarian in the group was Sacha Berlik, mexAd CEO. Berlik maintained that search would not save display. In his view, buying on keywords alone would not work for display. The only true KPI for search are click-throughs, and in his experience of trading on the exchanges the more CPM campaigns that were in an auction (particularly on the DoubleClick exchange) the more likely PPC campaigns bidding would lose out.
Berlik did however tip his cap to the search community, saying there was much that display could still learn from search: he said media buyers could learn from seach by not pre-committing budgets in display buys; and stressed that bid management strategies should be replicated in display to improve campaign performance.
» As soon as Rubicon calls time on the ad server, along comes Google with a new supped-up version of its publisher ad server. Announcing the “upgrade” to its present DFP offering, Google outlines some more details: new interface allowing publishers to better manage processes (badly needed given how horribly convoluted the previous interface was); better reporting and forecasting; and an improved yield management system which uses its “dynamic allocation” to source the best pricing for inventory. Google is also making an API available to publishers who use DFP, as well as to third-parties and vendors, to build applications on top of DFP. (Google Blog)
» There’s been some M&A action in the European agency world this week. LBI, based in Stockholm, has acquired Danish agency, Triple Copenhagen, in a deal thought to be worth around £15 million. The Danish digital agency has a number of high-profile clients on its books, including Rezidor Hotel Group, IKEA, Hotel Missoni, and DONG Energy. LBI has a global footprint, and employs around 1,400 staff working in key European, American and Asian markets. (TirpleLBI)