Crowdsourced Advertising Startup Trada Raises $9M in Funding

The crowdsourced online marketing company was set to announce Thursday that it had closed a $9 million Series D financing round from Foundry Group and Google Venture. The two investors had previously invested a combined $7.95 million in the company.

Trada CEO Niel Robertson said the new funding comes after a year of rapid growth for the company. Its head count grew from 30 to nearly 100 employees in 2011 while its total advertiser budget running in the marketplace expanded by 700 percent. While Trada’s largest advertiser had a monthly budget of $35,000 a month at the start of 2011, its biggest advertiser now has a monthly budget of $500,000, he said.

The company launched three years ago as a supplier of search advertising services to SMBs that Robertson felt were left behind in the paid search market. Instead of needing tools or a better interface, he said, they needed human expertise.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/crowdsourced-advertising-startup-trada-raises-9m-funding-137329

Slack & Co. acquires Metrica B2B

Chicago—Slack & Co. has acquired Metrica B2B, a b2b demand-generation consulting company. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed. Metrica will become part of a new unit of Chicago-based b2b agency Slack. As part of the deal, Keith Sullivan, founder of Metrica B2B, will lead the new unit at Slack & Co. and serve as an account director at the agency.

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120105/STRATEGY10/301059998/slack-co-acquires-metrica-b2b

Glam Media Will Test Investors' Appetite for Digital-Media IPOs

Glam was founded in 2005 by former Apple exec Samir Arora and funded at $130 million by a glittering coterie of Silicon Valley venture capitalists, including Tim Draper. Its business model is as old as advertising itself: Place big, lush display ads where users will see them. In this case, that means 2,500 websites -- mostly geared toward women -- you've probably never heard of, such as Women's Forum, SheFinds and 101 Cookbooks.

Glam CEO Mr. Arora enjoys talking about how Glam is No. 1 in reach and revenue among properties targeting women. "We don't have any competitors in the women's space, not even close," he said. Glam was the 10th most-trafficked U.S. web property in November, with 83.9 million unique visitors, according to ComScore.

Glam bought Ning, a platform for building social communities, for a reported $150 million late last year. Jason Rosenthal, Ning's exec VP-general manager, said a product is in the pipeline to help users "discover, find and curate some of the best content" across Glam's verticals.

Dentsu Gobbles up New York Agency M.L. Rogers

The independent agency will merge with Dentsu's U.S. flagship agency, Dentsu America . The M.L. Rogers name will disappear and both shops will function under the Dentsu America name going forward. M.L. Rogers has nearly 20 employees, who will be combined with the nearly 90 employees that Dentsu America houses in its downtown Manhattan headquarters.

Executives said the deal stems from a single client the two shops share: This summer, Dentsu won the Scotts digital business in September and started working collaboratively with Rogers, which handles the traditional creative. M.L. Rogers' other clients include Checkers/Rally's restaurants and Blistex, as well as project work for Moet Hennessey.

"We're better together than we are apart and more and more clients are asking for that type of integration and collaboration," Tim Andree, CEO of Dentsu Network West, told Ad Age. "The two agencies, because of their chemistry and the complement between the talent, will end up coming together as one stronger team. We expect the Dentsu clients and Rogers clients to be served better as a result and we expect it to grow."

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/japan-s-dentsu-purchases-york-agency-m-l-rogers/231990/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage

Neolane Lands $27 Million For ‘Conversational Marketing’ Tech

Marketing process automation software vendor Neolane has secured $27 million in funding in a round led by Battery Ventures, an investor in companies like Groupon, ExactTarget, Marketo, Bazaarvoice, Lotame and BlueKai.

Previous Neolane backers Auriga Partners, XAnge and board member Gilles Queru also participated in the round.

Neolane sells a centralized system that helps marketers and business owners track and manage marketing activity data from all across the board, thus enabling them to generate targeted messaging and relevant offers based on customer behavior and preferences.

The company says 400 B2C and B2B customers (including divisions of Fortune 500 organizations) rely on its marketing technology today, and that they’ve achieved profitability in 2011, after a decade in business. Alcatel-Lucent, Barnes & Noble, Orange and Sony Music are some of its clients.

http://www.neolane.com/usa/resources/articles/articles-2012/neolane-lands-27-million-tech-crunch

Deloitte acquires mobile agency Ubermind

Management consultancy Deloitte has acquired mobile agency Ubermind Inc. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but tech news site GeekWire pegged the price at $40 million to $50 million.
According to Deloitte, the transaction amplifies its professional services relating to strategy, creative, mobile, Web, e-commerce, content and enterprise mobile enablement.
Seattle-based Ubermind develops interactive and mobile products for a number of companies, including Apple Inc. and Target Corp.

http://www.geekwire.com/2012/confirmed-deloitte-buys-ubermind-making-play-mobile-apps

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120110/STRATEGY10/301109993/deloitte-acquires-mobile-agency-ubermind?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Online ad spending to surpass print, hitting $39.5B

U.S. online advertising spending, which grew 23.0% to $32.0 billion in 2011, is expected to grow an additional 23.3%, to $39.5 billion, this year, pushing it ahead of print newspaper and magazine ad spending for the first time, according to a new study by eMarketer Inc.
Print ad spending is expected to fall to $33.8 billion this year, from $36.0 billion in 2011.
Total ad spending is also expected to grow, according to the company. Despite concern about the troubled economy, total ad expenditures in the U.S. are expected to grow by 6.7% this year, to $169.5 billion, boosted by the national elections and summer Olympics in London. In 2011, overall ad expenditures grew 3.4%, to $158.9 billion, eMarketer said.

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120119/ADVERTISING14/301199994/online-ad-spending-to-surpass-print-hitting-39-5b?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Eric Mower, Strata-G merge

Eric Mower+Associates, Syracuse, N.Y., announced a merger with Strata-G Communications, Cincinnati. Financial terms were undisclosed. Under the merger, the Cincinnati office of Strata-G will be renamed Strata-G/Eric Mower+Associates, and all Strata-G staff will remain with the agency. Strata-G principals Jeff Eberlein and Tony Magliano will continue to lead the Cincinnati office and will join EMA as senior partners and board members.

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120118/STRATEGY10/301189996/eric-mower-strata-g-merge?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Deloitte, Accenture Are Among Big IT Players Looking to Learn Digital Biz of Marketing Brands to Consumers

http://adage.com/article/digital/tech-consulting-giants-slide-closer-creative-shop-turf/232083/

Deloitte recently acquired mobile shop Übermind for a reported $40 million after the Seattle agency entertained a range of suitors, including agency-holding companies. Having made its name in systems integration and enterprise technology, Deloitte is adding the creative and design chops that built consumer-facing products such as Apple's first online store and Target's mobile and tablet apps.

Deloitte is not the first IT consultant to see that need. It's following a path Sapient Corp. forged years ago when it created its own agency, SapientNitro, which brought in $515 million in global revenue in 2010.

Accenture Interactive isn't claiming quite yet that it's a creative agency. Instead, it's been working in tandem with digital agencies to pitch new business around the world. One of its partners is European shop LBi; Mr. Whipple declined to speak about that relationship but stressed that relationships with agencies are "complementary, not competitive."

Stripes Group Closes $25 Million Minority Growth Investment in eMarketer

Stripes Group has completed a $25 million minority investment in eMarketer (emarketer.com), a business information provider covering digital marketing, media and commerce.

Stripes’ equity stake was acquired by purchasing a portion of the equity held by early eMarketer investors, including the company’s major shareholder, Beehive Ventures, LLC, and the company’s founders. This recapitalization is designed to provide liquidity for long-time shareholders and support the rapid growth of eMarketer.

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103262434462-16/Stripes+Group_eMarketer+Press+Release_Jan2012.pdf

MDC Partners Picks Up RJ Palmer

RJ PALMER, a leading independent media agency, is being acquired by MDC Partners in a deal that underscores the growing importance to marketers of media services in a digital age.

RJ Palmer is based in New York and handles accounts with billings estimated at more than $800 million for brands like Ben & Jerry’s, sold by Unilever; Build-A-Bear Workshop; the footwear retailer DSW; Dulcolax, Flomax, Spiriva and Zantac, from Boehringer Ingelheim; Keurig, sold by Green Mountain Coffee; Lunesta, from Sunovion; Perdue Farms; Sherwin-Williams; and Sports Illustrated, published by the Time Inc. division of Time Warner.

The services provided to clients by RJ Palmer include media planning and buying as well as branded entertainment, which is focused on helping to incorporate brands into programming like television shows.

The deal, which is to be formally announced on Thursday, will cost MDC an estimated $25 million, including additional considerations based on future performance. RJ Palmer will operate as a stand-alone division of MDC; all of its senior managers and 70 employees are to continue with the agency.

RJ Palmer has offices in Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in addition to its headquarters in New York. The senior managers at RJ Palmer who will remain after the sale include, in addition to Mr. Knobloch, Jim Vail, president; Pete Regan, chief operating officer; Peter Stieglitz, chief financial officer; and Vince Laraia, president of Trade X Media.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/business/media/mdc-partners-picks-up-rj-palmer.html

Adobe, Looking To Grab Rising Online Video Ad Dollars, Buys Auditude

Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE) is continuing to build its advertising business through major acquisitions and this time, it’s buying Auditude, which operates a platform for managing online video ads. Terms of the deal, Adobe’s third since buying online analytics firm Omniture (NSDQ: OMTR) for $1.8 billion two years ago, weren’t disclosed.

It’s been noted many times that online video is the fastest growing segment of internet advertising. This year, U.S. online video advertising revenues of around $2 billion, eMarketer says, while the total online ad market will be about $30 billion. Video is attractive to advertisers for obvious reasons: it tends to command more attention than text or audio alone, and therefore provides the kinds of engagement metrics that brand marketers value.

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-adobe-looking-to-grab-rising-online-video-ad-dollars-buys-auditude/

Barclays: Lower Ad Growth For '12

In a new report, Barclays Capital is calling 2012 a “low growth environment” for the ad agency business. The financial firm is forecasting that agency organic revenue growth next will average 2.9%, down sharply from the 5.6% that the firm believes agencies will achieve in 2011.

 

Barclays also cited what it termed the “Wal-Mart Effect” on advertising, which it described as the shift of ad dollars from local to national media, as big marketers continue to seek greater efficiencies from their marketing budgets.

“National advertising has been gaining share of the total spending pie steadily since 1980, driven by the consolidation of media and advertising companies, not to mention the consolidation of corporate America,” the Barclays report stated. “We expect national advertising will represent approximately 38% of total U.S. advertising expenditures this year, up from 25% in 1980. Local advertising has lost 19 percentage points of share during this time.”

The firm reiterated its total U.S. ad spend growth projections for 2011 and 2012 of 1.4% and 4.0% respectively, which in both cases, is below the firm’s estimates for U.S. nominal GDP growth of 4% and 5%.
Those forecasts are directionally in line with other recent ad spend predictions. Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia, for example, estimates that 2011 U.S. spending will be up 2.2%, while 2012 growth will reach 3.5%.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/164379/barclays-lower-ad-growth-for-12.html#ixzz1jdfGo7YS

Coupon Value drops

Some 272 billion free-standing insert (FSI) coupons were distributed in 2011 -- a decline of 6.5% from 2010, according to estimates released today by WPP’s Kantar Media unit.

The 2011 decline follows two consecutive years of annual increases, including a 7.2% gain in 2010 and an 8.0% gain in 2009.

The decrease may be a positive indicator for the advertising marketplace, since marketers historically shift budgets from brand-building advertising into consumer price promotions during periods of weak consumer demand. During 2011, Kantar estimated the value of the coupons distributed was worth more than $421 billion in consumer price incentives.

Another strong indicator: the average “face value” of coupon offers did not increase during 2011. It actually declined slightly from 2010. At $1.55, the average face value per coupon distributed in 2011 was down 0.2% from 2010.

Coupled with declines in another important metric -- the average expiration time per coupon offer, which fell 5.2% from 2010 -- this indicates "that manufacturers are managing their financial exposure by maintaining current offer values, reducing the number of coupons distributed, and shortening the length of time that these offers are available in the market,” Kantar said.


Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/165126/marketers-hold-the-promo-line-in-2011-coupon-volu.html#ixzz1jdeZqY7v

Corbis to Acquire NMA Group

Corbis, the digital media company owned by Bill Gates that licenses the intellectual property rights to photographs, music and public personalities, is expanding again by acquiring the NMA Group in Los Angeles, a pioneer in the realm of branded entertainment, which helps marketers weave products into the plots of movies and television shows.

Clients of NMA, also known as Norm Marshall & Associates, include General Motors, Heineken, Puma, the SodaStream soda maker and the Xbox unit of Microsoft. The acquisition is to be announced on Monday.

“This will greatly expand our ability to offer advertisers ways to more closely affiliate with branded entertainment,” said Gary Shenk, chief executive at Corbis in Seattle.

NMA, which also has offices in New York and London, will operate as an autonomous unit of the entertainment division of Corbis.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/business/media/corbis-to-acquire-nma-group.html?_r=1

SolutionSet Media Whiz acquires D.L. Ryan

SolutionSet MediaWhiz has snapped up D.L. Ryan Cos., which owns shopper firm Ryan Partnership, among others.

The deal marks the creation of a new-school holding company. The companies will combine their efforts in Hyper Marketing, an umbrella company that will comprise Solution Set, MediaWhiz, Ryan Partnership and Catapult. Lake Capital, a private-equity firm in Chicago that bought a stake in SolutionSet in 2006, will have the majority interest in Hyper Marketing, with the remainder held by senior executives.

According to the Ad Age DataCenter, in 2010, D.L. Ryan Cos. had revenue of $105.7 million, MediaWhiz had $36.4 million and SolutionSet had $83.1 million. But Mr. Raj estimates the companies' combined revenue at a little north of $400 million.
 
The deal adds 600 employees to SolutionSet MediaWhiz, while Hyper Marketing has a workforce of more than 1,300 people in 19 cities. Its activities include direct and digital marketing, digital media-planning and buying, and shopper marketing and promotions.
 

Mr. Raj describes what he is building as a "future-driven model" willing to leave the companies under its umbrella discrete. At the same time, however, Hyper Marketing won't be hands off but will put together cross-unit solutions for clients when asked. Those clients include AT&T , American Express, Adidas, Cisco, Dell , eBay, Energizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg's, Office Depot, The Home Depot and Unilever .

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/solutionset-mediawhiz-buys-shopper-marketing-firm-d-l-ryan/232008/