The data management element serves audience-related insight directly into DataXu’s targeting platform, which can also leverage other DSPs for buying purposes. Inventory sources run the gamut and criss-cross channels — from exchanges to supply-side platforms to video ad networks and exchanges.

Like other data management platforms, DataXu offers the ability to incorporate and manage first-party customer data with access points to third-party data providers (BlueKai, eXelate, Datonics, Rapleaf, etc.). Throughout campaigns, analytics data is entered into the system for targeting optimization. As the company does not run a third-party data marketplace, DataXu is citing the platform’s neutrality as an advantage (i.e., no conflicts of interest).

Unlike Turn’s DMP, DataXu’s data management functions are not a standalone product. However, as DataXu VP of Marketing Aaron Kechley noted, “the product is integrated, but open — so we will work with other DSPs.”

The company claims the new platform doubles campaign effectiveness and offers a threefold increase in data ROI. Clients using the DMP-integrated platform have reported up to 300% improvement in customer retention while reducing media costs by 60%.

The biggest challenge for CMOs is creating value from the flood of consumer data as everything goes digital,” said DataXu cofounder and CEO Mike Baker. “DX3 is a game-changer because it allows marketers to use their existing digital investments to discover real-time consumer insights that drive sales.”

The DX platform emerged from stealth mode at TechCrunch 50 in 2009; video and mobile RTB capabilities were introduced last year, while DataXu rounded out its offerings with the DX Social solution.

ADOTAS - Cox Digital Solutions

• Building on its recent pre-bid verification developments, ad verifier AdSafe Media has introduced real-time data feeds for RTB-endowed platforms, plugging the company’s various quality measurements — Brand Safety Scores, User Engagement Quality Ratings and Contextual Relevance — into the auction process prior to bidding.

• According to a survey of over 1,200 Facebook users by Crowd Science’s JustAsk! research initiative, only 9% of respondents reported “liking” a brand page.

• Facebook commerce (or f-commerce) specialist Zibaba, which powers Facebook storefronts, has introduced a storefront-integrated ad solution, f-Commerce Ads Direct, that allows Facebook merchants to sell their wares and market their stores/goods from a single solution.

• Here’s a new (affiliate) twist on pay per engagement — performance marketing solution supplier Direct Response Technologies has introduced a social media engagement payout model within the DirectTrack affiliate management platform, allowing merchants and networks to track and pay affiliates when referred users interact with brands through various social networks.

• Mobile analytics firm Flurry estimates that at $1.9 billion in 2011, U.S. smartphones game revenue will top the combined game revenue from Nintendo DS and Sony PSP ($1.4 billion). The game revenue from the latter two has been on the decline for the last three years, seemingly due to massive smartphone penetration.

ADOTAS

The new channels will be available to Burst’s ecosystem of independent publishers to complement their self-produced content. Covering genres such as from food, fashion, celebrity gossip and gardening, Burst’s channels feature content from blinkx direct-play partners such as Reuters, Howcast, CelebTV, GeoBeats and TVGuide. In addition, Burst has partnered with social media advertiser BlogFrog.

ADOTAS

VidLogic offers clients access to 95% of available online video inventory through partnerships with exchanges and networks as well as direct agreements with premium publishers. Through AdoTube’s video ad serving technology, clients can deploy proprietary AdoTube units such as Polite Pre-Roll, which accounts for 30% of the company’s served video ads. The unit allows viewers to skip in-stream video ads and had a view-through rate of 45%. Sweetening the pot for clients is the recently opened production arm, A20 Productions, for developing video ad creative.

In addition to AdoTube’s targeting technology — which includes demographic and zip-code-level geographic methods plus its Response-Based targeting tool that employs data garnered from advertiser-composed surveys aimed at target audiences – clients can integrate the plethora of third-party audience targeting services. Finally, AdoTube offers tracking across all inventory sources as well as cross-platform analytics (that can be broken down by ad unit) that measure reach and frequency across online video, mobile and connected devices.

“As an agency veteran, I saw an inherent need for a platform to simplify the extremely complex video advertising process,” said Brian Mandelbaum, AdoTube vice president of Platform Development & Strategy. “With VidLogic, we took it a step further by adding support for nearly all vendors and insights that brand advertisers were eagerly awaiting.”

ADOTAS

• According to a joint survey by Sybase 365 and the Mobile Marketing Association, 62% of the 1,000 consumers polled would be willing to make purchases with their mobile devices during the holiday season if motivated through coupons, discounts, text alerts, gift cards or even loyalty points. That’s double the number who said the same the year before. More interesting, a quarter claimed they would be more likely to make mobile payments if the solution was offered by their financial institution — 18% would be enticed if their credit card company offered that ability, while 22% would appreciate it coming from PayPal. But what about Google?

• Facebook has acquired Strobe, a business that helps developers distribute apps to multiple platforms at the same time. Strobe’s development platform (which is in beta and will remain available for a while) uses HTML5, which is of interest to Facebook as it works toward creating a common app platform — as is Strobe’s founder, Charles Jolley, evidently. Business Insider is calling the acquisition a talent hire.

• ChoiceStream has added Audience Intelligence Reports to its CRUNCH Audience Targeting Platform, which uses the company’s proprietary intent data to predict audience reaction to brand messages. In addition to detailed audience demographic and engagement reports, the feature offers visual representation of how segments react to display campaigns.

• Rocket Fuel has introduced Social Booster for Facebook, a data-driven tool for automating the creation, monitoring and management of display campaigns on the social network.

• Adobe has opened its Project Adthenticate — with the goal of streamlining ad validation and trafficking process for advertisers and publishers – to the wider online advertising community through a public beta.

ADOTAS

Mobile application enhancer Urban Airship raised $15.1 million in a Series C round that included salesforce.com and Verizon as well as existing investors Foundry Group and True Ventures. Urban Airship’s funding total now sits at $21.6 million. Last week the company purchased SimpleGeo, a platform for building location-based mobile apps.

StarStar operator Zoove has introduced its first number for instant charitable giving — dialing **HERO (**4376) from a mobile device automatically contribute $10 to the Wounded Warrior Project, which offers support for both U.S. veterans and soldiers on active duty who were injured while in service.

Operative has been tapped by news outlet The Guardian to merge its print and digital ad businesses. Across its digital and print properties, The Operative.One platform will be the Guardian’s single system for sales, ad operations, billings and cross-platform product initiatives.

According to Technorati’s 2011 State of the Blogosphere and Social Media Report, two-thirds of bloggers are writing about brands, but the communication between the two parties sounds a bit icy: 60% of that group claim they are treated less professionally by brand representatives compared to traditional media while fewer than 20% think brands provide valuable information. Even worse, about 20% of bloggers say that brands are asking them to compromise their credibility or content standards.

Euclid Elements emerged from stealth with $5.8 million in from a Series A round of financing led by New Enterprise Associates with additional participations from Harrison Metal, Triple Point Capital and other investors. Cofounded by COO Scott Crosby (one of the main brains behind Google Analytics), Euclid’s “real-world” analytics allow brick and mortar retailers the ability to understand costumer behavior in a fashion similar to how online retailers analyze site visitors.

ADOTAS

Every year Clickbooth exhibits at ad:tech NY and not only hosts an exclusive party, but brings the industry’s elite together for a great networking opportunity. This year is no different! You can expect to be entertained all night with a performance by old school hip-hop artist Skee-Lo (known for his hit “I Wish”), Maxim’s Hometown Hottie Model Erin McKinnon, DJ Jaam, a fire dancer and an open bar from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. for VIPs.

Don’t be left out in the cold (literally), be sure to RSVP to get in the door!

What: Clickbooth presents Affiliate Awakening II

Where: Amnesia NYC, 609 W. 29th Street, NY, NY 10001

When: Wednesday, November 9th, 10pm – 3am

RSVP: Here!

But ClearSpring’s acquisition was a major one too — Xgraph, a data science firm concentrating on social graph modeling and monetization. It’s real-time data processing technology can reportedly handle 10 tetrabytes of data a day.

“Clearspring is at the epicenter of two major shifts online—the web becoming social and personal, and advertising becoming data-driven and accountable,” McGrory said. “The common thread in both changes is data. To compete in this new world, companies will not only need the ability to access and process big data, but also have the ability to activate that data to create value for consumers, publishers and advertisers.”

Yes, I still play ping pong a good deal as many of my musician pals are avid pongers, which I mention to AdSafe CEO Scott Knoll at his company’s joint party with m6d at SPiN, a classy ping pong/drinking establishment by the Empire State Building (I actually met co-owner Susan Surandon on a previous visit and tried my best not to think about this). He replies that it’s the same with ad tech people — in fact, his old DoubleClick boss Kevin Ryan was the company ping pong champion and still plays competitively.

The ad techers’ affinity for ping pong takes center stage as the tournament gets going: the teams, mainly based on company divisions, are fiercely competitive (but still friendly — most of them have to work together the next day) and foul words go flying — it’s amazing the things that come out of people’s mouths when they slam the ball off the table.

Alas, I can’t join the action because, man about town I am, I have a Vibrant Media party to hit later. So I stick to the sidelines, getting some more details from Knoll about AdSafe’s recently launched Engagement Quality Ratings, pre-bid verification technology. I also run into m6d CEO Tom Phillips, who informs me the company I used to know as Media6Degrees has quietly rebranded itself as m6d and renamed its specialty “prospect targeting.”

“It’s dry, but true,” Phillips commented. “And it needs to be true.”

Previously, m6d was known as a leading social targeting firm, but that classification ended up causing much confusion as social targeting has nothing to do with social media. While social targeting gets maligned a lot as “lookalike targeting,” prospect targeting is actually a fairer description of what m6d does — target users with similar aspects to current customers/site visitors who have shown an affinity for the brand.

As we’re both big music guys (I still remember getting distracted while interviewing Phillips by a conference room named “Max’s Kansas City“ and a framed copy of The Cars‘ self-titled debut album on the wall), Phillips introduces me to Brian Dalessandro, director of data mining and statistical analysis, who I actually already knew from his band Hi, Mountain (which may have a new name soon). Dalessandro also plays drums for the m6d house band (I have a standing invite to jam at their next get-together) as well as Something Heavy, which is led by Alan Chapell of Chappell & Associates.

Chappell, who is definitely a great resource when it comes to the legal issues surrounding data collection and online privacy, was hanging out too and promoting Something Heavy’s next gig at the Canal Room on Nov. 8. From the pictures on the Facebook site, he looks like a helluva frontman — I can’t wait to get the live experience next week.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Lindsey Bourne, marketing manager for Legolas, a startup focusing on buying and selling audience futures. Forget real-time bidding — how about future-time bidding? (Yay, another acronym — FTB.) Before rushing back to her ping pong match, Bourne excitedly explained how Legolas’ technology forecasts the audience that will arrive on a site and enables advertisers to bid on serving impressions to these future visitors — going out as far as two or three months at the moment. Could this be the new guaranteed, audience-targeted inventory for advanced campaign planning?

On a side note, Legolas just partnered with consumer and market intelligence firm SymphonyIRI to leverage in-store purchase behavior and sales data into the media buying and campaign measurement processes.

But enough business — let’s see some little balls being smacked around! The winner of the tournament was Team Mindshare, made up of Abraham Madampil, MindShare ad operations manager, and Rob Patcher, AdSafe account manager. I hope the prize was a golden paddle — those can come in really handy in the bedroom… When you need to swat a mosquito… Yeah…

All photos courtesy of Michelle Wild of MWild Photography.