The week in brief
Twitter and Omnicom sign mobile ad deal
Omnicom struck a $230m (£137.5m) mobile ad deal with Twitter last week, reportedly securing the media agency fixed ad rates, preferential inventory access, early information on new formats from Twitter, and an eventual integration of the two firm’s programmatic mobile ad exchanges. The agreement follows on from a partnership between Facebook and Publicis announced two weeks ago. Stewart Easterbrook of Starcom MediaVest, a Publicis-owned agency, told City PM that “while these deals sound like giant spending commitments, they’re more about sharing data, research, and allowing brands to understand how to use social media in combination with TV and other media. They are strategic partnerships, not price deals.”
Official sponsors lose out in World Cup shares
The Fifa World Cup’s official sponsors have fallen behind the likes of Nike and Samsung with the amount of shares their ads are generating in the run-up to the tournament. Research by Unruly Media last week found that the social media “share rate” of campaigns released by non-sponsors was 1.8 per cent, compared to 1.7 per cent for sponsors (including Adidas and Coca-Cola), calling into the question the value of these official partnerships for brands.
British media goes to China
As part of his eight-day visit to China, business secretary Vince Cable launched the Global Digital Media and Entertainment Alliance between the UK and China. Creative companies in the UK are set to benefit from £2bn worth of trade opportunities, he said.
InMobi launches programmatic mobile ad exchange
Advertisers will soon be able to buy native mobile ads programmatically on a global scale. Mobile ad network InMobi has teamed up with adtech firm Rubicon to launch the world’s largest mobile-first exchange, expected to reach 759m monthly users globally.
Comedy Dave to take on ad agencies
David Vitty, well-known as “Comedy Dave” on Chris Moyles’s Radio 1 breakfast show, will be head of development at the new, Camden-based production company Stripey Horse. The agency says it’s keen to work on branded content campaigns.
Google wants to place adverts on your fridge
Marketers were given a glimpse of Google’s plans to expand its ad inventory beyond smartphones and desktops recently, with the release of a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The document, submitted in December 2013 but released at the end of May, said that the firm expects the definition of “mobile” ads to gradually expand, eventually encompassing other connected devices like “refrigerators, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses, and watches.”
Ads of the week
A new out-of-home ad format from Exterion Media was rolled out on London’s Routemaster buses last week, with the fully-painted vehicles featuring Adidas’s “all in or nothing” World Cup campaign. Painted entirely black, the 32 buses (one for each team in the tournament) debuted on the capital’s streets last Saturday, and will feature throughout the duration of the tournament. The format is not expected to become widespread, with Exterion securing special dispensation from TfL just for this year.