Media.net Launches Next Generation Ad Targeting at IAB Annual Leadership Meeting

Amidst Mounting Privacy Concerns, Tightening Government Regulation and Increased Consumer Advocacy, Media.net Wants Publishers and Marketers to Rediscover the Power of Content

Today at the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Annual Leadership Meeting (#IABALM), Media.net COO Namit Merchant introduced an important new feature of The Media.net Programmatic Platform that embraces IAB Content Taxonomy 2.0 and OpenRTB 3.0.

This new feature helps publishers and marketers rediscover the power of content by making Media.net’s best-in-class contextual targeting engine available for third party use for the first time. Media.net is now offering page-level content segments to both publishers and buyers that use its Programmatic Platform. Currently this feature is in Closed Beta, but will soon be available to all Media.net Partners.

Media.net is using the new standard created and launched last year by the IAB: IAB Content Taxonomy 2.0.

One of the many ways this page-level content targeting is available is through OpenRTB 3.0 Bid Requests sent to compatible demand partners. Media.net Marketplace is one of the first programmatic platforms to upgrade to OpenRTB 3.0 in hopes of moving the industry forward on true transparency and the next phase of programmatic.

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“There was a time when publishers differentiated themselves through the quality of their content—and marketers targeted their messages to the context of their ad placement,” said Namit Merchant, COO of Media.net. “Content was king.”

“However, throughout the rise of digital, the top players have not owned or created content,” continued Merchant. “Instead, they managed platforms that attracted users and gleaned insights into their intent by what they searched, what they shared, who their friends were, and what they bought. It’s no surprise then, that content took a back seat. Now, not only are publishers finding it hard to stand out from the pack, but privacy concerns are also mounting, governments are tightening regulations, and some of the software that powers the web is making it increasingly difficult to target audiences.”

Media.net is trying to move the industry forward in a challenging time by not only bringing this valuable product to their partners but also leading the conversation on the value of context. Today at the IAB All Leadership Meeting, Doug Lauretano, SVP at Media.net co-moderated a “Town Hall” with Meredith Corp. Chief Marketing and Data Officer Alysia Borsa where they jointly led a discussion around the uses and importance of contextual data.

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Among the specific attributes of the new feature of The Media.net Programmatic Platform:

Advantages for publishers

•     All tiers of IAB Content Taxonomy 2.0 segments surfaced on page level for any use
•     Leverage a decade of innovation in contextual targeting to sell inventory, structure your site and manage revenue
•     Offer programmatic guaranteed, private marketplace, and even non-programmatic packages
•     Deeper content segmentation, custom categories, and custom segments offered in the advanced platform

Advantages for advertisers

•     IAB Content Taxonomy 2.0 available on all Media.net Marketplace requests
•     OpenRTB 3.0 compliant marketplace sends context data to compatible platforms
•     Content targeting bundled with brand safety controls at no extra cost increases the working media reaching the publisher’s ultimate auction
•     High quality reach in cookie deficient environments

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