Sizmek, the ad management platform, has pledged to retain its open ethos and will continue to build bridges with technology providers, despite its acquisition of StrikeAd.
The company announced its $11.7m acquisition of mobile Demand-Side Platform (DSP) StrikeAd earlier this month, which it claims will allow it to offer end-to-end mobile advertising solutions to advertisers.
StrikeAd will remain independent of its Sizmek MDX ad management platform, with the DSPs existing client relationships unaffected by the deal, it claims.
Speaking exclusively to M&M Global, Sizmeks Northern Europe regional director Ben Walmsley said it was the right opportunity to improve its mobile offering.
Mobile is a core focus for us. And if you look at the mobile market in terms of brand adoption, it’s still relatively nascent. We think there is a good opportunity to enter that market, because we have strong relationships with global advertisers, said Walmsley.
StrikeAd, for us, is an attempt to really build out our capabilities in programmatic and mobile, and give us a strong end-to-end offering, right from the conception of the ads, through to being able to build the ads, and the delivery and measurement.
Our plan in the near-term will be to integrate StrikeAd into the DSP Connect programme, but we will absolutely remain open to work with all the other DSPs we do today, he added.
‘Third choice’
Consolidation continues apace in the ad tech sector, with Walmsley insisting Sizmeks open management structure offers advertisers a third choice alongside relying on walled gardens and self-devised systems.
From an advertiser perspective, there are a few alternatives, he said.
You have the giants of the industry, who are media owners as well as technology providers. In some cases that presents a conflict of interest for clients, buying media and measuring effectiveness from the same source. But there are efficiencies that presents to.
Trying to be a systems integrator, and picking and choosing from those companies and piecing it together, is very difficult if you want that independence.
For us, what were aiming to do, is to be a third choice, an open alternative. But we’re needing to consolidate with strategic acquisitions or through partnerships.
Digital Generation and its subsidiaries, including MediaMind, rebranded as Sizmek in early 2014.
