BlueKai Closes $21 Million in Funding

Intent-focused, auction-based data exchange BlueKai on Monday said it closed a C round of financing worth $21 million, and led by GGV Capital. Rather than selling inventory directly, Bellevue, WA-based BlueKai helps marketers create custom audiences and reach prospects by matching audience segments to available inventory from portals and ad networks. “This round will be used to scale our business by continuing to innovate how data is bought and sold,” said Omar Tawakol, CEO of BlueKai. “In particular, BlueKai is rapidly deploying new APIs and real-time systems that allow networks, demand-side platforms and agency trading desks to build the BlueKai marketplace into their own offerings.”

Read More: MediaPost

Super Bowl XLIV: Pass It To The Crowd

Things are changing with Super Bowl TV advertising. In the last few years we’ve seen big name players like Doritos and Pepsi refocus their efforts to leverage a different kind of consumer — a consumer excited to be engaged and empowered; a consumer with access to a ready community, eager to be influenced. Ninety-three million people watch the Super Bowl. How many Facebook friends, Twitter followers and members of the blogosphere does this audience represent? Don’t miss out. Seek to engage this massive audience by empowering them to act. Don’t just entertain them with an expensive or celebrity-focused TV spot.

Read More: Adotas

Eyeing Growth, ThePlatform Launches a New Video Management Platform

Comcast-owned white label video service ThePlatform is launching what it is describing as the biggest overhaul of its video management system since the company was started a decade ago. Apart from a total remake of the system’s user interface (and it is very different, i.e. a novice might actually be able to use it), most of the changes are under the hood, designed to improve “stability and reliability.” But CEO Ian Blaine tells us that there are strategic elements involved here too. The new system makes it easier for companies with big online video libraries to ensure that their content can be viewed on different types of devices—obviously useful given the profusion of devices with different screen sizes and requirements. (Think the Flash-free iPad). But perhaps even more important to ThePlatform’s growth, Blaine says the new system should be attractive to smaller customers.

Read More: PaidContent.org