DoubleClick Buys Klipmart

DoubleClick has acquired video ad specialist Klipmart, and will combine the company's technology and services with its own DART Motif rich media platform.

The deal, for which terms were not disclosed, brings DoubleClick a step closer to legitimacy as an end-to-end solution for rich media advertising, particularly since Klipmart ranks among the more sophisticated providers of video production services, an area where Motif is historically weak.

Meanwhile, Klipmart should benefit from DoubleClick's democratic appeal to marketers, who for budgetary reasons may previously have shied away from the video vendor's reputation for high-end deployments.

With the acquisition, DoubleClick now employs 100 in rich media. In its announcement, the company said it will soon launch an "Innovation Lab" focused on taking video to multiple digital platforms.

Chris Young, Klipmart's CEO, will become EVP of rich media for DoubleClick, reporting directly to CEO David Rosenblatt. Klipmart co-founders Tristan Amzallag and Maria Klink will join DoubleClick's product management and service teams.

Klipmart is known for creating smooth user experiences for in-stream and in-page video ads, and for providing good customer service to agencies and advertisers. The company pioneered full-screen expansion of video ads, and publishes all video in multiple codecs to maximize the addressable audience.

"Klipmart has a superb reputation of creative video innovation and service," said David Rosenblatt, CEO of DoubleClick, in a statement. "Combining these strengths with DoubleClick's industry leadership, insight and global ad management platform will truly accelerate industry innovation in digital video and emerging advertising formats."

Klipmart's products will continue to be offered independently of DART, the companies said.

Klipmart was represented in the deal by The Jordan, Edmiston Group, a New York-based investment bank specializing in the media and information industries.