Another Search Firm Embraces Exchange-Traded Display Ads

Hearst-owned iCrossing has become the latest search agency to try and boost its display ad chops by partnering with a demand-side platform.

Scottsdale, AZ-based iCrossing will work with DataXu to support real-time ad optimization and bidding on ad exchanges such as Yahoo's Right Media and Google's DoubleClick Ad Exchange.

The move follows a slate of developments in which search agencies have made advances in the display arena. Recently, four search firms - Efficient Frontier, SearchIgnite, Kenshoo, and Marin Software - joined a Right Media pilot program involving real-time bid display ads. Back in April, SEM firm Efficient Frontier launched a DSP of its own, fusing real-time bidding functionality with search campaign management.

While not purely a search agency, iCrossing's roots are in the search arena. Dax Hamman, the agency's VP of display media, said in a statement that data integration is key to the company’s clients' exchange ambitions.

“We wanted a partner...that could provide the technical framework in which we can test the effectiveness of multiple data sources for our clients," he said.

iCrossing was not the only search firm to announce new moves into display this morning. Marin Software, a search management platform company that manages $1 billion in marketing spend annually, today released applications for managing Facebook Advertising. The new features allow clients to manage algorithmic bidding, segmentation, and ad rotation on Facebook, alongside their search campaigns on Google, Bing, and Yahoo.