Atlas DMT Launches Search, Renames GoToast
AQuantive integrates GoToast, goes after small- and medium-sized businesses.
AQuantive’s Atlas DMT technology division is expected Monday to debut Atlas Search, the search engine marketing module of its Atlas Digital Marketing Suite. The new module results from the integration of GoToast’s technology, which aQuantive acquired in December 2003, into Atlas’ suite aimed at agencies and enterprises.
The company renamed GoToast as Atlas OnePoint, and declared the unit will go after small- and medium-sized businesses. Besides offering its flagship search technology, the newly renamed division will develop other products for the SEM market.
The moves are aimed at positioning aQuantive to take advantage of the search marketing boom. It’s a market that competitor DoubleClick has its eyes on, as well. DoubleClick last week acquired search and affiliate marketing firm Performics in an effort to jumpstart its moves into the space. Jupiter Research, which shares a parent company with this publication, predicts search marketing will grow to $4.3 billion in revenues by 2008.
Atlas Search takes some of GoToast’s capabilities — specifically reporting and tracking features — and integrates them with existing media buying, creative management, ad serving and analytics modules.
“Our clients can measure return on ad dollars across media types in a consistent and centralized manner,” said Karl Siebrecht, vice president of strategy and product management at Atlas DMT.
Siebrecht says Atlas began its integration with the reporting features because marketers stood to gain most from the integration of those capabilities. The search tool also offers bid management and campaign optimization features, some of which will eventually be folded into the Atlas Suite.
“Further integration will mostly involve more and better workflow integration,” said Siebrecht.
GoToast is serving as the cornerstone of Atlas DMT’s new move into the small- and medium-sized business market. The new Atlas OnePoint name indicates Atlas’ intentions — to build a suite of products that will allow it to be a one-stop-shop for smaller marketers. Siebrecht said he thought a lightweight email and promotions engine would fit well with the OnePoint search tools, though the company doesn’t yet have those capabilities.
“A lot of the same tenets of integration are valuable for the small- and medium-sized guys, just as they are for the larger guys,” said Siebrecht.
The OnePoint products would follow GoToast’s self-service model, which has users buying the software online, then downloading and installing it themselves. Such a model allows Atlas to avoid high customer service costs. Siebrecht said GoToast already had “hundreds and hundreds” of customers gained through the self-service model.
