IAR Bits and Bytes

Atlas DMT Enhances Product with WARP

Seattle-based online ad server Atlas DMT is taking the wraps off a new version of its campaign management platform that features a speedier analytics architecture.

Atlas DMT, a unit of interactive agency Avenue A , said the enhancements — dubbed Web Analysis Results Profiler, or WARP — processes campaign data 70 percent faster than rival offerings.

Atlas DMT said WARP technology powers Version 3.0 of its Atlas Suite of online ad planning and optimization products, including its Site Finder behavior-based planning service; Vital Signs campaign and site analytics tool; Optimization Advisor; GRP & Reach Forecaster; and Reach & Frequency Reporting.

WARP derives its speed and robustness from a proprietary programming language and a distributed computing infrastructure. The result is in-depth analysis on target audience information, site-side activity and transactions, Atlas DMT said.

“Marketers want their online advertising campaigns to provide a clearer picture of their customer’s behavior, but to do this, they need help slicing through the vast amounts of data the Internet provides,” said Atlas DMT President Tom Sperry. “Atlas Suite 3.0 with WARP provides our customers with insights found in the majority of data that other ad servers just can’t process. And it was built with the future in mind — a future where more and more media is digital and more marketers are taking advantage of the power of the medium.”

NYT Looks to Promote “Sessions”

The New York Times’ online unit is looking to encourage agencies to experiment with its “surround session” ad format, through a design contest.

The format, introduced on NYTimes.com in November, entails a visitor to the site seeing ads for only a single advertiser throughout their browsing session. Because successive pages will show ads from the same company — using placements in all of the site’s banner, skyscraper and large rectangle units — NYTimes.com officials originally imagined advertisers using the format to create advanced campaigns, such as creative that tells a story across several pages.

To encourage that sort of immersive creative development, the site’s Innovation Awards is offering $50,000 to the advertising professional responsible for the most innovative campaign using the format. The designer’s client will receive $25,000 of free online inventory on the site. Winners will be announced in mid-August.

Already, the contest is proving a success, at least in encouraging agencies to examine the format. While about 40 advertisers have actually run surround session campaigns, almost twice that number have signed up to participate in the contest.

Judges for the awards include Peter Baker, business development manager for Procter & Gamble’s Tremor group; Kate Everett-Thorp, chairman of Carat Interactive; Seth Godin, best-selling author and consultant; Glenn Lowry, director of The Museum of Modern Art; and Jon Raj, director of advertising for Visa USA.

DoubleClick Taps Speedera

Web ad server DoubleClick is turning to Santa Clara, Calif.-based Speedera to boost its content delivery performance.

Speedera, which operates one of the world’s largest content delivery network , will give New York-based DoubleClick additional points of presence and improved scalability to handle unpredictable traffic spikes.

DoubleClick also will use the firm’s Origin Site Integration tool to control its use of Speedera’s delivery network, enabling it to use its own existing ad serving infrastructure in addition to Speedera’s CDN. DoubleClick also will use Speedera’s SpeedEye logging system.