NEWS: OpenX Beta Testing Programme

OpenX Beta Testing Programme

OpenX 2.5 beta is out and the march towards the next stable release has begun. We need your help testing this new version to ensure that no bugs remain undiscovered.

What's new in OpenX 2.5 beta?

• New developer API 
  Do you want to write applications which interact with OpenX? Using the new OpenX API, developers can write third party applications which create campaigns, retrieve statistics and control your ad server.
• Faster ad tag 
  If you serve more than one ad per webpage you should try our new ad tag. The "single page call" ad tag only makes one request to the ad server for each webpage, even when there is more than one ad to display. The result is faster, more efficient ad serving and more delivered inventory.
• New targeting options 
  We've added new features to help you target ads more effectively. It's now easier topass custom data to the ad server and to use them for targeting based on string ornumeric comparison. As a result, it is even easier to pass custom data for demographic and behavioural targeting.
• Under the hood 
  You will notice other changes as part of our work to make integration and customization of OpenX easier. You will quickly see the changes to the user interface including theme enhancements and a new dashboard tab but the ad management workflow remains consistent. We have also introduced a sophisticated user permission system allows individual user accounts and an audit trail of user activity.

Want more detail? We've created a full list including all the features, great and small, which we've included in this beta.

AdBrite Opens Platform, So You Can Play with Targeting Ads

While most ad networks offer one way or another to target ads across websites, what would you think about having several methods available within a single ad network? AdBrite is becoming that single ad network, with the revelation of itsOpen Targeting Exchange (OTX).

AdBrite Launches Open Targeting Exchange

Written by Allen Stern - April 10, 2008

Online advertising network AdBrite (our coverage) is announcing the launch of the Open Targeting Exchange or OTX today. I have to say that it took me a bit of time to understand what this OTX does and I've bought hundreds of millions in media over my career.

Here is how the Open Targeting Exchange works. Basically if you imagine that there three parts of the ad transaction: the ad, the network serving the ad and the page view displaying the ad. Normally the middle piece of serving the ad is through some proprietary matching process by the ad network. AdBrite has ripped open that piece of the transaction and is allowing other companies to plug their matching process algorithms into the ad serving portion.

AdBrite claims publishers will benefit from improving revenue yield, and advertisers will generate better results. OTX launches with two initial partners, Lucid Media (formerly Entrieva) and Personifi, who provide contextual matching algorithms for text ads. 

The Web page explaining how the OTX works only has one large graphic that really doesn't explain much about the service. If the average media buyer is going to get excited about this launch, there will need to be more text and more pictures - maybe even a video.