Tighter money calls for better measurement. DoubleVerify has launched a new “Attention Lab” that looks beyond clicks and viewability to assess exposure and engagement. These are apparently less disrupted by new privacy rules and, one hopes, do a better job of predicting business impact.
LUMA reports that martech mergers and acquisitions continue their downward trend, with the number of $100+ million deals falling from nine in the Q3 2021 to three in Q3 2022. LUMA’s index of public martech stocks is down 56%, far worse than the S&P 500 (down 17%) or Nasdaq 100 (down 27%). Private financing is also down from the end of last year but, ever hopeful, LUMA reports there continues to be “significant” investor interest in the category.
IAB Tech Lab is doing its part to improve measurement by extending its Open Measurement SDK to cover Connected TV. The SDK helps publishes integrate with multiple measurement providers, making it easier for advertisers to apply their measurement tools of choice. I needn’t remind you that Connected TV is one of the hottest, and most fragmented, new advertising categories. But I just did.
T-Mobile will acquire out-of-home adtech business Vistar Media for $600 million. Vistar Media is managing advertising campaigns across over one million digital screens. Its capabilities will combine with T-Mobile’s customer insights and data and its extensive in-store retail media network.