.."sometimes the most reliable evidence is circumstantial evidence."
It has been well and truly documented that 2010 will see huge changes coming for display advertising & the overwhelming evidence clearly points to it's all being, on a Global basis. - Where total daily Ad impressions available and served (at such an immense scale) will get to reach Ad impression numbers in the vicinity of even hundreds of billions....And yes, daily.
RTB (real time bidding) auction based will be the foundation stone of this change. It's also clear that there will be separate ecosystems for both a premium and secondary marketplace. So clearly, there then becomes that often talked of (here) and what is a so obvious a need for an overall 'management' of or, a central control for all players at both levels. This should (also) appear by now, to be more than just a reasonable assumption.
From within my post elsewhere [re: Google see it different to me....] I have opined that (to me) It's pretty clear that Google (itself) would truly believe that their DoubleClick Exchange will get to be that 'center of activity'. And that, (at least) one industry veteran (a senior editor at ZDNet), does also feel that this will be so. I strongly disagree.
Google Positions Itself as the Hub of Online Advertising
Before any new launch (and certainly of a global marketplace involving the combination of many and varied technologies), extensive "testing" is required. As this new "game" is purely based on or, will be 'underpinned' by traffic, much 'circumstantial evidence' of such trends on many known (player) sites has been recorded with all, as according to traffic analysis coming from Alexa.com.
The market has been told that Looksmart's own AdCenter advertising network had 'managed' (handled) over 1 billion impressions and over 2 million paid clicks (daily), had, during the Q2 period of this year, 2009.
At that early stage of development I would suggest this was simply an 'all in' (test) mix of both publsher inventory being offered and of those Ads being bought. The introduction (now), of a defined Premium level has been made pretty clear of late by Yahoo itself, with it's RMX. (Exchange). A "quality" marketplace. - Leaving the secondary (or, the remnant) marketplace to then exist on it's own determination or, (separate) undertakings.
So,who does get to "manage" (both) such marketplaces?
Other evidence provided by myself (over at ShareCafe.com.au) has already shown that there are stated claims of (at least) 10 billion impressions daily being offered and on just one player's exchange, alone. That's ten times more than what Looksmart's own network has been claimed to have reached, and back in the Q2 period.
In this new game you don't just (all of a sudden) get to 'manage' over 1 billion impressions without having other established (Ad) networks being partnered with your own. Compatibility is the fundamental 'key' to such an occurance.
Technologies have a need to have been 'tested' and seen to have been working efficienty. Since Q2, it would seem that many segments of the overall marketplace would require (such) 'separate', intense testing.
The evidence shown below (from Alexa.com) clearly points out that at one stage (and possibly) under some kind of 'test' conditions Looksmart's own traffic (to it's AdCenter), is shown to have increased by (at least) TEN times it's 'normal' or, compared to that of the Co's previously stated having reached, 'over 1 billion daily impressions' had, back in the Q2 period.
Trailing 7 days Trailing 1 month Trailing 3 months Trailing 6 months Max
LC
Disclosure: Gladly hold LOOK shares.