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AOL secures acquisition of Vidible

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AOL has acquired Vidible, an independent cross-screen video management and exchange platform for digital media. Headquartered in Bellevue, with additional offices in New York City and San Francisco, Vidible allows content creators to expand the distribution reach and monetisation options of their video content, while publishers are given the option to source and manage content, creating new advertising-based revenue streams.

In AOL’s official announcement, the acquisition will allow the company to expand its video stack with new video content management tools; increase the availability and management of premium video to publishers and content owners via a self-serve platform; add a video content exchange that will plug into AOL’s monetisation platforms; and add a team of highly experienced operators, product and technical leaders.

“AOL is focused on transforming the digital media environment by creating an open marketplace for video,” says Dermot McCormack, President, AOL Video and Studios. “We are thrilled to welcome the Vidible team to AOL as we accelerate our mission of providing our partners with the platform and tools they need to better create, curate, syndicate and monetise their content across the globe.”

Tim Mahlman, President and Co-Founder of Vidible adds, “We’re excited to be joining AOL, a company that’s on the forefront of video. The combination of AOL Video and Vidible accelerates our vision of making content management and syndication available to video content creators and publishers everywhere.”

Cheil Worldwide buys stake in Iris Worldwide

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Cheil Worldwide has reached a deal to buy an unspecified stake in Iris Worldwide, a London-based international agency network with clients including Samsung, Shell, Adidas, Barclaycard and Domino’s. While Iris joins Cheil in a strategic partnership, both will continue to operate as separate entities for the time being.

Although both companies have declined to reveal terms of the deal, Cheil has made a significant initial investment, with the potential to acquire the business in its entirety within the next five years. Iris’ partnership with US media company Merideth – which has held a 15-25 percent stake since 2011 – will now come to a close as a result of this new acquisition.

“Our goal was to find the right partner who could match our determination and drive,” says Daiki Lim, President and Chief Executive, Cheil Worldwide. “We’ve watched with awe how Iris has built its global business and we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with their brand.”

Ian Millner, Iris’ joint Chief Executive adds, “We’re about to enter the most exciting chapter for Iris. The partnership won’t change who we are or what we do as a creative innovation network – but will extend our global reach and capabilities, and enable our clients and people to benefit from the huge opportunity presented by a true ‘East meets West’ and ‘West meets East’ network.”

Cheil Worldwide currently employs 5,000 staff in 48 offices and eight affiliate offices. Iris Worldwide has more than 1,000 employees across 17 offices worldwide.

Apple brings programmatic to iAd

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Apple is partnering with a number of ad tech companies to bring programmatic buying to iAd, Apple’s mobile ad network. Allowing advertisers to automate ad buys and reporting across 250,000 iOS apps, Apple’s new partners include MediaMath, The Trade Desk, GET IT Mobile, Accordant Media, AdRoll and Adelphic. Apple has released an updated API for its automated buying platform iAd Workbench to power programmatic, ensuring that partners can use their own systems for managing campaigns and bids, including viewing and retrieving analytic data.

“We’re thrilled to have been chosen by Apple to help bring automation to iAd’s direct order business and to provide access to premium mobile buyers from around the world,” says Gregory R. Raifman, President, Rubicon Project. “We look forward to providing buyers with access to iAd’s unprecedented audience targeting capabilities and our full-stack direct order automation solution.”

Adam Berke, President and CMO of AdRoll adds, “AdRoll has a long history of being first to market with new inventory sources and innovative functionality. We’re excited to bring the power, precision and scale of programmatic buying to a high quality, in-demand inventory source. AdRoll is committed to bringing developers and advertisers of all sizes cross-device solutions for a world gone mobile.”

As of 2013, iAd accounted for 2.7% of the US mobile ad market ad market, while Apple’s share of the country’s smartphone market sat at 40%.

Integral-OMG publishes paper on mobile devices

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Integral-OMG, the research arm of Omnicom Media Group MENA, has partnered with specialist digital marketing agency Resolution and Google to produce a comprehensive mobile white paper, ‘Upward Mobility: Reflecting on the Growth of Mobile in MENA.’

Integral-OMG’s research shows that an average smartphone user in the region currently spends upwards of four hours per day on these devices. Google reports that consumers in the UAE have an average of three internet-enabled devices and that mobile devices account for 50 percent of YouTube viewership in Saudi Arabia. Advertisers are regarding it more and more as a valuable medium with plans for greater investments; by 2020, Omnicom Media Group estimates that 58 percent of all digital investments in the region will be on mobile.

‘Upward Mobility’ provides further insights on consumer behavior around the device, the emergence of the second screen in television consumption and the rise of the mobile transactions in the region. While there is a lag, both globally and regionally, between users’ adoption of the medium and that of advertisers and publishers, this gap is being bridged over time. The paper outlines what changes need to take place for all parties to realise the full potential of this ubiquitous platform.

“Our latest white paper takes a closer look at the state of mobile in the region and analyses the implications on the communications industry,” says Ziad Skaff, Regional Executive Director – Research and Insights, Omnicom Media Group MENA. “It not only goes beyond the top-line penetration and usage figures, but also explores the behaviours of users, advertisers and publishers. Mobile devices will continue to transform the way we target and communicate with consumers. In order to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the media, the mindset of the industry has to similarly evolve.”

Wassim Kabbara, Head of E-commerce, Retail and Local at Google MENA adds, “The region has one of the highest number of smartphone users in the world. With more than half of search queries and YouTube views coming from mobile, and 90 percent of users who are online daily on their devices, the opportunities are endless. One of our top priorities in MENA is to help businesses become mobile leaders in their own right, offer best practices and help them innovate through this medium beyond just advertising.”

CNC and Capital MSL to merge

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CNC – Communications and Network Consulting – and Capital MSL, have announced their intention to merge. The combined consultancy will adopt the CNC name and offer clients a stronger international network and broader advisory capabilities. This step will considerably strengthen the overall group offering, as well as add a prominent Middle East and emerging markets presence – including offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai – to CNC’s network.

The new CNC will begin operations on January 1, 2015, with 11 offices in eight countries working on more than 200 mandates globally. It will continue to offer a broad range of integrated strategic communications services, including financial and corporate communications, reputation management, crisis and issues management, internal and change communications and public affairs. As part of the MSLGROUP network, the combined operation will leverage the skills of strategic and financial communications sister consultancies, such as Kekst & Company in the US and JKL in the Nordic region, in addition to expanding its presence in Asia and Latin America.

Richard Campbell, Founder and CEO of Capital MSL and Roland Klein, currently Managing Partner of CNC London, will be joint Managing Partners in London as well as overseeing the growth in the Middle East. Claire Maloney and Nick Bastin, both shareholders and Managing Director’s of Capital MSL, will become Partners in the new firm, alongside the existing 10 Partners in the CNC Group.

“Since Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of CNC in 2012, it was clear that not only did we advise clients around similar issues, but that we also had the same vision for the future,” says Richard Campbell, Founder and CEO, Capital MSL. “It makes strong strategic sense to combine the two networks to create an impressive international organisation of real scale, serving our clients as their most trusted advisor. After a successful and highly enjoyable thirteen years of growth as Capital MSL, we are convinced that this is the right step for our colleagues and clients, helping them to realise their own ambitions on a more international stage and in a more complex communications environment.”

BBM Channels collaborates with Hootsuite

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BlackBerry has announced that BBM Channels – the BBM subscription service – can now be managed with social relationship platform Hootsuite, allowing social media teams to engage with their Channel followers directly from the Hootsuite dashboard. The integration will allow Hootsuite owners to incorporate BBM Channels into their social strategy, leveraging a mobile and highly engaged audience. All users across Hootsuite’s Free, Pro and Enterprise tiers will be able to manage their BBM Channels, and for social media practitioners, community managers and digital marketers, Hootsuite will make it easy to incorporate content from other owned social media channels into their promotional strategies on BBM.

“Managing a brand’s social media presence is a juggling act,” says Matthew Talbot, Senior Vice President, Emerging Solutions at BlackBerry. “Marketers need tools that can help them automate and streamline the management of content across multiple platforms. With Hootsuite, we’ve made it as simple as clicking a button to share posts on BBM Channels to other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and vice-versa.”

The owner of a BBM Channel can engage directly with their subscribers from the Hootsuite dashboard – posting messages, sharing pictures, sparking discussions, moderating and responding to posts, and sharing other brand-related content. As the community interacts with the content, the dashboard provides real-time analytics to the Channel owner that measure and report users’ activity.

Greg Gunn, Vice President of Business Development at Hootsuite adds, “With the undeniable popularity of messaging apps, brands are looking for ways to join in the conversation. Our collaboration with BlackBerry on the BBM Channels app will empower users to leverage social strategies in real-time across multiple platforms, straight from the Hootsuite dashboard.”

Four Communications to acquire Consolidated PR

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Four Communications, part of the Four Communications Group, has made an offer to acquire 100 percent of Consolidated PR Limited, the UK public relations brand. The offer has been recommended by the board of Consolidated PR and more than 90 percent of shareholders have already agreed. The deal is expected to be completed successfully sometime in early October, 2014.

With the addition of Consolidated PR, Four Communications Group’s fee income would reach up to £15.5 million. Nick Clark, Managing Director of Consolidated PR would join the Four Communications Group operating Board, and Directors Will Holt, Elspeth Rothwell, Liz Fay and Anne Clarke would become Practice Directors. Upon completion, Consolidated PR would initially retain its brand whilst the companies plan for the future.

“We are please to make this offer to the shareholders of Consolidated PR and look forward to the completion of the deal as the next step in both our futures,” says Nan Williams, Chief Executive, Four Communications Group. “Consolidated PR is an excellent fit alongside our other communications teams and does exceptional work for their list of clients.”

Nick Clark, Managing Director of Consolidate PR adds, “We believe the future of communications is integrated and international, so by joining Four Communications we are opening up those opportunities for our clients and people. The board has unanimously voted to recommend this future to shareholders.”