ValueClick’s Mobile Advertising Unit Greystripe Announces Four Global Office Openings, Nine Executive Hires and a Doubling of Headcount in 2011

Greystripe is today announcing impressive expansion within the company, strengthening its position as the go-to mobile ad network for brand advertisers in North America and Europe. Since May, the company has doubled its team and opened four new offices in the U.S. while expanding its presence in Europe.

The largest brand-focused mobile ad network has doubled the size of its sales, engineering and operations staff, allowing it to offer innovative new products to its base of thousands of brand advertisers, agencies and mobile publishers.

As part of the expansion of its team, Greystripe has opened new sales offices in Atlanta, Seattle, Minneapolis and Phoenix. They are also announcing nine new executive hires. These new hires are:

·         Brian Pearlman, senior account executive, from Millennial Media

·         Ryan Bleich, senior account executive, from AOL

·         Chris Backschies, regional sales manager, from WeatherBug

·         Terah Bocchi, senior account executive, from Belo Phoenix

·         Jeff Margolis, senior account executive, from Adfusion

·         Bill Kramer, regional sales manager, from quadrantONE

·         Josh Parker, account executive, from Specific Media

·         Matt Sexton, regional sales manager, from RadiumOne

·         Ken Yonan, regional sales manager, from Specific Media

“We’re excited to grow our team and continue expanding in the coming year,” said Kurt Hawks, vice president of operations for Greystripe. “In 2012, we look forward to using this growth to reach advertisers in every significant U.S. market, continue innovation and push the envelope by creating the best in brand advertising for mobile.”

In 2011, Greystripe launched two new mobile ad units: video advertising and its popular Ad Boosters. Both have seen impressive results. Over 55 brands have run mobile video ads, delivering over 200 ad creatives. On average, 50 percent of consumers have watched the entire video ads, with click-through rates between 1 and 3 percent. Ad Boosters are a next generation ad format featuring social media integration, local content and deals. These Boosters make mobile advertising more relevant and valuable to smartphone users and have shown a 300 percent increase in click-through rates compared to similar ads without the Boosters.

After officially launching in Europe in February through a series of partnerships, Greystripe hired Tim Scoffham to head EU mobile growth. Scoffham came to Greystripe from 4^th Screen Advertising, where he was the commercial head. The company has now established a direct European presence in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

Developer of the Month - OMGPOP

Meet our featured Developer of the Month, OMGPOP. OMGPOP was founded in 2006 and has been making real times games ever since. OMGPOP is a place to hang out, play free multiplayer games, chat and makes friends. We spoke with Wilson Kriegel, Chief Revenue Officer, to get the inside scoop.

What is your company's focus and where are they heading?
We are focused on developing fun, social, engaging and freemium gaming experience across platforms.

What inspired your company to develop apps and get into this space initially?
The company is several years old now and started as a casual flash multiplayer developer and gaming destination, called omgpop.com. We since evolved our offering to meet market opportunities and leveraged our expertise, which includes Facebook and Mobile.

Who are the company's founders and what is their background?
The founders of the company were developers and engineers.

How big is your team?
The company has 50 employees now, mostly all developers, artists, designers and engineers.

Which platforms (iOS, Android, mobile web) are you working on and what are the deciding factors for new platform support?
We happen to be one of the few developer/publishers on all platforms, web, FB and mobile. On mobile we focused on iOS at first, as the market was more mature and the monetization much stronger. We are now moving forward and releasing games on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire. Android is growing at a rapid rate globally providing huge scale, and we feel that there is a first mover advantage and also strong monetization upside for the Kindle Fire.

What should developers be thinking about as they develop their monetization strategy, specifically how they balance different revenue streams?
The audience, game genre, demo and platform. All of these have a huge impact on who, how much, how, how frequently a user base can drive revenues within a game. Building for ad monetization and currency monetization is very different and requires different expertise and resources pre- and post-game launch. Most often, casual game genre are ad supported with a premium upgrade and more immersive deep games tend to be virtual currency based.

Why did you choose to work with Greystripe?
After research, references and market information, Greystripe -- who has a long history in the mobile games market -- stood out as someone who could deliver on key requirements, from ease of integration of its technology, insights into ad monetization integration, account management and a premium advertising monetization offering contextual to the games vertical. This driven by strong fill rate of rich media ad types at high CPMs, with relevant advertisers that can deliver strong CTR.

ValueClick’s Greystripe Reports a 300% Boost in Click-Through Rates with its Newest Mobile Advertising Format

Greystripe, the largest brand-focused mobile ad network and a division of ValueClick Inc. (Nasdaq: VCLK), is today announcing impressive results from its new mobile advertising units known as Ad Boosters, launched in October of this year. This next generation mobile ad format features social media integration, as well as local content and deals. They are aimed at making mobile advertising more relevant and valuable to smartphone users.

Ad Boosters are placed around a 300x250 full screen smartphone ad making it more engaging and interactive with the use of a branded logo and multiple click options.  This improved engagement and interactivity drives higher click-through rates (CTR), as Ad Booster campaigns run to date have shown a 300 percent increase in CTR compared to similar-sized ad units that do not have the Ad Booster functionality.

Ad Boosters offer industry-focused and social units. Industry-focused ad boosters – a first for mobile ads – offer formats focused on targeted verticals, including: retail, consumer-packaged goods, automotive, travel, technology, consumer electronics, entertainment and health. These customizable boosters allow advertisers to direct users to multiple actions related to advertisers’ needs. Social Boosters allow brands to add buttons to engage users with social connections, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+. 

One of the first campaigns to run was a large consumer electronics brand that specializes in cameras. The campaign ran with two buttons: “Find Nearest Location” and “Watch Video”. The campaign has delivered 1.4 million impressions and saw 4 percent click-through rates – meaning 56,000 users clicked on the ad. Fifty-two percent of users clicked the locator button and 48 percent clicked the video button.

“Consumers’ mass adoption of the mobile web coupled with the rise in social media makes it a no brainer that mobile ads with social components will perform better than traditional formats,” said Kurt Hawks, VP of Operations at Greystripe. “We’re finding, despite a smaller screen than a PC, smartphones are becoming advanced enough to deliver more than a message but a true call-to-action – whether that means to find the nearest store location or participate directly in a location-based daily deal. Mobile ads are growing up and we’re excited to see consumers respond.”

The boosters, which are fully customizable, run in-app as an interstitial unit on iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices. Buttons include:

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         YouTube

·         Google+

·         Mobile Website

·         Daily Deals

·         Buy

·         Video

·         Coupon

·         Store Locator

·         Recommend

·         Download

·         Call

For more information, visit: www.greystripe.com/boosters

Largest Brand-Focused Mobile Advertising Network, Greystripe, Reporting 300 Percent Increase in Bookings for Mobile Video Ads for Q4

Since launching its mobile video ad format earlier this year, Greystripe, the largest brand-focused mobile ad network and a division of ValueClick Inc. (Nasdaq: VCLK), has seen an increasing number of brand advertisers flock to video.

The mobile video ad units were launched in June 2011. Since then, over 30 brands have run campaigns, delivering over 100 ad creatives throughout the Greystripe network on iOS, Android and the mobile web. The demand for mobile video ads has increased significantly in recent months; Greystripe has already seen a 300 percent increase in the number of campaigns booked so far in Q4 of 2011 relative to all of Q3 2011.

Universal Pictures and its agency, Ignited, ran a successful campaign with Greystripe to drive trailer views and promote the theatrical release of the new film The Change-Up. The two week campaign, targeting men 18-34, generated nearly nine hundred thousand complete trailer views.  A video of the ad displayed on an iPhone can be seen here.  In addition to entertainment, retail, consumer-packaged goods, insurance and electronics brands have all run mobile video ad campaigns with Greystripe. 

Greystripe is benefiting from the massive shift of broadcast advertising budgets into mobile, driven by the efficiency and effectiveness of reaching the 40 percent of TV watchers who are on their smartphones and tablets at the same time (Nielsen). In addition, advertisers are flocking to Greystripe’s video format because of impressive campaign results. On average, consumers have watched the entire video ad 50 percent of the time, with click-through-rates of between 1 and 3 percent. This is particularly impressive because users have the option to skip Greystripe video ads at any time.

“Mobile video ads will be the major growth driver for brand advertising spend in 2012, as traditional broadcast budgets continue to flow into mobile and online screens,” said Michael Chang, Greystripe general manager. “Greystripe is well positioned to take advantage of this video-fueled growth because of a fantastic ad user experience and our ability to serve more full-screen mobile video ads into premium content than any other mobile ad network – over 1 billion per month.”

For more information visit: http://www.greystripe.com/videoads/

Read More: 

• Greystripe Mobile Video Ad Bookings Rocket (Mobile Marketing Magazine)
• Video getting more play but viewer numbers stabilizing (BizReport)
• Greystripe Reports 300% Increase in Video Ad Bookings for Q4 (Wireless Week)

J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Automotive Internet Roundtable

Greystripe enjoyed participating in this year's J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 Automotive Internet Roundtable on a panel about 'TV, Online and Mobile: How to Influence the Car Purchase'. Greystripe works with a number of auto brands and was excited to share insights from our Auto Advertiser Insights Report as well as results and creatives from some of the auto campaigns that have run in our network.Other speakers included Jody Stidham (Global Practice Director) from Urban Science and Scot McLernon (Chief Revenue Officer) from YuMe.

To view a video of Greystripe's presentation click here.

You must have Microsoft Silverlight to view the video. The Greystripe section is 10 minutes long, starting at 11 minutes into the video. To access the video, enter:

Username: jdpairt11
Password: irt2011

To view Greystripe's Auto Advertiser Insights Report, click here.
To view an Auto Case Study, click here.

Greystripe Launches Next Generation of Mobile Ads Featuring Social Media Integration, Local Content and Deals

Greystripe is excited to introduce the next generation of mobile advertising with its new Ad Boosters. These new ad units were developed with the goal of making advertising more relevant, contextual and valuable to consumers.

Greystripe has developed two types of Ad Boosters: industry-focused units and social units. With our industry-focused ad boosters, we are the first company to introduce mobile ad formats focused on a specific, targeted vertical. Verticals include: retail, consumer packaged goods, automotive, travel, technology, health and restaurants. These customizable boosters allow advertisers to direct users to specific actions related to the advertiser’s need. The retail booster, for example, includes a Find Store button, a Coupon button and a Buy Now button.

Social Boosters allow marketers to enhance the impact of mobile advertising with engaging social connections including Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

Ad Boosters are fully customizable and can include buttons for the following click-to-actions, as well as many more:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Google+
• Mobile Website
• Deals/Daily Deals
• Buy
• Video
• Coupon
• Store Locator
• Recommend
• Download
• Call

“Today’s consumer engages through mobile and social channels. Our Ad Boosters deliver a tailored brand experience for consumers on their mobile devices, bringing them closer to the products and services they love,” said Dane Holewinski, Greystripe's director of marketing. “For advertisers, Ad Boosters drive greater brand lift and higher post-click value by providing users with choices in how they engage with a brand.”

"Mobile and social are demanding an ever increasing share of people’s mindshare. Marketers have found both of these effective ways to communicate with their target customers. By providing both industry-focused and social ad boosters, Greystripe has clearly created a win-win for both users and advertisers," said Vikrant Gandhi, senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

In addition to the Booster Buttons, Greystripe’s Ad Boosters provide an additional branded image to make full use of the smartphone screen. The 300x100 image, typically a logo, at the top of the screen allows the advertiser to reinforce the brand, and allow the 300x250 core ad unit to focus on key campaign messaging.

To learn more, visit: www.greystripe.com/boosters

Read more: 

• Mobile ad network Greystripe makes ads more social and interactive with new Ad Boosters (TechCrunch)
• Greystripe looks to bolster platform with social and industry focused 'ad boosters (PocketGamer)
• Greystripe Debuts New“Ad Booster” Mobile Ad Units to Drive Relevance & Targeting (MobileMarketingWatch)
• Greystripe AddsSocial To Mobile (AdExchanger)

Have iPad, Will Travel: New Report from Greystripe Shows Dramatic Link Between Travel Activities and Tablet Usage

Greystripe study finds 67% of iPad users are frequent travelers, 60% have booked travel with device, and 93% regularly engage with device while traveling.

67 percent of iPad users are frequent travelers and use their device for everything from booking flights, to getting directions, to finding the best local restaurant. A new study Greystripe recently conducted on the use of touch smartphones and iPads in travel, found while nearly all touch smartphone and tablet users use their device while traveling, iPad users are more likely (60 percent) than iPhone and Android users (49 percent) to use their device to make a travel booking.

These results correspond to the boom in travel-related mobile ad campaigns in the Greystripe network, which has grown 49.2 percent in the past 12 months.

We collected the data from 971 users in our expansive network of iPhone (including iTouch), Android and iPad devices during a month-long period from June to July 2011.

The study took an in-depth look at how iPads, iPhones (including iPod Touches) and Androids are used by frequent travelers throughout the travel process - for everything from planning a vacation to how they use their devices while traveling. The study found iPads are especially vacation and business travel-friendly: 91 percent of iPad users have used their device for a travel related activity of some kind.

Because iPads are so portable, many travelers with the device use it to make travel arrangements:

• 47 percent have used their iPad to book a hotel
• 37 percent have used their iPad to book a flight
• 28 percent have used their iPad to make a restaurant reservation
• 24 percent have used their iPad to rent a car

We found that both iPad and touch smartphone users are more likely to use the mobile web for their travel needs than apps:

• 69 percent of iPad users compared to 60 percent of super smartphone users have used the mobile web to book travel, get travel information or research local attractions, restaurants and activities.
• 50 percent of iPad and 52 percent of touch smartphone users have used apps to book travel, get travel information or research local attractions, restaurants and activities

"The power and portability of iPads, iPhones and Androids make them the ultimate devices for any jetsetter," said Dane Holewinski, director of marketing for Greystripe. "Because so many travelers are looking to their mobile devices for travel information and booking, mobile is an excellent channel for advertisers to reach travelers."

View the full study here.

Read more:

• Why Travel Related Mobile Ads Are Taking Off on the iPad (AllThingsD)
• iPad Users are More Likely to Book Travel Using Their Devices: Study (Mobile Marketer)
• Studies Find Shopping Going Mobile (BizReport)
• What Do You Use When You Travel (Examiner)
• Greystripe Study Shows Increasing Use of iPads as Travel Tool (Travel Pulse)
• 91 Percent of iPad Owners Use Them for Travel Related Activity (Mobile Entertainment Magazine)
• Tablet and Smartphone Users are Travelers, Says Greystripe (Mobile Social Hub)