DoubleClick
- For the computer term: Double-click (computing)
DoubleClick is the leading provider of internet ad serving software.
Formerly listed as DCLK on the NASDAQ, and purchased by private equity firm Hellman and Friedman in July 2005, DoubleClick was founded in 1996, and is well established in internet marketing. They were one of the few dot-coms to survive the dot-com bubble burst.
DoubleClick history
DoubleClick was formerly engaged in the online media business, in addition to ad serving, meaning it helped web sites sell advertising to marketers. However, DoubleClick divested its media business several years ago, and today DoubleClick is purely involved in ad serving from the technology end — uploading ads and reporting on their performance.
DoubleClick is sometimes linked with the controversy over spyware which is installed to track users as they travel from website to website and record what commercial advertisements they view and select while browsing. However, the company maintains that it is important to understand the difference between DoubleClick's ad serving tags and the spyware/adware companies.
The companies which are most often referred to as spyware or adware represent programs external to the browser that may engage in activities such as: monitoring keystrokes or movement on the Web, examining files and programs installed on the user's hard-drive and generally behaving similarly to a virus. DoubleClick's DART, on the other hand, is well-governed within the framework of the browser. DART's opt-out policies are very straightforward and DoubleClick cookies are easy to identify and deactivate.
Some years back, DoubleClick garnered some negative publicity from privacy advocates when they merged with Abacus Direct. The main problem was a possible invasion of privacy, however DoubleClick was cleared of these charges by the federal courts and state attorneys general.
In April 2005, Hellman & Friedman, a San Francisco-based private equity firm announced its intent to acquire the company and operate it as two separate divisions with two separate CEOs for TechSolutions and Data Marketing. The deal was closed in July 2005.
Their global headquarters are located in New York at:
- 111 Eighth Avenue
10th Floor
New York, New York
DoubleClick products
DoubleClick is offers technology products and services which are sold primarily to advertising agencies and media companies to allow clients to traffic, target, deliver, and report on their interactive advertising campaigns. The company's products include:
- DART For Publishers (DFP): An ASP solution for publishers to manage their online advertising
- DART For Advertisers (DFA): An ASP solution for advertising agencies to manage their online advertising
- DART Enterprise: A software solution for publishers
- DART Motif: A rich media solution for delivering Flash based advertising
- DART Search: A highly scalable Keyword Management and Bid Management solution for advertising agencies and search engine marketers that creates work efficiencies and increases ROI.
DoubleClick competitors
Primary competitors include:
- Aquantive
- Falk AG (in the process of being acquired by DoubleClick)
- 24/7 Real Media
- ZEDO
- AdJuggler
- [x+1]
- AdInterax (rich media)
- EyeWonder (rich media)
- PointRoll (rich media)
- EyeBlaster (rich media)
- Right Media
DoubleClick data collection
DoubleClick targets along various criteria. Targeting can be accomplished using IP addresses, business rules set by the client or by reference to information about users stored within cookies on their machines. Some of the types of information collected are:
In addition, the cookie information may be used to target ads based on the number of times the user has been exposed to any given message. This is known as "frequency capping".
External links
References
- Penenberg, Adam L. (Nov. 7, 2005). "Cookie Monsters". Slate.