Russian search portal Yandex has teamed up with Google to make use of its real-time bidding marketplace, DoubleClick.
As part of the deal, advertisers going through Google will be able to bid on Yandex’s advertising network and the entire publishing inventory that comes with it. Similarly, Yandex clients will have access to Google’s display inventory.
Yandex is not giving Google complete access from the get go, though, having stated the agreement only relates to display advertising and not contextual advertising.
A complementary service
The two companies’ approach to RTB are said to be complementary in terms of user data, audience targeting and bid optimisation. Yandex’s MatrixNet will do much of the behavioural grunt work, whereas Google excels in its display optimisation.
In much the same way as RTB is seeing a quick take-up in the west, Russia too has seen its industry move away from human mediation to technology in display, according to Frank Einecke, head of SEEMEA media buying solutions at DoubleClick.
“We are happy about this partnership that will help to develop the RTB ecosystem in Russia. Given the adoption speed of RTB in this market, accessing local and global qualified inventory is key to our publishers and advertisers who are looking for incremental reach,” Eineck said.
“We are very excited to see the Russian market moving towards innovative programmatic solutions that can serve both branding and performance strategies in reaching their targets in a more efficient way.”
Advertisers are unlikely to reap the rewards of this partnership instantly. Yandex has said that technical integration could take several months until everything is up and running.