Making the headlines…

Outbrain Reels in $45 Million in Funding

Outbrain’s newly secured funding allowed the company to further develop its content recommendation solutions, bringing the group’s total investment up to nearly $200 million. Read on.

StickyADS.tv Joins FreeWheel in Latest Buy-Out for Online Video Ad Tech

Though financial details weren’t disclosed, the Parisian startup may well have been in a position to bargain having been one of just a handful of video ad platforms holding on to independent ownership. Read on.

Baidu’s Paid Ad Strategy Revised, Putting Value Before Pay

The Chinese search engine announced the revamping of its paid ad business in light of of damning claims brought against one of its listings. Read on.

Creating a buzz…

0% commission debate

Shaking up corners of the affiliate channel, the cases for and against paying low or 0% commission for driving existing customers was examined in depth this week:

“Arguably, some consider commission on existing customers an ‘unnecessary tax’ they feel shouldn’t be paid over and over again. The power and appeal of affiliate networks lies partly in expanding the customer base, but once the customer is converted, it’s cheaper for advertisers if they purchase directly from them and not via a network.” Read on.

Lead gen myths

Affiliate Window’s Sophie Metcalf took on the myths around online lead generation, citing these three “repeat offenders”:

  • Lead generation is cheap cost per acquisition.
  • The success of a campaign is determined by the source.
  • Leads are only relevant to one product or service. Read on.

Consumer data

Marketers still aren’t fully putting their first-party consumer data to good use. The question is, why not? Katie Field from Viant argued the case for ending a reliance on cookies and walled gardens.

“Ultimately, the proof is in the data. When brands are able to successfully harness the full myriad of first-party data both online and offline, the results speak for themselves.” Read on.

In the spotlight…

Lauri Koop, MD of Benelux & CEE at zanox

Lauri Koop of zanox, PMI Europe’s platinum sponsor, joined PerformanceIN to talk about the digital side of the Dutch capital, larger trends, and of course the conference itself. Read more.

In pictures…

The viewability solution…

How can the display ad industry can achieve better viewability rates? We asked, and our readers answered:

Where could you get the most ad clicks in Europe?

AdRoll and Priceonomics teamed up to give you an overview of which European countries and cities clicked through on ads the most, and least – with some surprising results.

The numbers…

8%

Is the proportion of total UK media spend on programmatic. If we look at marketing communications spending more broadly, that figure will fall below 1%. Read on.

$29

Is the revenue generated from every single remarketing email Virgin Atlantic sends. Read on.

75%

Is the rate of Instagram users who have gone on to buy after being inspired by a post. Read on.

Don’t forget…

PerformanceIN’s series of channel-centric networking events, Connect, returns to The Fable in Farringdon on May 25, aiming its sights this time on the burgeoning programmatic industry. Register for free here before spaces run out!