CheckM8 Launches Ad Server

In a move it hopes will pitch it into direct competition with DoubleClick, 24/7 Real Media and AtlasDMT, rich media software firm CheckM8 has launched a full-scale ad serving platform.

Until now a developer of rich media creation and management tools for publishers, CheckM8 made the move because its clients complained the market’s existing platforms lacked flexibility, the company said.

The company developed the platform, called AdVantage, in conjunction with several existing clients who agreed to implement the software once it had launched. CheckM8 declined to name these companies, which it said were phasing in their use of the product.

Among the platform’s features is the introduction of product planning and yield optimization features that let publishers increase tracking and measurement of an unlimited number of ad products. Many ad servers emphasize tracking and optimization based on individual ad formats rather than products, which can include multiple formats bundled together.

The use of call tags in AdVantage also differs markedly from some other players in the field. Rather than implement a call tag for every unit on the page, the system places a “SMARTtag” on each page. The SMARTtag makes a single server call (as opposed to separate calls for each tag), and then disseminates ads to a set of placements specified by the server. CheckM8 says the innovation will result in faster page loads, less production work and a more flexible approach to ad placement.

“AdVantage… will relieve day-to-day frustrations in ad management, enable sales managers to better plan over the short and long term, and help publishers yield the greatest revenue from their inventory,” said Moshe Vaknin, CEO of CheckM8.

CheckM8’s flagship Rich Media Management product is rolled into AdVantage, though the company said it would continue to sell it as a standalone. The company expects early uptake of AdVantage to be strongest in Europe, though it has its eyes set on the United States. It said at least one early client is a major U.S. publisher.