TargetSpot, a New Service for Online Radio Ad Management

CBS Radio and Oddcast, along with VC firm Union Square Partners, are funding a new streaming radio ad solution designed to support radio ad creation and delivery. Oddcast and CBS executives said the companies have jointly incubated the platform, initially conceived as a solution for CBS Radio’s 100-plus stations with Web streaming, for a year. Now they’re spinning it off as a standalone entity that will actively court advertisers and agencies.

Advertisers will be able to use the system to assemble spots using “an array of jingles, sound effects and visuals provided by TargetSpot.” Ads can then be targeted on a number of factors, including by zip code. TargetSpot plans to offer a streaming video ad solution later this year.

TargetSpot hired Doug Perlson, the former COO at Seevast, to run the firm as CEO.

The company has a number of indirect competitors. VitalStream offers a radio ad platform focused on insertion rather than creation. Google is offering ad creation services, but for the moment only in terrestrial radio settings. The company’s done so by creating an “ad creation marketplace” that offers to pair advertisers with the providers of audio production services.