OpenX Pushes Programmatic Into Mobile Native Inventory With New Ad Exchange

OpenX Technologies has launched a private real-time bidding exchange that caters specifically to native ad inventory on mobile devices.

The exchange, called Native O|X, is meant to help app developers and mobile publishers buy and sell native ad inventory at scale — and couples the two hot trends of programmatic and native for the first time. The ad units, injected in-stream among content, link to app stores available on users’ devices. The inventory will be available to a pre-approved group of advertisers.

“In speaking with OpenX buyers and sellers, it’s becoming clear that a fundamental shift is underway in mobile advertising: more than half of the effective mobile campaigns are now being delivered in a native format,” explained Rob Kramer, general manager, mobile, OpenX. “With the launch of Native OX, we’re bringing programmatic to native and mobile. Specifically, we’re helping bridge mobile-first companies and partners who want a seamless multiscreen experience at scale, which is what they need. And we’re taking it a step further from an ad unit perspective, in that our programmatic ad units will support a diverse set of creative attributes that will help publishers deliver a customized, differentiated ad experience within their apps.”

Tagged and IconApps are among the publishers who have signed on. Launch partners also include mobile-centric demand-side platforms RUN DSP and Mediasmart and ad creative platform Celtra.

“As a top featured lifestyle app in the App Store, it’s critical to us to integrate advertising in a seamless way into the user experience of our app,” said Al Eisaian, founder and chief executive officer of IconApps in a statement. “OpenX worked with us closely to iterate and design an ad experience that works as both a premium user experience as well as a high yield ad unit.”

Targeting options on O|X Native include by GPS location data, demographic and contextual criteria.