DoubleClick Rebrands Adgility

Online advertising giant DoubleClick is marching forward in its new strategy to dominate Web media buying automation, taking the wraps off its rebranded Adgility technology and showcasing a new agency partner program.

The Adgility technology, now known as MediaVisor, helps to streamline online media planning, buying and trafficking. New York-based DoubleClick acquired the service back in September, from a San Francisco startup. The purchase signified DoubleClick's entry into a field crowded at one point by firms including Avenue A and Mediaplex, digitalroot and MediaPassage.

Since then, the competitive landscape has changed a bit. Web ad network and technology firm ValueClick, in which DoubleClick owns a stake, purchased Mediaplex. MediaPassage shut its doors, while digitalroot refocused on its pay-for-performance ad network.

With a smaller set of rivals and with a new name, MediaVisor could prove a market-dominator -- especially in conjunction with the tools that DoubleClick already offers to agencies and advertisers. For example, it's expected that DoubleClick will sell MediaVisor alongside its DART for Advertisers ad server, its @plan site intelligence service, and its Site Directory. As a result, using the services together could reduce time and expenses for agencies.

Along the same lines, DoubleClick said MediaVisor would prove open to linking with other campaign tools and serving systems. That feature is similar to adXML -- an industry initiative spearheaded by Mediaplex to develop common systems for advertising purchasing, planning and automation, thereby reducing costs and effort.

Further clinching its position as a new force to be reckoned with in the media buying space, DoubleClick also said it has signed a roster of charter agency partners which will use MediaVisor. The partners include Havas-owned Arnold Worldwide, WPP Group's The Digital Edge, Digitas, Rubin Postaer Interactive, Bcom3's online media unit Starcom IP and Dentsu-affiliated Harmonic.

The effort, DoubleClick said, is aimed at addressing the procedural difficulties of buying online media -- an issue that some industry leaders, including DoubleClick chief Kevin Ryan, have singled out as a serious roadblock to the sector's growth.

"Our customers have asked us to help reduce the time and expense of advertising online," said Doug Knopper, vice president and general manager of advertiser solutions at DoubleClick. "By streamlining and automating the process of planning and buying online media, MediaVisor is a direct answer to that call."