Operative and Donovan Data Systems link to streamline digital ad buying and selling

Web publishers, agencies benefit from more efficient RFP process

NEW YORK, NY, 21 September, 2009 — Operative, a global advertising revenue management technology and services provider, has linked the Operative Dashboard with iDesk from Donovan Data Systems (DDS), a leading systems provider to the advertising industry.

This move enables the two companies to streamline ad buying and selling between ad agencies and such digital publishers as The Wall Street Journal and Smart Money.

Until now, the exchange of data between agencies and digital publishers around the request for proposal (RFP) was manually intensive and error-prone, leading to poor communication and inefficient buying and selling. Publishers can now export Operative Dashboard proposal data directly into iDesk, a system that stewards digital ad campaigns from planning to billing and paying. Less time will be spent re-keying order data and less effort expended translating inconsistent line items.

'Our publisher clients are focused on serving their advertisers' and agencies' needs. Our job is to enable this,' says Mike Leo, CEO and president of Operative. 'The RFP and proposal process is one of the most time-consuming tasks in our industry; it’s a pain point for everyone. In today’s market, buyers and sellers need ways to reduce costs and create efficiencies that speed time-to-market. Our partnership with DDS enables publishers and agencies to replace keystrokes and errors with a modern data exchange, significantly reducing the time spent on execution. Today more than ever before, media companies need to focus on driving revenue by innovating and creating a powerful user experience.'

'This partnership propels operational efficiency between planners and sellers in a way that digital media companies have yet to experience,' says Harvey Kent, chief media strategist, DDS. 'Operative has a history of making the execution of digital advertising more efficient for its clients, and DDS is the acknowledged industry leader in eBusiness. Together, we’ve taken an important step to reduce the complexity of digital advertising. Further, DDS and Operative are beta partners in the IAB’s initiative to establish industry-wide EDI standards, a significant departure for digital advertising. We view this partnership as the first stage in fulfilling the promise of the IAB’s initiative.'

About Operative

Established in 2000, Operative is a global organisation that provides its clients with technology and services to improve all aspects of their advertising operations lifecycle, from pre-sale to collections, trafficking to reconciliation. Operative Dashboard™, an ASP software solution, is an end-to-end advertising revenue management (ARM) platform that enables media publishers to automate contract management, product packaging and pricing, inventory management, campaign reporting and revenue recognition. Operative’s client base includes The Wall Street Journal, MSN, Smart Money, iVillage, NBC Universal, and National Public Media.  More information about Operative can be found at http://www.operative.com.