OMERS

Germany Unveils Largest 3D LED Display in Berlin!

A 243-square-meter 3D LED display at Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin is entering the market, touted as Germany's largest 3D wall. The screen measures 40.5 by 6 meters and was developed by Oxford Properties (owner) with Hygh handling marketing and Metads as the initial technology partner for programmatic delivery. The installation is integrated into a redesigned complex featuring a controllable light roof and synchronized water fountains. The project represents roughly €300 million in investment by Oxford Properties and Norges Bank Investment Management to redevelop the site into a multifunctional office and leisure destination. At launch, Coca-Cola and Biotherm (L’Oréal) campaigns were showcased and produced by WPP Media, with Estée Lauder the first advertiser to run prior to the official rollout. Metads founder Lukas Flöer commented on the Berlin project.

Tech Service Provider Inmar Steps Into Programmatic With OwnerIQ Acquisition

Inmar, a tech and data services company, acquired the ad tech startup OwnerIQ in October 2019, marking a step into programmatic advertising. OwnerIQ provides a second-party data exchange and operates a demand-side platform (DSP), assets Inmar says will extend its capabilities with retailers and brand manufacturers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Inmar CEO David Mounts said the acquisition aligns with the company’s investment priorities in media buying and ecommerce content tech and will connect consumer touchpoints to Inmar’s programmatic pipes and data-sharing tech. The move follows Inmar’s earlier acquisition of Collective Bias, now Prescriptive IQ, and places it among well-funded peers in the space such as IRI, Ahalogy and Quotient. The broader context notes that few retailers operate their own data and media platforms, with giants like Walmart, Target and Kroger still relying on third-party tech services. Mounts described the goal as enabling transparent purchasing and shopping data between retailers and brands.

Video Ad Startups Ignite A Funding Fire

Video ad tech funding remained robust in early 2015. Vidyard announced an $18 million Series B led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from iNovia Capital, OMERS Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and SoftTech VC, bringing total financing to $25.7 million and supporting growth from 60 to 100 employees. Vidyard provides a video marketing automation platform that creates, hosts, distributes, and tracks video content with CRM and marketing automation integrations. Teads, a publisher-focused video ad platform, raised $30 million in financing (equity $15 million; the remainder via a mid-term credit line from Bank of China and HSBC) and reported $100 million in net revenue for the previous year, up 65% YoY. Teads’ inRead format activates sound/motion on scroll and leverages semantic analysis to align ads with content, with over 500 premium publishers including Hearst, Condé Nast, Reuters and The Washington Post. The article also notes four video ad tech acquisitions in H2 2014 (LiveRail, SpotXchange, Videoplaza, Ooyala) and Teads’ 2014 merger with eBuzzing, indicating strong growth in the space.