Rise Interactive

Mobile First Gone; In-App Is Today

Arndt Groth, President of Smaato since 2017, discusses mobile and in-app advertising trends at d3con 2018 in Hamburg. He declares that 'Mobile First' is yesterday and 'In-App' is today, highlighting new opportunities across video formats (prerolls, outstream, interstitial, rewarded) and the ability to measure ad impact from delivery to offline transactions. Groth notes a rapid rise in video consumption and emphasizes programmatic, mobile-first dynamics within the display advertising landscape. He also addresses GDPR/ePrivacy and ad blocking as challenges that simultaneously create opportunities, urging Smaato to position itself as a knowledge leader in privacy and data topics. Groth’s background includes roles at Interactive Media, DoubleClick, Adconion, ten years as BVDW president, and co-founding dmexco. He will lead a d3con workshop on top trends shaping the mobile advertising future.

Ströer COO Outlines Digital-First Strategy

At the Online Marketing Rockstars conference, Ströer COO Christian Schmalzl presented the company’s strategy and transformation from a traditional outdoor-advertiser into Germany’s largest digital seller. Schmalzl said Ströer expects roughly 50% of its revenue to come from digital channels this year, up from about 5% three years earlier, and highlighted that the group moved from a €1.8 million loss in 2012 to €24 million profit in 2014. He attributed the shift to an aggressive acquisition strategy (including Social Media Interactive, Interactive Media, T‑Online and Statista among recent deals) and a sales/monetization focus rather than an AdTech identity. Schmalzl said Ströer will enable customers to buy digital outdoor inventory through its own DSP starting in Q2, while stressing the company does not aim to position itself primarily as an AdTech vendor.

AGOF Top 15: Focus Online Overtakes Bild.de

The AGOF digital facts study for September 2015 shows Focus Online dethroning Bild.de as the most-visited news portal for the first time. A notable driver of the gain is the Wiesn-Liebe 2015 special, which Oliver Eckert (CEO of Burda Forward) attributes to an additional 2.1 million Unique Users. Focus Online also leads in video with 53 million video-page impressions. The report contrasts Focus Online’s ad-supported, click-focused approach with Bild.de’s emphasis on paid content and usage metrics beyond Unique Users. Top portals and marketers are listed, including T-Online as the leading site with 31.17 million Unique Users and Interactive Media as the largest advertiser network. The study highlights growing online decision-making and the rising role of mobile, with broader implications for ad formats and measurement in digital publishing.