DDS “will open up” its system

Speaking at MediaTel Group’s ‘Would more investment in media systems make us all more profitable?’ breakfast event yesterday, in association with Clearcast, Liam Plowman, media business director at DDS, announced a “new DDS” and promised an open system. He spoke of apps, APIs and open-source technology, which could allow agencies and other suppliers to link with DDS – for the first time in most cases.

“We are investing heavily in technology at the moment,” he said, mentioning the integration with the Rubicon project in the USA (DDS’ digital president J.T. Batson was previously executive vice president, revenue & global development for Rubicon before he moved to DDS last summer). The partnership will automate the display advertising transactions that are not executed through real time bidding.

DDS is now ready to collaborate in UK media too, Plowman maintained, although he was less clear exactly when any collaboration or integration plans might get under way. “Our strategy is about collaboration and we are committed to an open platform – it will happen soon,” Plowman said. However, Andy Troullides, chief media officer at IMD and Patricia Kill, sales support director at News International, both pushed for a timeframe – “no date means no change,” added Troullides.

It is not a DDS ambition to be “at the centre of the media universe,” according to Plowman. However, Derek Morris, COO at Vivaki, felt that maybe it should be – as long as DDS adopts its new strategy and is willing to integrate with other agency systems and with other industry suppliers.

Clearly emotions were running high over the lack of a link between the TV industry’s CARIA system and DDS – and where the blockage was in this. But this would be resolved soon, insisted Clearcast’s Chris Mundy from the panel.

Mundy called the link between CARIA and DDS “a work in progress” – though he admitted that it is “quite a difficult process”, given a lack of technology advice and guidance from the industry.