Yahoo Hong Kong unveils programmatic platform

Yahoo Hong Kong has announced the launch of Yahoo Ad Manager Plus (YAM+), a programmatic and real-time buying platform that aims to tap into the mountain of data that consumers are generating across multiple digital platforms.YAM+ will look to merge data from its 4.6 million users across eCommerce, search and Yahoo Mail, along with advertisers first party data, third party data and mobile insights from Flurry, a mobile experience and analytics company Yahoo acquired last year.Tumblr, which launches a beta version in traditional Chinese this year, could also become part of YAM+, but this is yet to be confirmed.It comes as spending on programmatic ad buying exceeded US$10 billion in the United States last year.Rico Chan, vice president and general manager of Yahoo Hong Kong & INSEA Sales, said in Asia, research shows that more than 70% of advertisers will be buying programmatically in 2015 and programmatic spending will constitute more than 20% of the total digital spend.“With the launch of Yahoo Ad Manager Plus, advertisers can leverage on Yahoo Hong Kong’s close consumer relationship, smart data, deep insights and dynamic analytics, premium inventory as well as complete reach to cross devices, to take full advantage of programmatic ad buying for effective digital advertising,” he said.The service aims to offer smarter use of data and insights across its premium inventory. Cross-device targeting will also be a focus as more consumers use smartphones and tablets as part of their daily habit.