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Mediaplex,
Inc. Reports Rapid Progress in Development of B2B Industry
Colleagues and Competitors Collaborate on
adXML.org’s First Beta Test of XML Schema for Automation of Advertising Data
SAN FRANCISCO, February 23, 2000 – Mediaplex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MPLX), a leading advertising technology company, today reported that the open standards initiative, adXML.org, launched in December 1999, has achieved an earlier-than-anticipated milestone with the upcoming launch of its first beta test. This initial release was designed by Mediaplex and subsequently enhanced by adXML.org’s nine subcommittees, represented by 46 participating companies from a wide range of industry sectors.
Established as a vendor-neutral global organization, the mission of adXML.org is to define and advance a common XML-based vocabulary for automating the buy/sell transactions of the advertising industry. Subcommittees have been defined for both traditional and new media as well as digital asset management software. Subcommittees for traditional media include print, TV, radio and outdoor; subcommittees for new media include online, e-mail, set-top box/broadband and the virtually untapped wireless market.
The self-describing adXML is a common language that describes data structures and types for cross-business communication and supply chain management among advertisers, agencies and publishers. The technology initiative offers significant time- and cost-efficiencies by enabling real-time automation of all advertising business transactions, including insertion and change orders, requests for proposals and bids, inventory and rate cards, and even creative content.
“adXML will quickly evolve to standardize communications, relevant to both media data and creative content, between advertising agencies and publishers – not only on the Internet, but on all digital platforms within the very near future,” said Joni Scelfo, director of technology partnerships for L90 and a member of the adXML.org online subcommittee.
“It’s ironic,” said Gregory R. Raifman, chairman and CEO of Mediaplex, “that the advertising industry still relies on fax and overnight delivery to try and drive a medium that should be totally electronic. The adXML.org’s mission is to create an ‘open exchange,’ like an XML-based commodities exchange, that gives the industry the ability to buy and sell the stock of its trade -- time and space -- in real time. This is the kind of technology opportunity that ‘makes room for all.’ For instance, Mediaplex and Engage Technologies/Flycast Communications are co-chairing the adXML.org online subcommittee. adXML enables all technology companies in the advertising sector to add to the industry’s arsenal of products and services which, in turn, will help solidify the online market and raise the bar for other digital and traditional media as well.”
“Beyond automating transactions, adXML opens a new frontier for one-to-one marketing within the rapidly evolving wireless industry,” said Jens Horstmann, president of OpenGrid, chair of the adXML.org wireless subcommittee. “Using the adXML standard, wireless vendors can facilitate the penetration of on-the-go messaging.”
The adXML.org, currently in the initial phases of beta test, is working against a final release of the DTD (Document Type Definition) specification in time for the @d:tech trade show, May 8-10, in San Francisco. To participate as a sponsoring member, contact Ken Kucera, Mediaplex’s VP Business Development. For further information, visit www.adxml.org.
About Mediaplex, Inc. Mediaplex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MPLX; www.mediaplex.com) is a leading advertising technology company. The Company’s proprietary MOJO™ (mobile Java objects) technology is the only platform that delivers real-time messaging based on integration between an advertiser’s internal business data, such as inventory, pricing and customer information, and that advertiser’s online marketing initiatives. In addition, Mediaplex provides comprehensive online campaign services. Mediaplex clients include Procter & Gamble’s ThermaCare, Reflect.com, OfficeMax.com, ShowNow.com, Tickets.com, and advertising agencies such as Young & Rubicam, McCann-Erickson/A&L, Publicis & Hal Riney, Tonic 360 and Winkler Advertising on behalf of their clients including Sprint PCS and Silicon Graphics. Mediaplex is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, the Silicon Valley, and Hamburg, Germany. Mediaplex can be contacted at 877.402.PLEX.
About adXML.orgadXML.org is an international, open standard organization, established to define an advertising XML schema for both online and offline media. adXML.org was originally conceived and developed by Mediaplex, Inc. as part of the infrastructure for automation of the online advertising market. adXML is now being expanded to address all advertising modalities and is rapidly gathering industry backing as an open international standard. XML is a metalanguage, providing self-describing information. It has been called a system for defining other languages. adXML is designed to describe the way advertising data is formatted and exchanged between agencies, advertisers and publishers over the Internet. For more information, visit www.adxml.org.
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