If you can dream it, you can do it. The practice of real-time media buying of targeted online audiences looks to become downright commonplace as targeting technologists team to provide both reach and accessibility to brand marketers. The most recently announced pairing puts Collective's display ad solutions into the real-time buying sphere of AppNexus' ad platform. The partnership also gives Collective’s brand advertising and agency clients access to AppNexus’ massive inventory from the likes of Google’s DoubleClick and Microsoft’s AdECN.

With the spate of recent technology team-ups, it would appear that even at a time when many ad budgets are contracting, advertisers can’t get enough of targeting technology and the means to employ this digital tactic cheaper, faster and better. Collective wrapped up its fiscal year with 15 percent growth year over year ranked by comScore as the second fastest growing U.S. ad networks among the top 10. It now reaches an audience of 147 million unique visitors through premium publishers. Its partnership with AppNexus puts all that exposure into the hands of marketers via real-time bidding, significantly reducing the time between being able to make a marketing decision and execute it almost negligible.

Jerome FitzGibbons, EVP, Collective, said,  “At Collective, we have always had a laser-focus on audience; delivering the perfect ad, to the right person, in the best environment - which is why the partnership with AppNexus, the most sophisticated real-time ad platform available today, is a natural fit for us.” Added Brian O’Kelley, CEO of AppNexus, "Collective's ability to apply rich audience data and premium ad environments to exchange buying brings new value to brand advertisers looking to acquire online audiences at scale. Brand advertisers have historically had high standards, and Collective's specialized use of the AppNexus RTB (real-time bidding) platform makes brand safe, highly-targeted media planning a reality for major brand advertisers.”