Albion lands 1m OpenX community advertising account

Albion has been appointed to handle the 1m advertising business for OpenX, claimed to be the world’s largest online advertising community formerly known as Openads.

Albion has been appointed to handle the £1m advertising business for OpenX, claimed to be the world’s largest online advertising community formerly known as Openads.

The agency won the account without a pitch. It will work on brand positioning and communications strategy, and will also create a new identity for the brand.

OpenX marketing director Melany Libraro says that Albion’s relationship with internet-based telephone service Skype was a “key factor” in the decision. Albion was appointed to boost Skype’s profile in the UK at the end of 2005.

She adds: “They [Albion] have the strategic business insights you’d expect of atop creative agency, combined with a unique experienceof building some of the leading businesses in the digital landscape.”

OpenX claims to “let publishers take control of their advertising” by providing simple tools to schedule, manage and track online campaigns. The software also supports a range of ad formats and advertiser types, including direct advertisers and ad networks such as Yahoo! and Google AdSense.

OpenX is used by more than 30,000 publishers around the world and last month secured $15.5m (£7.9m) of additional funding. The London-based company, which is led by chief executive James Bilefield, is backed by investors who include Accel Partners and Index Ventures.

Albion, which was originally launched as a digital agency, won several high-profile advertising accounts last year, including Glasses Direct (MW November 22, 2007) and eBay. The agency beat Mother in a final round to win eBay, which owns Skype.

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