Infillion buys Foursquare: why the ad tech market needs another consolidation

Infillion has announced the acquisition of Foursquare — further evidence that the ad tech market is restructuring around companies that combine data, media execution, and measurement in a single platform.

The strategic logic of the deal is transparent. Foursquare brings with it a significant location intelligence business. Infillion, in turn, already owns MediaMath and expanded its data capabilities through the acquisition of Gimbal.

What does the deal change in the market?

The acquisition continues the trend of vertical integration in ad tech. Instead of a chain of independent vendors — one data provider, a media buying platform, and a measurement system.

Key players in the consolidation:

• Infillion — the buyer; owns MediaMath, acquired Gimbal, and is now adding Foursquare;
• Foursquare — a major player in location data and location intelligence;
• MediaMath — a programmatic advertising buying platform within Infillion;
• Gimbal — a previous acquisition that expanded the group's data capabilities.

Why does neutrality have to be proven?

The headline of the original AdExchanger article captures the core problem: when a data provider gets acquired, neutrality has to be proven, not promised. A company that both owns data and sells media execution finds itself in the position of being both judge and party to the dispute.