AdKnowledge acquires Facebook's ad platform AdParlor

AdKnowledge joins forces with AdParlor's integrative, multi-tiered approach

Online ad marketplace AdKnowledge acquired Facebook's ad management platform AdParlor on Tuesday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

AdKnowledge creates online ad-marketing solutions for businesses using predictive technology and anonymous consumer response patterns. (Translation: they're a company that targets and implements online ads based on user activity.) They are the largest privately held online ad network and the 4th largest advertiser marketplace, according to their website.

Meanwhile, AdParlor makes over 30 billion ad impressions on Facebook per month, with both a "fully managed" plan for large businesses running $25k monthly fee, and a Pulse Self-Serve tool for smaller businesses. AdParlor has never taken outside funding -- not surprising, with friends like Facebook -- and lists Ubisoft and Groupon among their clients.

AdKnowledge raised $200 million in a second round funding back in January 2011, "to pursue acquisitions" according to their newsfeed. AdParlor is only the latest in a series of said acquisitions that had occured prior to January's round of funding, with others including ad networks Hydra, Lookery, and Super Rewards.

Facebook's AdParlor represents a unique, highly integrative social networking platform for companies to engage their customers. AdParlor launched a cost-per-acquisition based Ads API service in mid-2010, and by November of that year was running ads for seven of the 20 fastest growing games on Facebook.

The cost-per-acquisition advertising model functions by allowing the individual companies to self-determine the rates per ad conversion, based on the demographic of the targeted user. So what that means, is that each ad is targetted for a specific type of person and the company pays a different rate based on the desirability of that type in conjunction with their own product.

No doubt AdParlor's multi-tiered approach as it functions on Facebook will benefit the potential for ad conversion for AdKnowledge, as well.

"We are excited to provide our existing advertiser community access to the most advanced platform to purchase advertising within Facebook," said AdKnolwedge CEO Scott Lynn in a press release. "AdParlor has consistently proven to be the leading company to help large Facebook advertisers more effectively optimize their ad spend."