Twitter bags internet advertising outfit

Micro-blogging site buys AdGrok, tightens loose screws

Twitter is trying to unlock its advertising conundrum with the buyout of an internet ad company for an undisclosed sum.

"When Twitter approached us and asked if we’d be interested in working on their monetisation platform, we realised that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we just couldn’t pass up," said AdGrok in a blog post penned by the firm's Matthew McEachen on its website yesterday.

AdGrok, which is a Silicon Valley startup, now faces the sticky task of untangling its customers from the Google accounts they are currently linked to.

"Performance data and campaign structures from AdGrok customers will not be shared with Twitter," said McEachen.

He said that the data and structures from the campaigns previously run through AdGrok would not be affected by the shutdown of its servers on 30 June. McEachen said the info would remain accessible via customers' Google AdWords and Google Analytics accounts.

The acquisition of AdGrok is Twitter's second inside a week as the micro-blogging site continues to tighten the screws on its tech ecosystem, which up to now has been something of a playpen for third party developers.

Late last month, Twitter confirmed the takeover of London-based TweetDeck for $40m, and it's reportedly planning to release its own photo service as soon as later today. ®