Having identified that it required a data model and strategy, Ole! Media Group contacted &Innovation (a specialist consultancy known for its market disruption and speed of ideation to market approach), to assist it in developing the right proposition with the right people to lead it. The result has so much potential that &Innovation has also taken a stake in the new entity, as it believes that the importance of Delv and the benefits it can deliver, will grow exponentially.

Cohen, who will head up the new venture, was until recently general manager of Media24’s digital division. He has a proven track record for building market-leading online and mobile media products with a particular focus on start-ups at the intersection of mobile, technology and e-commerce in developing markets.

Under Cohen’s guidance, Delv will revolutionise how brands make their digital media buying decisions. The company will have a deep focus on creating a consolidated platform for first, second and third-party data, to unlock the value that is trapped within customers’ existing CRM and digital siloes, ushering in a period of Return On Data™ driven marketing investments.

Though only recently formed, Delv has already been active in the market, acquiring clients and an integration with Oracle Marketing Cloud, a leading Data Management Platform (DMP). With Oracle Marketing Cloud technology and processes Delv can identify, maximize and multiply the value of data for both advertisers and publishers.

Cohen says: “I am delighted to be working with the Ole! Media Group and excited about the prospects Delv has in this arena. There has been a lot of talk regarding the power of data but the true value of connecting multiple online and offline data sets into a safe, tradable marketplace that provides value for both advertisers and media owners, simply hasn’t been available in sub-Saharan Africa.”

“We are changing this by creating a platform that offers a far deeper dive into the data that makes a difference. This will further reduce the cost of wastage on the one hand and create a data driven revenue stream for publishers on the other,” he adds.

Delv finds, matches and analyses the online behaviour, usage trends and brand affinity for customers. It then creates data sets with high relevance scores. These ‘intentionality’ data sets are built from leading ecommerce, data and publishing companies and structured to provide key triggers for activation. Sets are then matched into multiple media platforms, enabling brands to target the right audience with greater precision while allowing media owners’ access to a significant new revenue stream.

“We saw a very clear gap in the data market,” says Ole! Media Group CEO, Tim Legg. “To leverage it quickly we partnered with Geoff Cohen and &Innovation, to put together all the pieces. The strength of our combined vision and integration with Oracle Marketing Cloud, led to piloting a new agency model for their marketing cloud offering with an external third party – in this case, Delv.”

The formation of Delv and its work with Oracle Marketing Cloud is a very important next step in how digital marketers view the world. It will facilitate the move from talking about big data into a realm of actionable data that can be effectively leveraged.

Ole! Media Group has a strong technology focus, is one of only five Certified Google Publishing Partners in EMEA, is an AppNexus partner and now is a Gold level member of Oracle Partner Network (OPN).

For more information, visit www.olemediagroup.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.