Applications
ValueClick snaps up Dotomi for $295 million
MUMBAI : ValueClick is buying dynamic display ad optimisation firm Dotomi for $295 million.
Approximately 55 per cent will be paid in cash and 45 per cent in stocks.
This transaction has been approved by the board of directors of each respective company and the majority of stockholders of Dotomi.
ValueClick anticipates the acquisition will close near the end of August, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
John Giuliani will continue to lead Dotomi and will report directly to ValueClick chief executive officer James Zarley. Additionally, Giuliani will be nominated to join ValueClick‘s board of directors.
For calendar year 2011, Dotomi expects to generate over $80 million in revenue.
Dotomi‘s strong focus on retail advertisers is an area ValueClick would be particularly interested in. ValueClick had launched goCart platform, a dynamic display ad system that retargets consumers with precise suggestions and features ad units that act as shopping helpers, asking questions about which product features are vital to them.
Zarley, “Together with ValueClick‘s portfolio of products, we will be in a position to meet the needs of marketers with a single relationship that will create marketing and analytic consistency. Our combined scale and expertise should accelerate their adoption of digital media.”
Several dynamic display ad companies have already been bought out by major players. Google bought Teracent in 2009, while Yahoo snapped up Dapper almost a year later in October 2010.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
