DoubleClick, Inc: A Strategic Transformation

DoubleClick was one of the companies present from almost the beginning of the commercial Internet. The growth of this infomediary acts as a primer for understanding the development of online advertising and marketing, while also tracing the company’s subsequent move to become a technology provider. This case recounts the company’s first breakthrough with its product DART and the DoubleClick Advertising Network, its subsequent delve into ASPs and its acquisition of the offline infomediary, Abacus.

The case seeks to show the strategies DoubleClick has used in its development and growth as an infomediary; why and how DoubleClick shifted from being a pure media player to becoming a technology company; where it should look for new growth opportunities, and finally, it debates the question of whether DoubleClick should aim to become the Bloomberg terminal of online advertising.