Back in September, AOL announced that it was creating a new entity, Platform-A, that would combine the network of AOL-owned and operated sites -- including Advertising.com -- with the behavioral capabilities of Tacoda, the mobile network from Third Screen Media, Lightningcast's video ad serving platform and Adtech's global ad serving platform. Recently, the company also added content-targeted ad serving and search engine marketing solutions company Quigo to the mix.

We talked with Curt Viebranz, AOL EVP and president of Platform-A, to learn more about what this means for the interactive industry.

Curt Viebranz is president, Platform-A and EVP, AOL.

iMedia: What is the advantage for advertisers in combining these entities under one roof?

Viebranz: As online advertising becomes more mainstream, advertisers and agencies continue to face a market that is more complex and harder to manage. At the same time, their expectations are growing -- they want better, simpler and cheaper solutions. All of this creates a significant opportunity for AOL.

By bringing these companies together under one roof, we can offer advertisers what they want most: reach (Platform-A reaches more than 91 percent of the online audience), analytics, targeting and ROI and one-stop shopping. Our goal is to make it easy for advertisers and agencies to meet their online marketing needs.

Our DNA is all about helping brand advertisers, and we think we have a significant advantage in this arena.

Author notes: Dawn Anfuso is senior editor, iMedia Connection. Read full bio.