So-called “programmatic” technology for targeting and trading online ads has become pretty good at wringing certainty out of ad placement. But what about certainty on uplift? Paul Dolan thinks he can help with that.

The exec from WPP’s Xaxis data-driven ad tech unit is also now GM at Light Reaction, a Xaxis off-shoot looking at adding something more to programmatic.

“Most every auction is transacted on a CPM or dynamic-CPM basis,” Dolan tells Beet.TV in this video interview. “That was the easiest way for programmatic companies and advertisers to enter in to the space. We saw an opportunity to get smarter…with more guarantees for the client.”

Last year, Light Reaction was launched to help programmatic be bought against actual advertiser goals, like store purchases.

“We want to generate a true business outcome, not media outcomes like a completed video view or a click on a banner but generate that auto dealership a test drive lead,” Dolan adds.

“(It’s) taking data, technology and real-time media and packaging it up and selling it as outcomes, be that leads, sales or engagements.”

The outfit has expanded to 26 countries including Europe and Asia and is now fielding client queries on mobile programmatic performance ad buys, Dolan says.

This video part of a series about the state of programmatic advertising sponsored by OpenX. Please find other videos from the series here.