Global marketing service group Omnicom has struck what it claims are industry-first partnerships with AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft, to gain direct access to the Internet companies’ consumer data.

The deals, which follow a similar agreement with Google last year, will give Omnicom’s agencies the ability to target advertising to particular locations, ages and demographics across the web’s biggest media networks.

“We are already spending hundreds of millions of dollars with all of these four companies, but now we can spend it more efficiently and effectively,” said Jonathan Nelson, Omnicom’s digital chief.

Although there are no commitments on either side around minimum spending as part of the agreement, discounts will be given depending on the volume. The partnerships are part of a wider strategy at Omnicom around the “art and science” of building greater expertise in digital advertising, as more clients increase their online advertising spending.

Categories: Advertising, Joint Venture, Targetted