aQuantive's proprietary technology - its Atlas ad server and bid-management systems - differentiate it from holding companies like Interpublic Group and WPP and give it an advantage over digital agencies AKQA and Digitas, says analyst Denise Garcia at A.G. Edwards.

Garcia sees the Avenue A/Razorfish parent's addressable market at nearly $50 billion, well above the $31 billion spent on internet advertising, writes Ad Week.

The biggest challenge to aQuantive is in its agency business, which will need to compete with traditional firms that have gained interactive expertise, the analyst says. Still, she says, Avenue A/Razorfish's systems integration and site-building capabilities provide a competitive advantage.

Though holding companies have increased their digital ad expertise, a recent survey by Forrester Research found over half of clients saying their traditional agencies are ill-equipped to handle digital marketing (as exemplified by Nike's dissatisfaction with the digital capabilities of its long-time agency, Wieden + Kennedy).