Contextual digital advertising company Smartology has appointed Brian Fitzpatrick as a non-executive board director as it embarks on the next phase of its growth plan.
Formerly head of EMEA at programmatic video advertising specialist Adap.tv (purchased by AOL in 2013), Fitzpatrick, who is also an investor in Smartology, brings in-depth online media expertise and extensive experience of building media companies to his advisory role.
Smartology’s bespoke technology creates weighted semantic content profiles for each item of an advertising client’s branded content as well as for publisher partners’ editorial pages. Understanding both content and context allows branded content to be matched and displayed with editorial articles on the same or closely-related topics.
Advertisers adopting the SmartMatch platform can reach their target audience with relevant and brand-safe thought-leadership material based on users’ real-time online activity rather than their previous behaviour or profiles based on third-party data.
Commenting on his board appointment at Smartology Fitzpatrick says: “Smartology has built a world-class team of developers, technology experts and media specialists. The result is an innovative audience targeting solution that matches branded content with editorial, making it a relevant ‘add on’ for the reader because it is based on their immediate interests. In other words, as audiences become increasingly frustrated with the one-size-fits-all approach to advertising it puts content where it counts, thereby benefiting the advertiser, the publisher and the end user. Joining the board at this stage of the company’s growth is an exciting opportunity.”
Mark Bembridge, CEO at Smartology, comments: “Brian has an enviable track record from the perspective of both commercial acumen and programmatic media expertise. Combining his skills with the market opportunities afforded by audiences that want relevant, high-quality content in real-time will enable us to build on our success to date and expand the company further.”
Fitzpatrick joins other Smartology board members Mark Bembridge, Nicholas Coutts (chairman), Adam Fraser-Harris (CFO), Marcus Keane (CTO) and Michael McCalmont (non-executive director).