Vizio said it is growing its advertising business, adding Oscar “Oz” Lang and Ben Sullins to its in-house ad-tech team.
The company said it opened a tech Innovation center in Denver in December. It now houses 140 of Vizio’s engineering and tech specialists working on Vizio’s software ad product and entertainment ecosystem. Between Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, the Vizio Ads and Innovation team has more than 400 people.
Lang was named VP of product management at Vizio. He had been head of product for Adobe’s Advertising Cloud TV business.
Sullins is VP of product engineering. He had been senior VP of engineering at SpotX.
Vizio said other recent ad tech hires have come from WarnerMedia, Comcast, Discovery, Magnite and Vevo.
Also: Vizio Adds Streaming VOD to WatchFree Plus Service
“Since our IPO last year, we have been heavily investing in engineering and software to scale our Platform Plus operations and build out our in-house ad tech team,” said David Rudnick, senior VP of product engineering at Vizio. “This investment will not only provide unique opportunities and measurable outcomes for advertisers, but it also helps us drive better consumer experiences.”
Vizio’s ad products are powered by viewing data from Vizio’s Inscape unit. Vizio Ads’ line of products include True Incremental Reach, Universal Frequency Control and Household Connect, an omnichannel offering helping marketers expand audience reach for cross-device campaigns.
Also: Vizio Claims $100 Million in Upfront Ad Commitments
Vizio’s Homescreen is the first stop for millions households, streamlining the search-and-discovery process for viewers, while providing exclusive opportunities for marketers to reach those viewers with tune-in ads and brand messaging.
“Consumers are rapidly shifting to the Smart TV experience, and because we own the hardware, software, and data, we are able to innovate in ways that others can’t,” Rudnick said. ”With continued momentum on the Platform Plus side of our business, which is a function of better personalization and engagement on SmartCast, we are driving interest with brands, advertisers and content partners to work with Vizio.” ■
