Category: Announcements

“This is an interesting moment for the industry,” says Omayra Cruz.

She’s talking to me over Zoom from her home in Bloomington, Indiana, where she’s lived for seven years with her family. Besides the thoughtfulness with which she speaks about AAX and the ad tech industry, the thing I notice first about Cruz is the fact that she’s wearing a Leeds United training top.

“I’m a Leeds United supporter,” she explains. “I studied at University of Leeds and my husband is a lifelong supporter so it was kind of non-negotiable.”

Leeds was a stop along the interesting, international path that brought Cruz to AAX. After growing up in Florida, she attended graduate school in California and the UK before making her way to New York. This was where she started in the tech world, working first in e-commerce and later in ad tech. Eight years later, she relocated to the Midwest, working remotely even before the era of COVID-19 turned reading nooks into remote offices across the globe.

Earlier this year, she reconnected with AAX CEO Scott Schwanbeck at an industry event, where he mentioned a new role opening up at AAX. And speaking with the larger AAX team, says Cruz, “cemented my interest in the role.” She started as AAX’s SVP Account Manager in mid-June, 2022.

You mention an interesting moment in our industry. Can you expand on that a little?

So what’s top of mind for everyone across our space—publishers and technology companies alike, buyers included, is how exactly our industry is going to function with the shifting conversation around privacy and identity. As new regulation comes into play and as technologies that we’ve been dependent on, for better or for worse (like the ubiquitous cookie) are reconsidered, there’s a big question mark about what things will look like in two years’ time. What will we be doing in two? How will we be doing it? How can we be effective and impactful?

The playbook that we use today is likely not going to be the playbook that we use in the future. That’s not to say that everything will change, but there will be changes. And no one really knows yet how to assess those, and how to respond.

How do you see the industry looking in two years’ time? Any predictions, any hopes? How will things look in 2024?

In 2024, my expectation is that the biggest technology companies will have further consolidated their position, which they’ve been doing and they will likely continue to do, particularly as the larger industry experiences more headwinds based on economic trends.

And then also, in two years’ time, what the CTV space looks like. There’s a massive shift of interest and time spent on those channels and, per conversations I’ve had with colleagues in the space, they’re still very much figuring it out. How that develops will factor for all of us across the industry.

AAX has been very much focused on standard display and native in the desktop environment. But our scope is evolving. At some point, we will have to have a position on convergence as well. I think it’s impossible to not participate. There’s just too much spend headed in that direction. That’s where users go!

What else are you looking forward to? What excites you about the future?

My goal is to continue to develop product that is differentiated and meets a need that the market has.

There are many technology companies out there building product, and there are some questions as to who wants it? What are you building this for? Is it actually solving an issue that your customers have?

So, I think us understanding the landscape, shaping our vision, and being responsive to the real needs is top priority. And then we do the work of evangelizing to make sure that we tell our story well.

Okay, one last thing. What are some other details that really define you? That people really need to know in order to understand Omayra Cruz?

People who are close to me know that I really like to tackle difficult challenges. I’ve been a student of Shotokan Karate under Shihan James Field for over fifteen years and one thing he would always say is that he loves karate because it’s hard. That resonates for me. The challenge is what keeps you coming back!

Can you actually chop through a piece of wood with your bare hands? Or is that a myth?

I think people can do that. But I’ve never had occasion to chop wood with my hand—there are tools for that!

For Euan Johnston, business intelligence is a field that works best in a state of perfect balance. It’s mathematically rigorous, but it requires understanding the people affected by the numbers being crunched. It’s all about different human perspectives, but it requires staying grounded in hard data.

Now AAX’s Business Intelligence Manager, Euan explains that he was always drawn to this blend of the logical and the interpersonal. “In BI, and this is what excites me,” he says, “It’s imperative to do both things at once: to put yourself in clients’ shoes and do the analytical work.”

Euan joined AAX having held positions in a selection of diverse companies ranging from the arts to the sciences and beyond. This speaks to the far-ranging applicability of not only business intelligence in general, but Euan Johnston’s passionate, curious, and creative approach to business intelligence.

“BI can be whatever you want it to be,” he explains. “If there’s something that needs to be measured, that someone can think of, there are no limits.”

We spoke to Euan about all things BI, the steps that led him to find AAX, and his predictions for the future.

 

AAX: Why don’t we start off on the subject of business intelligence: how did you find BI?

Euan Johnston: My love of maths really started as the result of studying with a number of fantastic maths teachers. I think these interests often have a lot to do with the kind of mentors you have early in life.

Then, I studied econ and maths at uni. But I wasn’t totally focused on hard skills; my ideal future didn’t involve only being in front of a computer. I wanted to be around a variety of people, learn about a variety of perspectives. I liked the practical side and the methodology, but I also liked the idea of using numbers to tell a story, to sell.

And it turned out that that combo—people and numbers—sits at the heart of business intelligence.

 

AAX: Was it that combination of right- and left brain thinking that drew you in?

Euan Johnston: That’s part of it! You need to understand different human perspectives even as you’re looking at the numbers. And I enjoy both. I think you need both. You can do all the numbers-crunching you want but if you don’t have an ear inside the company the work is lost. I’ve always been curious about how a company functions, and knowing the work is being used.

But that’s not the only thing that’s exciting about business intelligence. There’s also a sense that, with BI, the possibilities are endless. And this has definitely played a part in my career: I’ve had the opportunity to work with many different kinds of people, see the world through a variety of lenses.

For example, I went from working at a company that worked in flight simulation to what’s essentially the polar opposite: startup ecommerce with a focus on design. It was a similar role in a completely different company, but it afforded a completely different perspective.

 

AAX: How do you make the necessary switch in perspective when switching between roles?

Euan Johnston: Immersion is key. Deep absorption of the world around you is absolutely invaluable.

That, of course, makes working from home tricky. Or… it would at another company.

At AAX, there’s a real push to keep everyone together. We’re a really close-knit, cohesive team, which is especially amazing considering that we’re working across many time zones. I’m the metrics guy, and seeing how many people are thriving is a testament to how well the team is doing.

 

AAX: Does that mean you have positive predictions for the future of AAX?

Euan Johnston: The company is on a great path. Things really seem to be flourishing, and there’s a clear, measured plan. I really think Scott is taking the business to the next level.

And from a business intelligence perspective, the adoption of data-driven decision-making for the business is exciting. Normally the first data hire comes later—oftentimes the hundredth hire or so—but I’m joining early on. We’re a lean, streamlined team. That speaks to AAX being an early adopter.

And of course I’m excited that AAX is so keen on metrics. The attitude at AAX is very much ‘We want all the data we can absorb.’ For me, there’s really nothing better than seeing the work being used.

 

“Ad tech moves faster than any other industry,” explains Rikki Decker. She’s talking about her deep fascination with all things ad tech, which began soon after graduating from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and shows no signs of abating.

Rikki became the Vice President, Account Management of AAX in October of 2020, a now-famously unprecedented year full of tumultuous change. But for Rikki Decker, expecting the unexpected has always been part of working within the ad tech sphere. In fact, she asserts that the challenges and the sense of discovery are what make ad tech so dynamic.

“With ad tech there’s a sense that anything could happen,” she says. “It’s empowering. You can start from scratch; you can come up with new, unheard-of solutions.”

Rikki took time to chat with us about her time so far at AAX, how an interest in analytics has shaped the impressive arc of her career, and what she thinks both ad tech and workplace life in general will look in the latter half of 2021 and beyond.

 

AAX: Let’s start with your history. Tell us a little bit about how you got interested in ad tech!

Rikki Decker: Rikki Decker: The seeds of my interest were there from the beginning! In college I originally pursued marketing, adding finance because I loved the data side of it. I was always interested in consumer analytics.

My first job after college was outside of ad tech, and I knew immediately that I wanted to move to ad tech. This led to a position in campaign management, which was deeply exciting and contained this sense of continual newness: the feeling in ad tech that follows you every step of the way.

 

AAX: Was it this aspect of ad tech—the excitement—that you see as steering your career trajectory?

Rikki Decker: That, and an interest in analytics. Because analytics are a way to understand the world. I’ve always been fascinated by a couple of essential questions: what makes people tick on a macro level? What drives humans?

And the answers, I’ve found, can only be understood through data and analytics.

 

AAX: And what are some other key experiences that you see as leading, ultimately, to your role as VP, Account Management at AAX?

Rikki Decker: It comes down to a combination of autonomy and working within a team. When I look back at another campaign management role—where I was actually the second trader hired—the lessons I learned were primarily how to be autonomous, how to work within uncharted territory, dealing with multiple variables and new challenges.

After that I became more passionate about coaching and training. I started a weekly trader roundtable, sharing resources and mentoring. Then, when I moved into a role as a team lead, I gained more exposure to high-level decision making. This allowed me to scale up the team, and that’s when the training process became even more important. That gives you a sense of how better to move ahead.

 

AAX: How do you see AAX moving ahead?

Rikki Decker: I’m excited, frankly! AAX is a newer company, and we have this strong, lean team. We’re starting something, and there’s that sense of exploration and creation: we’re going to expand and grow together.

 

AAX: No conversation of any kind these days is complete without a discussion of how the world is changing post- 2020. What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see ahead?

Rikki DeckerRegulation is definitely a factor. There’s been a ton of regulation, which has led to a number of amazing, innovative solutions. But it also leads to questions: will regulation at the state level in the USA lead to federal regulation? How will companies deal with regulations? Also, I think 2021 is going to see a lot of development around Identity and a unified solution, and it’s going to be interesting to see how things change. Ad tech moves faster than every other industry.

My biggest takeaway from 2020 is that there’s more flexibility coming to the industry. One of those things is: remote work. Last year really opened people’s eyes to the fact that work from home…works. The flexibility is liberating.

It’s a subject that’s especially relevant to me, because I am remote work—I live in Washington DC and 2020’s work from home revolution is what allowed me to be here, in the role as AAX VP, Account Management.

Before 2020, I thought I’d have to move to the ad tech center of New York. I didn’t want to leave DC, but I talked to my husband and said ‘I love ad tech, so we might have to move.’ Now, as it turns out, I can have a job I love in the city I call home.

Another bonus? Working from home has also given me the opportunity to welcome a new puppy, Bailey!

For Hart Gliedman, it all comes down to education. He knows the challenges facing publishers, pays attention to what pain points might be especially acute, and this knowledge gives him certainly: that AAX has the solution they need.

But, he admits, there’s a lot of noise being directed at publishers and it’s invaluable that your information—in this case how revenue can be boosted via Acceptable Ads—make it through what can too often be cluttered with spam and the words of bad actors.

For a native New Yorker like Hart, being heard through the noise is something that comes almost naturally. Especially, as he tells it, since he learned about the AAX solution by seeing it take place in the wild, on a friend’s computer.

That, explains Hart, was the aha! moment, when he realized what Acceptable Ads could actually, as he puts it, “make the pendulum swing.”

 

AAX: Let’s begin at the beginning. You mentioned that you learned about AAX by seeing it operating in the real world—can you run us through that?

Hart Gliedman: Well, being in the industry I always had a certain view of ad blockers—and I had certainly never installed one. But I certainly knew people who used ad blockers. And, in fact, I was coworking with a friend who had an ad blocker installed, and I looked at his screen and saw…ads being served. And not only that, but there was no annoyance, no frustration.

This was my introduction to ad filtering. My first thought was “Wow, this is a no-brainer. Everyone is searching for that extra revenue boost, but it’s next to impossible to do that without negative impact or downside—except this. I was seeing how Acceptable Ads worked, and understanding it could change the future.

 

AAX: So you had gotten a sense from working in the industry of what was needed, and the fixes that had been tried already?

Hart Gliedman: Yes, and that history gives you an amazing sense of perspective. When I was working in the past with publishers, I learned all about all the day-to-day pain points—bandwidth, resources, everything going into monetization, etc. And now, with that perspective, I can see what a publisher really needs; I can explain that what AAX is doing really is completely different.

I can say: “Look, AAX is so relevant because it allows publishers looking for that extra revenue boost to add entirely incremental revenue stream with no negative impact. It’s the cleanest, simplest way forward for publishers that might be looking for extra revenue.”

My word of advice to publishers is: don’t fall back into old, bad habits! There’s revenue right under your nose.

 

AAX: And this seems like especially urgent advice in 2020, I’d imagine. The pandemic is impacting everyone, publishers included.

Hart Gliedman: Absolutely. What we’re offering is value for publishers that need it; what publishers can to tap into in a low maintenance, sustainable way.

But the reality is there’s so much noise about adding value. Publishers are constantly confronted with “double your revenue with a single line of code,” and it’s oversaturated, obnoxious, and intrusive. This was true even before the pandemic, but it’s intensified.

One of the challenges has always been education: separating what you’re saying from what bad actors are promising. And when it comes to AAX, as soon as the publisher hears and understands, they want to get involved. AAX is that unique; and Acceptable Ads users understand the value exchange.

 

AAX: How does that understanding impact their behavior, exactly?

Hart Gliedman: These users know that not all ads are bad; not all ads are created equal. And when they’re served Acceptable Ads, everyone is suddenly benefiting from that situation. The users feel respected; they’re staying longer on sites; they’re even clicking on ads. And not just by accident.

Acceptable Ads is really hitting the reset button on the entire industry.

 

AAX: And what does that mean for the future of AAX, looking into the second half of 2020 and into 2021?

Hart GliedmanWe’re going to continue to bring incremental value to publishers that need it in these uncertain times. And I’m excited about the project of educating not just publishers but also DSPs. I think we’ve gone so far and we still have so much potential moving forward.