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Linkstorm Appoints Media Veteran Ari Brandt as CEO, Sees Opportunity for Growth

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Media veteran Ari Brandt has been appointed as the chief executive officer of performance-enhancing online advertising technology company Linkstorm. With 16 years of experience building effective products for the web, Brandt replaces founding CEO David Sidman, who will remain involved in the business as chairman of the board. Linkstorm's technology, known as Banner Xpander, has been used by major brands and agencies such as Cisco, E*Trade, and Microsoft, and has consistently delivered an increase of 2x-5x in click-through rate since its commercial launch in April 2008.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ari Brandt has 16 years of experience in building effective products for the web, and most recently served as the head of digital media for Conde Nast Business Media Group.
  • Linkstorm's technology, Banner Xpander, has delivered an increase of 2x-5x in click-through rate for major brands and agencies since its commercial launch in April 2008.
  • Ari Brandt's appointment as CEO is seen as a key move to leverage Linkstorm's early success into widespread industry adoption.
  • Brandt has a proven track record in advertising and publishing, with experience on both the client and agency sides.
  • Linkstorm's founder, David Sidman, will remain involved in the business as chairman of the board.

Statistics:

  • Linkstorm's technology, Banner Xpander, has delivered an increase of 2x-5x in click-through rate since its commercial launch in April 2008.
  • Ari Brandt has guided the launch of several successful online products, including Portfolio.com, which generated several million dollars in revenue and had 4MM monthly visitors in its first year.
  • Brandt has also led business operations for Yahoo! Finance and Yahoo! News properties, overseeing nearly $200MM in annual revenue.

Sources:

  • Ari Brandt's speech as quoted in the article, "In our current economy, advertising effectiveness is an absolute imperative... There is a real need for this product in today's marketplace and I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead such a talented team through the company's next phase of growth."
  • Marketing Weekly News, "Linkstorm Appoints Media Veteran as CEO", 2009
  • VerticalNews.com, copyright 2009
  • Conde Nast Business Media Group, Portfolio.com launch team led by Ari Brandt
  • Yahoo! Media Group, business operations led by Ari Brandt
  • SmartMoney.com, DoubleClick, Neuberger Berman, and leading ad agencies, experience of Ari Brandt

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