DULLES, Virginia: Symbolizing its determination to become a major mainstream advertising force, AOL plans to move its corporate headquarters from the outskirts of Washington, DC to the inskirts of Manhattan, NY, adland's heart.
Says AOL chief executive Randy Falco: "New York City is the centre of advertising, so it makes perfect sense to locate our corporate headquarters here."
However, there's nothing symbolic about AOL's sweeping revamp of its advertising services activities, henceforth aligned under a new brand, Platform A, and a new boss, Curtis Viebranz, ex-ceo of AOL's behavioural targeting unit Tacoda.
He will report direct to AOL president/coo Ron Grant.
Mike Kelly, president of AOL Media Networks, now languishes in the departure lounge, while Lynda Clarizio continues at the helm of Advertising.com, and Kathy Kayse, sales svp at AOL Media Networks, will run AOL brand advertising.
Both women report to Viebranz.
Platform A encompasses all of AOL's advertising-focused businesses - among them Tacoda itself, third-party display network Advertising.com, global ad serving platform Adtech, video ad serving platform Lightningcast and mobile media specialist Third Screen Media
The new powerhouse will reach more than 90% of the US online audience according to Comscore Media Metrix.
The reorganization comes six weeks after Time Warner executives reported a slowdown of growth at AOL - these days almost entirely dependent on advertising income since dumping its subscription model two years ago.
Data sourced from multiple origins; additional content by WARC staff
