Last week, I started my working week as CEO of Spree7, a leading digital media consulting and programmatic implementation firm based in Berlin. This week, I am delighted to be starting my working week as the new Region Manager, DACH for global advertising company MediaMath.
I’ve worked closely with MediaMath since 2012, when they and PubliGroupe founded Spree7 to address the growing demand for programmatic solutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH)—so I was delighted to share the news that MediaMath had acquired Spree7 last week. Great news for us and great news for the region!
So what does this acquisition mean to Spree7, MediaMath and DACH as a whole?
In short– from both my and Spree7’s perspectives—it means a lot. Having successfully grown the Spree7 business from a trading desk to the leading programmatic advertising service provider in DACH, joining the MediaMath family couldn’t have come at a greater time.
Programmatic activity in DACH has exploded in the last six to 12 months. More and more agencies who formerly relied on trading desks are setting up their own DSP function in-house. In addition, local publishers who have set up SSPs in the last three to four years are investing more into aligning their internal processes around programmatic technology.
Our expertise not only in programmatic but also in MediaMath’s TerminalOne Operating System means we are ideally placed to accelerate the company’s growth across DACH. This opportunity for expansion comes at a time when programmatic is being embraced by the advertising players in this region, and we are thrilled to continue supporting clients with our local expertise and consultative approach.
Our collaboration with MediaMath over the last three years has forged strong working relationships. First, it was with Erich Wasserman, Founder and CRO of MediaMath, who started MediaMath’s EMEA hub office in London and, more recently, we’ve had the pleasure of working with Dave Reed, MD EMEA, who took over the reigns in early 2014. Our rapport building with these influential figures in ad tech and the larger EMEA team over the past few years makes us excited about our future as part of MediaMath.
Having already acted as a representative of MediaMath in German-speaking Europe, our 25-person team, located on the ground in Berlin, combining with MediaMath’s 750 employee-strong company highlights the company’s commitment to providing local expertise in this market.
So what do I want to bring to MediaMath? My philosophy has always been to be the innovator and not the follower. I want to continue to help advertisers in the DACH region to maximise the true potential of programmatic and be the first to utilise new developments the technology offers to optimise consumer engagement across online advertising. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to ensure that vision holds true.