VivaKi Hires 'Audience on Demand' Team Leader

Publicis-owned digital marketing agency VivaKi has appointed Geoff Smith as Head of Activation for its dedicated R&D facility, the VivaKi Nerve Center (VNC), where he will lead the firm's Audience on Demand (AOD) team in the UK.

The VNC was launched by Publicis in 2008, with a remit to build new technologies and approaches for companies across the group. Its AOD platform aggregates defined audiences from data sources to help marketers with targeting.

Smith joins from media agency MEC, where he served as Technology Consultant Director responsible for the UK's retargeting and creative optimization strategies, while overseeing technology integration and data management across the group. Prior to this, he worked at GroupM as a Digital Operations Specialist, providing a centralised resource for tracking, accountability and best practice for each of the firm's agencies.

Smith and his team will work closely with Paul Silver, Head of Product for AOD. Recent hires to the AOD Activation Team also include Jenny Hubbard as Activation Manager and Yu-Hsuan Lin as Activation Executive.

Marco Bertozzi, EMEA MD for the VNC says: 'This year has seen huge growth for us, not only in display but also through expanding AOD into other channels and we have big ambitions for next year. Geoff brings proven experience in this space and working together with the talented people within each of the agencies ensures we are well placed to achieve them.'

Web site: www.vivaki.com .