Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership. Ends Dec 5.
Over the summer, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong bounced his sales chief Jeff Levick, who is now at Spotify, and replaced him with a former Advertising.com executive Ned Brody, who was named AOL’s new chief revenue officer. At that time, a sales executive named Jim Norton was promoted to svp. Now, just five months later, as AOL’s ad sales show some signs of life, Norton is now AOL’s new head of sales.
Good for Norton, of course. But the move begs the question: What changed in the last five months? Armstrong strongly implied at the time that he was reorganizing sales to get the formula right for AOL’s next phase. At the time of the Levick ouster, Armstrong defended installing an ex Ad.com executive (given AOL’s Platform-A history) comparing Brody to “a general manager.”
It could be that Norton is the traditional brand-oriented sales guy AOL needed to complement Brody? Turns out Norton’s previous job was at Google. But prior to that role Norton logged stints at TV and radio stations, and even in brand marketing at Miller Brewing Company. No matter what, Norton has what’s probably an underrated asset of AOL’s: a large, experienced sales team with relationships at top brands. It’s not something to be discounted, even in this seeming age of automation.
More in Media
AI-powered professional learning and the battle vs. ‘workslop’: Inside Deloitte’s Scout
Deloitte last month launched Scout as part of its Project 120, the company’s $1.4 billion investment in professional development.
‘The Big Bang has happened’: Reach gets proactive on AI-era referrals, starting with subscriptions
This week, the publisher of national U.K. titles Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Star, is rolling out its first paid digital subscriptions – a big departure from the free, ad-funded model it’s had throughout its 120-year history.
Arena Group, BuzzFeed, USA Today Co, Vox Media join RSL’s AI content licensing efforts
Arena Group, BuzzFeed, USA Today Co and Vox Media are participating in the RSL Collective’s efforts to license content to AI companies.