USA Today Sports · Ad tech and data platformsGrew ad revenue from the same audience.
Where an ad appears matters more than how many run. I moved from the commercial side into product and built around that.
Who we built for.
A sports reader, and the advertisers buying that audience.
Read and watch without the page fighting them.
A story, game update, or video, often on mobile, with plenty of other sources a tap away.
Higher margins and video revenue from the audience the network already has.
What got in their way.
- 01Low ad toleranceReaders leave when ads are slow, disruptive, or overwhelming.
- 02More units, less valueEvery extra unit lowers what the inventory is worth.
- 03Easy to leaveThe same story is a tap away somewhere else.
One system, four moves.
- Read
Keep readers on the page.
Stories · Video · Multi-sport network
- Place
Place ads on evidence.
A/B tests on content and ad placement
+40%revenue lift from tests - Demand
Bring in better demand.
Programmatic advertising engine
+30%programmatic revenue margins - Video
Grow video as its own line.
Video ad stack · Third-party partner integrations
+150%video views
What we prioritized, and what it cost.
Where an ad appears matters more than how many run. Test placement before rollout, so changes ship on evidence.
- Build the programmatic engine
- Expand the video ad stack through partners
- Test placement before rollout
- Speed: new units rolled out slower
- Integration work for each partner
What we believed, and what moved.
Pick an assumption to see how we tested it.
Test before rollout. Run the test.
Layouts are a sketch. The +40% is the measured revenue lift from content and ad placement tests.
Everything that shipped.
- Programmatic advertising engine
- Video ad stack
- Third-party partner integrations
- Content and ad placement A/B tests
- Dashboards in SQL and Tableau
Tools and methods.
- A/B testingTestingContent and ad placement, tested before rollout
- SQLDataQueries behind every dashboard
- TableauDataDashboards linking audience behavior to revenue
- DOMODataDashboards and reporting
- Partner integrationsDeliveryThird-party video demand
- JiraDeliveryBacklog, sprints, and release tracking
What moved.
- +30%Programmatic revenue margins
- +150%Video views
- +40%Revenue lift from placement tests
- $30MMonthly revenue from the video ad stack
- −50%Churn, via analytics dashboards
Building an ad, video, or monetization product?
I lead product strategy and delivery with cross-functional teams across growth, retention, monetization, and customer experience.
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