ExchangeWire is launching a new research division of the company, reflecting the growing prominence of programmatic advertising among 'mainstream marketers', by helping them better understand how it fits into the wider marketing mix, with Rebecca Muir (formerly of Google, Marin Software, and Quantcast) heading up the new unit.

Rebecca Muir, ExchangeWire, head of research and analysis (pictured), will head up the new division, called ExchangeWire Research, and will report to Ciaran O'Kane, ExchangeWire CEO, and Rachel Smith, ExchangeWire, COO, having formerly held senior product marketing roles at Quantcast and Marin, as well as senior managerial roles at Google and Mindshare.

Muir – a long-time contributor to the ExchangeWire website and ATS event series – will fashion the new division to provide exclusive, global and localised research, plus analysis of media buying trends, in both the ad tech and marketing technology sectors. ExchangeWire Research will be available to members of the advertising and media industries on a subscription basis, where they can access exclusive content, as well as partner with ExchangeWire Research to produce bespoke market-leading content focusing on specific markets.

Commenting on her appointment and the creation of the new unit, Muir said: "I'm thrilled to have joined ExchangeWire at such an exciting point in the company's growth. ExchangeWire already provides the industry with a unique and honest view of the issues that matter to agencies, brands and tech providers and I've been a fan of the company for many years, so joining the team feels like a natural step forward for me.

"ExchangeWire Research is going to empower marketing professionals by providing unique insight into the industry and it's an honour to be here from day one of that process."

Ciaran O'Kane, ExchangeWire, CEO, said: "When ExchangeWire first launched six years ago our main objective was to focus on how data and technology were fundamentally changing the way digital advertising was being traded globally. Our flagship news site, ExchangeWire.com and native language sites in Brazil and Japan have established us as the global site of record on 'programmatic’ advertising. The ATS event series (now in seven markets) have also helped our global audience get a better understanding of the trends changing the industry.

“But the one thing I feel that’s been missing in this industry – or at least, there’s not enough of it around – is business-critical data, particularly on international markets, that can help advertisers, marketers and practitioner navigate the evolving programmatic space. Rebecca will help ExchangeWire Research become one of the go-to resources in the industry for such info."

Trade bodies, and or consultancies, are doing their best to service the market, but under the weight of supporting the wider digital/marketing industry, programmatic advertising, ad tech, as well as the treatment of data can often take a back seat, a trend that was reflected upon by Brian O'Kelley, AppNexus, CEO, earlier this year, although this is not to say that research published by trade bodies is without merit.

Muir added: "There's no one really doing research who has been on the other side, everything seems to come out from trade bodies and consultancies, rather than from marketers for marketers."

Earlier example's of Muir's contributions to ExchangeWire can be found here.

ExchangeWire unveiled research earlier this year with its inaugural European Programmatic Survey, which identified a huge latent demand for data-led strategies, but that a lack of skills and awareness of the appropriate technologies was holding up the uptake of such strategies (see below).

If you are interested in learning more about the services offered by ExchangeWire Research, please send your queries to research@exchangewire.com.

Source: ExchangeWire