SmartFrame Technologies, a UK-based technology provider specialising in image streaming, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrea Mason as its new global advertising sales director.

Mason joins with extensive experience in developing advertising strategy and client relationships in the media industry. Her most recent appointment was managing partner at What’s Possible Group, where she led the digital transformation of the Connections marketplace that the company acquired in 2020. This followed several senior roles at Dennis Publishing over a 15-year period, including group advertising director, where she played an instrumental role in leading the advertising department and maximising revenue across multiple markets and platforms.

Mason, who joins the senior leadership team in the company’s London office, will take ownership of SmartFrame’s contextual advertising proposition and be tasked with developing business in existing sectors and identifying new opportunities. Furthermore, Mason will lead the development and expansion of the ad sales team and its global operations as the business continues to grow.

SmartFrame is transforming the digital image file format and distribution model, while simultaneously changing the terms of trade of image assets. By moving the industry away from a low-cost JPEG-licensing model – a USD$4bn (£3.2bn) industry that has been in terminal decline for over a decade – to a free, embeddable file format with an in-image advertising revenue share for both publishers and content owners, the company is creating a fairer, more transparent, and prosperous industry for the benefit of all. It’s estimated that USD$376bn (£303bn) will be spent on contextual advertising by 2027 due to the demise of the third-party cookie, a sizably larger revenue opportunity than the image licensing market currently offers content owners.

Rob Sewell, CEO of SmartFrame Technologies, said: “Andrea’s extensive experience in advertising, coupled with her understanding of the publisher marketplace, will be invaluable as we execute our strategy and continue to scale the business. I’ve every confidence that, under her stewardship, our ad sales team will deliver even stronger results as more and more brands incorporate the benefits of our contextual targeting platform into their ad planning.”

“With the death of the third-party cookie, contextual targeting is undoubtedly set for significant growth over the coming years,” says Mason. “The fact that SmartFrame understands and addresses publishers’ other key concerns, notably around sustainability and brand safety, makes it an even stronger and more logical proposition for brands navigating their way through this period of change. I’m excited to be joining such a forward-thinking company, and it’s wonderful to know that I can be a part of its trajectory as contextual targeting gains prominence.”