MoPub CEO Leaves; Tumblr Install Ads

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

No Payne

Twitter’s game of musical chairs continues with the partial exit of MoPub CEO Jim Payne, AdAge’s Mark Bergen reports. Read it. Payne will serve as an ad tech advisor to CFO Anthony Noto, but will no longer run Twitter’s programmatic exchange. That job falls to Janae McDonough. Related: In a Tuesday DM slip-up, Noto signalled his intent to acquire a mystery company. Re/code speculates Drawbridge could be on its short list. Read it.

Follow The Install

Yahoo aims to capture app install budgets with a new Tumblr ad format, called Tumblr Sponsored Apps. In a blog post, Tumblr said the format will help advertisers target the “25% of active gamers who use Tumblr, according to comScore. But expect to see apps from publishers, makers of creative tools, and entertainment platforms too.” Yahoo already offers app install ad products, but this is the only format exclusive to Tumblr. Beta customers are GREE, Big Fish and Betaworks.

Automating Influence

Berlin-based startup Brandnew IO surfaced with a tool on Tuesday that puts brands and advertisers in control of its International Influencer Network. The network is made up of “influential” users on social media, namely Instagram and Twitter. For client Panasonic, “We used the creative diversity of our influencers to reflect that of the Panasonic camera models, each matched to the Instagrammer’s photography style,” Brandnew IO CEO Francis Trapp told AdExchanger. Read the blog post, and AdExchanger’s June interview with Trapp.

Mic Check

Publisher Mic wants be the ad buy of choice for brands targeting millennials, Digiday reports. Since August, its strategy has been to ditch banner ads and lean exclusively on “native.” Brands like Microsoft, Cole Haan and Cadillac have jumped aboard. A recent campaign for GE offered interactive quizzes and articles that drew 320,000 to the landing page since last week. But going “all custom” takes its toll: “It took Mic’s branded content team five weeks to think up and create the Map Your Mind interactive.” Read it.

Ramping Up Facebook Video

With holiday ads in mind, Facebook has sold “premium” video ads to Macy’s and a handful of other companies, Reuters reports. Though a departure for the retailer, Macy’s VP for Digital Media Jennifer Kasper said the online push will complement traditional TV spots. “We do believe we are going to reach an incremental audience who are no longer tuning in to traditional TV,” she said. “For people who have seen it on TV, it keeps us top of mind.” All aboard the Facebook video train. Read on.

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