Acast hires Elli Dimitroulakos to expand programmatic podcast advertising in the Americas

Podcast giant Acast has appointed Elli Dimitroulakos as Head of Automation, Americas. Dimitroulakos will lead Acast Automated — the company’s rapidly growing programmatic advertising arm — in the US, Mexico, and Canada, enabling advertisers to use automated technology to more effectively and efficiently purchase premium ad inventory across its portfolio of more than 20,000 shows.

Acast — which represents podcasts from indie creators and major publisher partners like PBS NewsHour, CBC, A+E Networks, Vice, Dixo, and the BBC — saw its programmatic business grow 215% in 2020.

And the hire of Dimitroulakos supports Acast’s ambition to enhance podcast advertising capabilities and eliminate friction in the buying process, enabling advertisers to run campaigns with high return at scale.

“Podcasting is home to some of the most talented creators and engaged audiences of any modern advertising channel — and we’ve made it our mission to unlock programmatic advertising’s clear potential here,” said Dimitroulakos. “Acast has the infrastructure to harness programmatic ad buying, at scale, for advertisers across the Americas.”

Acast’s pioneering dynamic ad insertion technology delivers timely, contextualized, targeted podcast ads to listeners on any app, upon download or playback of its shows — while much of the industry still relies on static, non-targeted ads that are baked into the podcast audio file and remain even after an ad campaign has ended.

Last year, the company launched contextual advertising technology that uses artificial intelligence and automated transcription to place targeted ads into topically relevant podcast episodes. This allows advertisers to reach audiences based on specific content parameters relevant to their campaigns and intended goals.

“Programmatic advertising is the biggest opportunity for the podcast industry, and Elli has the ideal mix of cross-channel experience and insight to roll out this emerging technology — allowing advertisers in the Americas to realize its potential,” said Michael Bayston, Global Head of Automation at Acast.

Dimitroulakos has 15 years’ experience across emerging media, automation, and data products, having begun her career in TV and video. She was most recently Director of Programmatic at Trusted Media Brands (formerly known as the Reader’s Digest Association) where she was responsible for building the programmatic direct sales and operations strategy in the US and Canada, as well as driving programmatic and data partnerships for the company’s broad range of media properties and products.

Previously she was East Coast Director at Yashi, a premium video demand-side platform and programmatic technology company acquired by Nexstar Broadcasting. There, she partnered with agency holding companies to conduct API integrations and implement self-serve products into their video trading strategies across online video and connected TV.

Dimitroulakos will be based in Acast’s New York office. Her next speaking engagement will be at Programmatic Virtual Forum, an online conference on January 21, 2021, by World Forum Disrupt, where she’ll be discussing the future of programmatic in podcasting.

About Acast

Podcast giant Acast is the engine powering creators, advertisers and listeners everywhere. Its services are the most sophisticated available and are constantly being updated with innovative new tools and functionality.

Acast hosts more than 20,000 shows worldwide, monetizing and growing global smash hits including My Dad Wrote a Porno, The Earios Network, and Forever35, as well as podcasts from publishers such as the BBC, PBS NewsHour, Vice, Complex, HuffPost, CBC, and Financial Times.

Founded in Sweden in 2014 by Johan Billgren, Acast’s team of more than 200 audio lovers are creating a sustainable and open podcast ecosystem — ensuring the whole industry continues to grow and flourish. Over the past six years Acast has generated nearly $100 million in revenue for podcasters around the world, running hugely successful ad and sponsorship campaigns for more than 3,000 brands.

The company has on-the-ground operations in 10 countries around the world, including Canada, the UK, US, Mexico, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden.