Advertising technology firms aren't the easiest companies for brands and ad agencies to navigate.  To help fix that, Yieldbot, a company that helps Web publishers use data to sell more targeted ads, is bringing in an executive who speaks the language.  Yieldbot has hired Chris Copeland as the company’s new president. Mr. Copeland was most recently chief digital officer at GroupM Next, a division of the WPP -owned media buying hub focused on emerging digital platforms. In this newly created role, he’ll focus on building up Yieldbot’s business with both traditional brand advertisers and e-commerce companies.  Yieldbot works with several top media companies, including Meredith Corp. , Condé Nast, Vox Media, Time Inc. and Hearst Corp. Yieldbot helps these publishers sell digital ads in a more targeted fashion. It emphasizes helping these publishers tap into their own unique data, rather than leaning on data from third parties.  Advertisers can buy ads using Yieldbot’s unique tools and technology by working directly with Yieldbot’s sales team. Yieldbot splits the ad revenue it pulls in with publishers. The company has raised $28.5 million in funding to date.  While Yieldbot’s core services are built for publishers, in terms of bringing in ad revenue, “95% of our business is done with agencies,” said Yieldbot Chief Executive Jonathan Mendez. “[Chris has] been there for over a decade, and he understands all the challenges.”  Mr. Copeland had been at GroupM since 2000. He grew up in the agency world, initially focused on search advertising. More recently, Mr. Copeland helped marketers tackle everything from Web video to social media to mobile messaging. Over the past few years, Mr. Copeland also founded and programmed an annual conference for WPP’s marketing clients focused on digital media trends.  When it comes to the cluttered ad tech ecosystem and the rising chorus of complaints about digital ad overload (an issue many believe may contribute to the rise of ad blocking among consumers), Mr. Copeland said he sees Yieldbot as a company trying to provide more value to both media companies and consumers.  At Yieldbot, “I see so many of the answers to the problems that ail us in the market,” he said. “It’s really a publishers-first platform. The company doesn’t make its partners feel like they have to jam up their pages with ads and give users a substandard experience. They are really thinking about things like viewability and quality.”  Write to Mike Shields at mike.shields@wsj.com
Yieldbot, which helps media companies such as Meredith Corp. and Time Inc. sell more targeted ads with the help of data, has tapped longtime GroupM executive Chris Copeland as its new president.