• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 3, 2013

AOL on Thursday named Erika Nardini as vice president, head of marketing solutions for AOL Advertising. Reporting to Jim Norton, SVP of AOL Advertising, Nardini will be expected to drive marketing and creative strategies for AOL’s ad business.

In particular, Nardini will focus on content and brand experiences -- which, as she said Thursday, have been “my passion throughout my entire career.”
 
Nardini comes from Demand Media, where she served as senior vice president of sales and marketing. There, she helped develop brand partnerships with The Home Depot, L’Oreal and Johnson & Johnson.
 
AOL recently brought in Jack Bamberger to serve as its new head of agency and industry relations, also reporting to Norton. Bamberger came from MEC, where he was president of digital in North America and led the agency’s digital practice.
 
AOL recently reported that third-quarter ad revenue increased 7% to $340 million, while overall revenue was flat at $531.7 million. Year-over-year, AOL said its total online audience grew by 4% in the third quarter of 2012.
 
Earlier in her career, Nardini was vice president, brand packaging and solutions with Yahoo, where she managed the marketing and publishing strategies across the company’s various properties.

Several top executives left Demand last year after a rocky IPO.