• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, August 6, 2015

Joel Hall -- newly appointed VP of products at Yieldbot, which helps publishers manage data for advertising -- believes the future of brand marketing relies on predictive systems and search engine traffic data to develop deeper relationships with consumers. This means directing potential customers to brand-owned properties to own the entire experience and track the leads to sales.

"The more you can understand and leverage user intent, the more we will see performance improve across other mediums," said Hall, who has less than two months on the job. "Some of the strongest signals for intent have to do with how you arrived at the page and the page you're on.

Aside from finding better ways to analyze real-time behavior and optimize for intent, Hall will work on opening Yieldbot's technology to automated-buying platforms at agencies making it easier for publishers to transact direct deals.

The past decade of search has trained consumers to expect relevant content, data, and answers to questions. Some might view this as a challenge that requires faster data processing and more predictive systems, which fortunately are being built today, Hall said. Not just by Yieldbot, but Google, Microsoft Bing, and IBM's Watson division, among others. It's about delivering relevant content by understanding user intent.

Prior to joining Yieldbot, Hall spent six years at Marin Software where he led a team of product managers tasked with maintaining and upgrading the Marin platform that took the company from 500 to 5,000 customers and 80 to 600 employees. Prior to Marin, he worked at Omniture doing client strategy and optimization for the Test &Target Platform, renamed Adobe Target after the acquisition.

When asked how Hall sees the future of search engine advertising, his view moves search from a responsive to a predictive system. Rather than results, consumers will get notifications. Google Now, for instance, anticipates a user's needs based on context, but whether or not consumers feel confident search engines can address privacy concerns remains unanswered, which creates more questions.