• AdExchanger, Friday, April 29, 2016 6:35 AM

AdExchanger explores AppNexus' brand-facing business and poses the question as to whether it can hold the line on managed services. "CEO Brian O'Kelley has historically been adamant about his company's pure technology focus. Are his 114 service and training support staffers a momentary concession to marketers who need help onboarding the DSP, or a sign of more hires to come?," AdExchanger reports. CRO Marcus Startzel says: "We're definitely not moving off of the vision to be a technology provider... As we take this technology closer to [marketers], we are going to have to help folks onboard. With any SaaS product, you've got training, you've got different types of service offerings, and we have a service offering." In addition, the report notes that AppNexus is adding headcount as some of its demand side platform (DSP) competitors are letting people go. Downward price pressure on ad buying platforms has helped set in motion layoffs and other cost-cutting moves at a range of DSP companies, including Rocket Fuel, Turn, MediaMath, Centro and Videology. AppNexus on Thursday hired AJ Kintner as VP of DSP Sales.

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