• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 18, 2023

Ericsson’s mobile ad-tech division Emodo took a leap into performance driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and personalization in programmatic advertising, naming Rajeev Tyagi, Yahoo's former head of products, to chief of products.

Emodo also announced other new hires in product management include Ravi Dhanjal, Jo McCawley, and Dawid Zambrzycki. The new product team will expand on innovations in optimization -- especially in targeting, formats, and unique inventory.

Tyagi has a positive attitude about life. He shared some of his thoughts with Search & Performance Marketing Daily about superheroes, why he joined Emodo, and goals for the year.

Search & Performance Marketing Daily:  If you could be a fictional superhero, which one would you be and why? And how do you relate to that character?

Tyagi:  Aren't we all superheroes? Each and every one of us. My superpower is to bring a bunch of superheroes together to create sometimes unimaginable and sometimes predictable but amazing products to life -- which all put a big smile on millions of faces around the world.

My superpower is to make the world a better place -- inch by inch and brick by brick, by working shoulder to shoulder with other superheroes. I am certain I wouldn't trade it for anything else. 

S&PMD:  What is the biggest challenge you see marketers and brands having this year, and how do you intend to solve it?

Tyagi:  Privacy headwinds is the biggest risk for this year, and how lack of specific user parameters will affect online advertising platforms to target specific users and attribute conversions. It will severely impact performance, especially in the programmatic advertising ecosystem.

Fortunately, Emodo started future-proofing audiences early on and invested heavily on privacy-friendly audience targeting and AI-optimized ad experiences. We have extensive plans to expand the scope to cover different supply types and ad formats, which will enable more marketers and brands to leverage our tech to drive performance in the programmatic ecosystem. 

S&PMD:  What is your goal for the year, and how many direct reports will you have?

Tyagi:  My goal this year is to get Emodo on a solid foundation of AI-driven supply- and demand-side platforms that our teams can then leverage to build amazing and scalable experiences on. Agility is the key to driving fever-pitch innovation in the industry, and we are uniquely positioned to disrupt the industry.

S&PMD:  Why join Emodo? And what attracted you to the company?

Tyagi:  It’s a team of high-caliber, talented and ambitious people who set out to make a difference in the advertising industry and are already doing so. On top of that, it is being powered by unique data assets. And a backing from Ericsson makes Emodo a very compelling place to work to realize your vision to transform the advertising industry. 

Emodo has been doing phenomenal work  --growing their exchange through high-impact ad experiences that leverage dynamic formats, privacy-friendly audience targeting, and AI optimization.

As we continue to innovate, I am excited to take the company’s product roadmap to the next level to drive growth and value across the industry, while being part of an agile and growing team.

S&PMD:  After many years at Yahoo, you left to join Verizon and then went back to Yahoo. Why?

Tyagi:  After Verizon bought Yahoo, it combined Yahoo with AOL and the joint entity was named Verizon Media. I decided to work for Verizon Media, since it provided me with an opportunity to merge two great cultures and transform the team to launch some powerful products. Later, Verizon Media was spun off and renamed Yahoo.

S&PMD:  What is the best piece of business advice you have received, and from whom?

Tyagi:  Three simple words from my then-manager Ken at Ernst & Young accentuated the importance of customers and shaped my values early on in my career. He said the customer is king. Ken led the multibillion-dollar accounts for the consulting company and was admired by clients and employees. 

S&PMD:  Is this the same advice you would give to others?

Tyagi:  Indeed, and if I can, I will also add 'give your best shot to everything you do' and 'challenge the status quo to build disruptive and innovative products.’