MarketCast Hires New Executive Team Ahead of Total Effect Launch
‘Marketers are facing unprecedented pressure to prove what’s working, and MarketCast is uniquely positioned to answer that,’ said new CEO Lana Busignani
MarketCast, an ad tech and data company, has installed a new executive leadership team as it prepares to launch Total Effect, its next generation product.
Lana Busignani, previously with NielsenIQ, was named CEO. She succeeds Amy Fenton, who will continue as a senior advisor to the company.
MarketCast also named a new chief revenue officer in Paul Shortley and chief marketing officer Kerel Cooper.
Controlled by private equity firm Kohlberg & Co., MarketCast is aiming to be more customer-focused, product-oriented and insights-driven in helping to advertisers with outcomes-based intelligence.
The company plans to launch Total Effect early next year. Total Effect brings together creative quality, exposure, attention, behavioral signals, and business outcomes into a single AI-enabled predictive framework showing how creative drives exposure, how exposure influences brand and behavioral impact, and how those signals translate into measurable results, the company said.
Before NielsenIQ, Busignani held senior posts at Quotient Technology, Nielsen Media and IPSOS.
“Joining MarketCast at this moment is energizing, especially given the opportunities to deliver even more value to our clients,” she said. “Marketers are facing unprecedented pressure to prove what’s working, and MarketCast is uniquely positioned to answer that. I’m excited to build on the company’s incredible foundation of technology-driven advertising effectiveness insights and accelerate our shift into real-time, predictive analytics. With Total Effect and our growing AI native intelligence platform, we have the opportunity to reshape how brands understand and optimize advertising impact in a more complex world.”
Shortley had been head of commercial, global media, at MRI Simmons. Before that he was with Relo Metrics, Nielsen and Sensor Tower.
“The industry has been hungry for solutions that connect creative performance to actual business outcomes, and MarketCast is one of the few companies with the data, technology, and credibility to do it,” Shortley said. “I’m looking forward to working closely with our clients to help them fully unlock the value of our intelligence platforms and the new Total Effect solution launching in 2026.”
Cooper had been CMO at GumGum. He also held posts at Group Black, LiveIntent and Advance Digital.
“Today’s marketers need clarity, speed, and actionable intelligence, and MarketCast is building the products that deliver exactly that, further powered by AI. Total Effect will be a breakthrough moment for brands that want to connect media, creative, and outcomes in one place,” Cooper said. “I’m thrilled to help tell that story, elevate the MarketCast brand, and partner with teams across the organization to continue building momentum.”
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WunderKIND Ads said its connected TV pause ads are going to be available through the Yahoo DSP via an integration with Yahoo Backstage.
Research has shown that viewers like pause ads because they don’t interrupt programming and that they are effective at driving brand metrics, including sales.
The integration with Yahoo will enable buyers to make private marketplace deals that reach targeted users at scale and unlock first party data, the companies said.
“Integrating Wunderkind’s high-impact display and CTV formats into Yahoo Backstage doesn’t just expand our inventory; it’s a direct initiative aimed at enhancing user engagement and driving measurable business outcomes,” said Beau Ordemann, VP, CTV at Yahoo. “By continuously innovating our offerings, we deliver a competitive advantage that unlocks new possibilities for our buyers.”
One unnamed luxury retailer ran a campaign using WunderKIND ads through the Yahoo DSP. As measured by Cint, the campaign increased brand consideration by 16 times, lifted brand favorability by 10% and generated a 12% gain in purchase intent.
“This campaign proves that non-interruptive advertising is the future of TV and digital media,” said Adam Gendelman, head of sales and operations for Wunderkind Ads. “By combining the platform reach of Yahoo DSP with Wunderkind’s formats, we’ve redefined what programmatic CTV can achieve - delivering personalization, performance, and scale in one move.”
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Nexxen said it is offering an expanded version of its Nexxen Health product, including a new Auto Allocate feature that uses real-time signals to identify high-quality audiences and automatically shift ad spending toward users showing the most interest. Auto Allocate is powered by healthcare analytics company PurpleLab.
Nexxen Health also provides support over the entire lifecycle of campaigns for pharmaceutical products, including targeting, activation, optimization and measurement.
“Health and pharmaceutical advertisers need technology that helps them reach interested audiences in a compliant and precise way while understanding what their campaigns deliver,” said Kara Puccinelli, chief customer officer at Nexxen. “Bringing targeting, activation, optimization and measurement together inside the Nexxen DSP gives buyers a unified workflow that connects spend to verified outcomes and helps them make faster, more informed decisions.”
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The IAB Tech Lab said it released a new CTV Ad Portfolio that defines six core CTV ad formats. The formats are pause, menu, screensaver, in-scene, squeezebacks and overlays.
It also released an update to its Guide to Programmatic CTV that shows how to more efficiently transact.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen the CTV marketplace explode, and the industry has been asking for clear, practical guidance to keep up,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab. “What we heard again and again was that publishers, buyers, and platforms needed a common language for emerging CTV formats, and a way to streamline how these formats are traded. This portfolio and guidance update are really about meeting that need and helping accelerate growth in the space.”
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212NYC, New York’s non-profit Digital Advertising Club, named five new members of its board of directors.
The five are: Surabhi Pokhriyal, executive VP, chief digital growth officer, Church & Dwight; Maureen Willette, strategic partner, manager, global industry relations at Google; Sonika Patel, CMO, P.F. Chang’s; Lisa DiBenedetto, media & brand architect, 212NYC executive board secretary; and Diana Horowitz, media consultant, 212NYC marketing committee chair.