New Adweek CEO Redoubles Focus on Audience Data & Community-Building

On Monday Adweek announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jeffrey Litvack, who formerly served as chief digital officer at ALM and interim COO at Robb Report. Litvack joined Adweek as COO in February and in that role expanded Adweek’s brand across digital channels and grew traffic by double digits. Litvack shared with Publishing Executive his vision for Adweek’s future. “As the industry around us transforms, Adweek also needs to transform; and it’s more than just being digital-first today,” says Litvack. “We need to focus on serving the brand marketing ecosystem from an omnichannel perspective and then unlocking new revenue streams.” To do that, Litvack says Adweek will focus on building a robust community of brand marketers and will double down on technologies that provide rich audience insights. “Foremost, we need to serve our community,” says Litvack. “For Adweek, this means how do we help brand marketers do their jobs better.” Litvack says live events, which will connect executives and vendors within the Adweek community, will grow in importance. As will content that provides context to readers, not just breaking news. Adweek has already invested in new tools to better understand its community and serve reader interests. Two months ago, the publisher launched a customer data platform (CDP), allowing Adweek to track how readers discover and engage with its content across a variety of channels. Litvack says the CDP will provide valuable insights that will allow the publisher to launch new products and programs for its audience. Litvack developed a similar program at ALM where he served as chief digital officer from 2012 to 2016. In a 2014 interview with Publishing Executive Litvack explained how ALM developed a “universal profile” of its readers so that it could deliver more personalized content to its audience. Today, Litvack also brings his digital technology expertise to bear as chair of FUSE Media: The Convergence of Media & Technology, an executive summit hosted by Publishing Executive. Below is an excerpt from Litvack’s keynote address at the 2016 FUSE Media summit. He will chair the event for a second time on September 6-8 in Philadelphia. Read the full announcement from Adweek below. NEW YORK, NY -- Aug. 7, 2017 – Adweek, LLC, the premiere resource for marketers, today announced that it has appointed Jeffrey Litvack as chief executive officer, and is joining the Adweek Board of Directors. “As the brand marketing ecosystem that Adweek covers continues to rapidly transform, we must keep pace and change along with it, and I can’t think of anyone better suited to be at our helm as CEO during these challenging and exciting times than Jeff,” said Brian F. Martin, Adweek co-owner and chairman. “His decades-long career in publishing and digital-first orientation make him eminently qualified to chart our course forward, and his drive and passion for the Adweek brand is an inspiration to the entire organization.” As a longtime media executive, Litvack joined Adweek in February as COO and moved quickly to ramp up Adweek as an omnichannel platform, overseeing double-digit traffic growth in the past few months, with even more ambitious plans for activations and products set for 2018. Prior to joining Adweek, Litvack was interim chief operating officer at Robb Report, the preeminent luxury magazine, and group president at ALM, publisher of more than a dozen leading legal publications including The American Lawyer and The New York Law Journal. Before that, he led the Associated Press’ Global Product Development division driving innovation in the newspaper industry. He founded and launched AP Mobile, the first news app for the iPhone and later built and then sold iCircular, the industry’s mobile circular app. Litvack holds a B.S. in economics from Wharton, graduating summa cum laude, and a JD from Harvard Law School. “The legacy and strength of the Adweek brand, as well as the talent and energy of the team that drives it forward everyday, was a key determinant in my decision to join the company," said Litvack. “Since joining Adweek, I’ve become even more convinced that Adweek has a very bright future in which we’ll help make sense of the digital challenges that CMOs are facing. And we'll be a guiding force in educating and connecting the market on digital transformation. I couldn’t be more thrilled to continue this journey as CEO." About Adweek, LLC Adweek is an iconic, and ever evolving, voice of the advertising and media community and recognized as the “the marketing industry bible.” Since 1978, Adweek has served the brand-marketing ecosystem with innovative products and offerings via online and print publications, as well as events. The brand has the largest social following within the industry, with more than 2.5 millions fans across social platforms. It’s award-winning coverage and analysis from among the industry’s most seasoned reporters, along with perspective from top thought leaders, marketers and executives, is read by over 5 million readers every month, more than any other publication in its space. Adweek’s editorial awards, honors and live events, including the esteemed Hot List, Women in Media & Sports summit and Brand Genius gala are among the industry’s most highly anticipated franchises.

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New Adweek CEO Redoubles Focus on Audience Data & Community-Building

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