G

GumGum

Contextual advertising across web, CTV, games

Group Digital Director

Full-TimePosted on 10/14/2026
No salary listed
Expert
Düsseldorf, Germany
HybridMust be within commuting distance of the office for occasional in-person collaboration.
Sales & Account ManagementField Sales

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 8 years of experience in digital media, ad tech, or advertising sales, including significant experience in the German market.
  • Native or near-native German fluency and professional fluency in English.
  • Established, trusted relationships across the Düsseldorf agency ecosystem, especially holding companies and key independents.
  • Proven sales management experience, including developing sellers and leading distributed or split-location teams.
  • Deep understanding of programmatic buying, ad serving, and the German digital advertising landscape.
  • Demonstrated experience negotiating agency trading deals and maintaining firm commercial terms.
  • Organizational skills and proficiency with PowerPoint, Excel, and CRM tools.
Responsibilities
  • Own and exceed the Düsseldorf revenue target while leading and coaching a team of two sellers.
  • Maintain senior holding-company relationships in the market, join key pitches, and unblock deals as a player/coach.
  • Negotiate, renew, and grow Düsseldorf agency trading deals and commercial agreements to ensure profitability and scale.
  • Execute annual and quarterly planning, set sales strategies, manage pipeline coverage, and deliver accurate financial forecasts.
  • Lead, motivate, and develop the Düsseldorf sales team through regular operating cadences and performance reviews.
  • Partner with Hamburg sales leadership and wider EU teams to drive national agency development and product adoption.
  • Represent GumGum at German industry events and collaborate with AdOps, Client Success, and Marketing.
Desired Qualifications
  • Knowledge of attention or contextual advertising solutions.

About the company

G

GumGum

View
Website

GumGum is a digital advertising company that uses contextual advertising to reach audiences. It places ads based on the content people are viewing instead of tracking individual user data, across websites, mobile apps, connected TV, and in-game environments. The core product is a contextual advertising platform that analyzes the surrounding content to select relevant ad placements and deliver ads in the right environment. Advertisers pay GumGum for these services, while publishers can increase their revenue by hosting the contextual ads. GumGum differentiates itself by focusing on privacy-friendly contextual targeting, offering education through GumGum University, and specializing in in-game and connected TV placements in addition to standard digital media. The company’s goal is to help brands reach the right audience at the right time without using personal data, while growing revenue for publishers and expanding adoption of their contextual approach.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Late Stage VC

Total Funding

$133.8M

Headquarters

Santa Monica, California

Founded

2007

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Mindset Agent launched July 15, 2026, speeding campaign brief-to-segment workflows.
  • Sports Media launched September 9, 2026, monetizing verified NFL, NBA, and F1 exposure.
  • Australia expansion hires, including Tim Manton and Tarlyn McStay, show continued market investment.

What critics are saying

  • GumGum cut roughly 40 jobs on March 21, 2026, signaling margin pressure.
  • Google, The Trade Desk, and publishers can copy contextual targeting features quickly.
  • If buyers standardize on platform-native contextual tools, GumGum’s standalone layer gets commoditized.

What makes GumGum unique

  • GumGum’s Mindset Graph targets receptive moments, not personal data, across 19+ markets.
  • Relo Metrics turns live sponsorship exposures into addressable audiences for post-game activation.
  • The Trade Desk partnership gives advertisers direct brief-to-segment activation inside Mindset Agent.

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Benefits

  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Flexible Work Hours
  • Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

2%
MarTech Cube
Sep 11th, 2026
Onetag appoints Peter Wallace as CRO to accelerate global growth.

Onetag appoints Peter Wallace as CRO to accelerate global growth. * By Onetag * September 11, 2026 Wallace joins from GumGum and brings leadership experience in commercial strategy, enterprise sales, and global business expansion Onetag, the next-generation global exchange, curation platform, and creative intelligence company, today announced the appointment of Peter Wallace as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Wallace will lead Onetag's global commercial strategy as the company enters its next phase of international expansion. Wallace brings over 15 years of leadership experience in commercial strategy, enterprise sales, and global business expansion. His work has particularly focused on contextual advertising, attention, data, and the development of new technology-led approaches to digital media. He joins Onetag from GumGum, where he served as General Manager for EMEA and JAPAC, and played a pivotal role in driving the company's growth beyond the US through organic expansion and acquisitions. Wallace's previous experience also includes leading digital specialists at behavioural planning agency Total Media, and at audience data platform Eyeota, where he drove a fourfold increase in revenue. At Onetag, Wallace will oversee commercial development across demand, partnerships, and supply, focusing on driving revenue growth, deepening relationships with publishers, agencies, advertisers, and technology platforms, and expanding Onetag's global footprint. "Peter's proven track record of scaling businesses internationally makes him a fantastic fit for Onetag," said Filippo Gramigna, co-CEO of Onetag. "As we step up our commercial ambition, his leadership and understanding of shifting, modern ad tech will be instrumental in deepening our partner relationships as we continue to innovate and deliver value across the digital advertising ecosystem." Wallace joins Onetag during a period of strong operational momentum. The company has jumped from #43 to #19 in the Jounce Media SSP rankings year-on-year, acquired immersive advertising company Aryel, and expanded its product suite with the launches of Dynamo and Premiere. "Onetag is building a smarter digital ecosystem, not just a point solution, and I'm excited to be part of this," said Pete Wallace, Chief Revenue Officer at Onetag. "Seamlessly linking quality inventory, creative intelligence, and AI decisioning allows us to enrich every impression and drive real business impact. I look forward to collaborating with our global team to expand our industry relationships and scale growth." About Onetag Onetag is the next-generation global exchange, curation platform, and creative intelligence company. Through the Value Exchange, Onetag connects media quality, creative intelligence, and AI-driven decisioning to create more value from every impression across the open internet. For more information visit http://www.onetag.com/. About Aryel Aryel is the ad tech company specialising in interactive and immersive display advertising solutions. Part of the Onetag Group, Aryel provides creative technology, campaign management, and performance measurement tools designed to make premium display advertising accessible to businesses of every size. For more information visit www.aryel.io. For strategic B2B insights and industry intelligence, follow Marketing News Add us as a preferred source on Google Google's "preferred sources" feature allows users to customize search results by selecting news outlets they want to see more often in the "Top Stories" section.

MarTech Vibe
Sep 10th, 2026
GumGum launches GumGum Sports Media.

GumGum launches GumGum Sports Media. The suite bridges a gap that has long frustrated sports marketers: determining whether fans actually saw the brand placement or logo that appeared on screen. GumGum has announced the launch of GumGum Sports Media, a new suite of advertising products that transforms live sports viewership and sponsorship exposure into addressable audiences brands can activate across digital media. Powered by Relo Metrics, a division of GumGum, and supported by VideoAmp viewership audiences, the suite bridges a gap that has long frustrated sports marketers: determining whether fans actually saw the brand placement or logo that appeared on screen. Relo Metrics identifies exactly when sponsorship exposures occur during a live broadcast, while VideoAmp, a media performance platform, creates audiences of viewers exposed to the sponsor's brand at a household level, and GumGum Sports Media turns that match into an addressable, targetable audience. That is the difference between knowing someone tuned into the game and knowing they saw the brand. GumGum Sports Media turns that verified exposure into an audience brands can activate across digital media. The suite does this through three targeting products: * Replay: Amplifies sponsorship ROI by targeting the exact fans verified to have seen a brand's placement during a live broadcast, re-engaging them with digital ads when they are most primed to act. * Counterplay: Turns a competitor's sponsorship into an opportunity, letting brands reach fans verified to have seen a competitor's logo during a live event. * Sports Audiences: Taps into VideoAmp viewership audiences via their VXA solution to reach verified fans of the sports and leagues that matter most to a brand, building scalable audiences from what fans actually watch rather than modelled interests or inferred fandom. "Most brands pay to be present during the game. Very few have the ability to capitalise on that investment by re-engaging the audience after the game," said Hailey Denenberg, SVP, Head of Strategy and Business Operations at GumGum. "This new suite lets them do something with that investment once the broadcast ends. We connect what appeared on screen to the households that were actually watching, and turn that into an audience they can reach." Dylan Cox, VP, Data Strategy and Operations at Relo Metrics, said, "Relo Metrics has been measuring the value of sports marketing and sponsorships for nearly a decade using the same computer vision technology GumGum was built on."' "With GumGum Sports Media, Martechvibe is able to use its sponsorship measurement data to help leagues, teams, sports sponsors, and beyond reach verified fans as they continue their digital journeys beyond the sporting event itself. "We're happy to be turning sponsorship value from an assumption into something measurable alongside GumGum and Relo with the launch of their Sports Media Solution. Brands spend billions on sports sponsorships and have largely had to defend that spend with proxies instead of proof," said Danielle Zazula, SVP of Revenue at VideoAmp. "By uniting Relo's exposure data with our household insights, we bridge linear visibility and digital execution, transforming passive broadcast logo views into actionable audiences." GumGum Sports Media is now available in the United States across web, CTV, and online video, covering the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NWSL, F1, and NCAA Football. League, team, and athlete sponsors looking to amplify their investments, as well as non-sponsor brands looking to tap into sports fandom, can now activate through the suite. Sophia Bennett is a news curator at Martechvibe, covering global developments across marketing technology, digital transformation, AI, data, and customer experience trends. View More

Associated Press
Sep 9th, 2026
GumGum launches Sports Media to turn verified sponsorship exposure into addressable audiences

GumGum has launched GumGum Sports Media, a suite of advertising products that converts live sports viewership and sponsorship exposure into addressable audiences for digital media campaigns. The platform uses Relo Metrics to identify when sponsorship exposures occur during broadcasts, whilst VideoAmp creates household-level audiences of viewers who saw the brand. The suite offers three targeting products: Replay, which re-engages fans who saw a brand's placement; Counterplay, allowing brands to target fans who saw competitors' logos; and Sports Audiences, which reaches verified fans based on actual viewership data. The service is available across web, CTV, and online video in the United States, covering major leagues including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS. The platform aims to help brands capitalise on sponsorship investments by reaching audiences after broadcasts end.

Bandt
Aug 6th, 2026
GumGum promotes Tarlyn McStay to head of agency development Australia.

GumGum promotes Tarlyn McStay to head of agency development Australia. Published on: 6th August 2026 at 11:35 AM GumGum has promoted Tarlyn McStay to head of agency development, Australia. The role is the first of its kind at GumGum in the region and has been established to strengthen the connection between the company's global product and business strategy and the Australian market. McStay will lead GumGum's national agency growth planning, covering agency partnerships, product adoption, go-to-market approach and commercial leadership. McStay has been with the business for seven years, joining Playground XYZ and continuing through its acquisition and merger with GumGum. She was most recently Victorian sales director, a role she held alongside an interim appointment as NSW sales director, taking her remit national ahead of her promotion. "I'm excited to formalise and build on much of the strategic work I've already been focused on. My priority is strengthening our agency partnerships and supporting the adoption of our product roadmap, allowing the business's global innovation to connect with the needs of our market. This role is a great reflection of GumGum's continued investment in Australia," said McStay. McStay will continue to report to GumGum's newly appointed JAPAC managing director, Matt Coote, and work closely with the national sales leadership teams, as well as product and marketing divisions, both locally and globally. "Tarlyn has been the rock and foundation of the team for many years, and her impact has been felt both commercially and culturally. She has led go-to-market for many of our most exciting products, including the Mindset Graph, and has built exceptional rapport with clients and agencies across the country," said Coote. "The rare combination of deep product knowledge and trusted relationship building she brings is exactly what we are looking for to continue our growth trajectory. This is a genuinely unique role, and the first of its kind at GumGum Australia, so Tarlyn has the license to make it her own." Among many internal accolades, McStay has also previously been a finalist in the B&T Women in Media Awards and at the B&T Awards in the Sales Team of the Year category. The 2026 B&T Women in Media Awards finalists were recently revealed. The Awards night is set for 28 August and it is shaping up to be the night of nights for the media industry. If you don't have your tickets, you can get them here! Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

Bandt
Jul 16th, 2026
GumGum launches AI 'Mindset Agent' for advertisers.

GumGum launches AI 'Mindset Agent' for advertisers. Published on: 16th July 2026 at 10:21 AM Advertising technology company GumGum has launched a new AI-powered tool designed to help advertisers turn campaign briefs into custom audience segments, with activation initially available through The Trade Desk. Called Mindset Agent, the platform sits within GumGum's newly redesigned Mindset Portal and uses the company's proprietary Mindset Graph to analyse campaign objectives and recommend contextual targeting segments based on audience receptivity rather than traditional demographic or behavioural signals. The launch marks an expansion of GumGum's longstanding partnership with The Trade Desk. While GumGum's contextual segments have been available on the demand-side platform for several years, advertisers can now generate and activate bespoke mindset segments directly from campaign briefs. Using the tool, brands and agencies can upload a campaign brief or RFP into the Mindset Portal, review AI-generated targeting recommendations, understand why specific environments have been selected, refine the balance between reach and relevance, and activate the custom segment within The Trade Desk. According to GumGum, the platform aims to streamline what has traditionally been a manual process by using AI to match advertising campaigns with moments when consumers are most receptive to a brand's message. The technology is powered by GumGum's Mindset Graph, which processes billions of contextual, creative, attention, environmental and historical signals to identify digital environments that align with an advertiser's objectives. Jay Goebel, vice president of data partnerships at The Trade Desk, said AI was enabling advertisers to make more intelligent media decisions. "AI is creating an opportunity for advertisers to move beyond static assumptions and make decisions based on real-time signals and business objectives," Goebel said. "By combining GumGum's Mindset Graph with our data marketplace, advertisers can transform campaign strategy into actionable insights and identify the moments where their message is most likely to resonate." Marcus Startzel, CEO of GumGum, said the company wanted AI to improve decision-making rather than simply automate existing targeting approaches. "AI should not just automate old targeting models. It should help brands make better decisions about where, when, and how to show up," Startzel said. "This partnership with The Trade Desk brings that belief to life by making it easier for advertisers to turn strategic intent into custom mindset segments that prioritise receptivity, not just reach." Daniel Glynn, media buying lead at The HEINEKEN Company, an early adopter of the technology, said understanding audience mindset offered a more meaningful approach to relevance. "Understanding mindset, the signals that indicate when and why someone is actually open to a brand's message, is a more honest way to think about relevance, and AI is finally making it actionable at scale," Glynn said. Alongside Heineken, GumGum said e.l.f. Cosmetics and the BBC have also begun using its mindset solutions and have reported measurable campaign results. The Mindset Agent is now available through the Mindset Portal, with The Trade Desk serving as its launch activation partner. Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.