New role will oversee transformation for the company and accelerate advancement to offer customers advanced creative optimization and campaign management possibilities

Smartly.io, the leading social advertising automation platform for creative and performance marketers, today announced the appointment of Oli Marlow Thomas as Chief Innovation Officer. Marlow Thomas was previously the Founder and CEO of Ad-Lib.io, a next-generation creative optimization platform and a leading Google Certified Creative partner that Smartly.io acquired in Q1 of this year.

The acquisition advanced Smartly.io’s cross-channel reach from social to include dynamic creative optimization across programmatic, CTV, and the entire Google ecosystem. Now, ten months later, the two companies, along with Viralspace.ai, have formally integrated to offer Smartly.io customers an advancement in creative optimization capabilities with AI and machine learning for digital advertising. With this integration, Marlow Thomas will join Smartly.io’s executive team to further guide the company as the Leading Digital Advertising Platform.

“Smartly.io and Ad-Lib.io were a natural partner from the beginning and I’m thrilled to be joining the executive team as we make this integration official,” said Oli Marlow Thomas, Chief Innovation Officer, Smartly.io. "Together, we can offer customers a one stop shop that will maximize creative effectiveness, media buying and creative intelligence."

Previously the Creative Lead at DoubleClick/Google for five years, Marlow Thomas founded creative personalization service Ad-Lib.io in 2017. He is an industry expert and has received recognition as “One To Watch” in Campaign Tech Awards. As Co-Founder and CEO of Ad-Lib.io, Marlow Thomas oversaw the growth and eventually acquisition of the company. Now, as Chief Innovation Officer at Smartly.io, he will bring his forward-thinking industry vision and expertise to identify, harness, and bring to fruition new ideas that will continue to move Smartly.io forward to offer customers the best in multi-platform strategy with game-changing creative tools.

“Smartly.io’s customers are at the forefront of everything we do. With this integration, and by bringing Oli onboard, we are able to offer our customers the best capabilities and technology in navigating the changed ecosystem of digital advertising and conquering walled gardens effectively,” said Laura Desmond, CEO, Smartly.io. “Oli’s industry expertise and vision will be extremely valuable as we continue to combine creative, media and intelligence to generate unparalleled results for our customers.”

About Smartly.io

Powering beautifully effective ads, Smartly.io automates every step of social advertising to unlock greater performance and creativity and is a leading Facebook marketing partner. We combine creative technology, ad buying automation and intelligence with outstanding customer service to help 700+ brands scale their results—on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and TikTok. Last year Smartly.io acquired Ad-Lib.io and Viralspace.ai and are now a fast-growing community of over 800 Smartlies with 21 offices around the world, managing over $4B in annual ad spend and growing rapidly and profitably. Visit Smartly.io to learn more.

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