The Ad Monetization Platform Reinforces Internal Operations With a Strategic Hire

Playwire, a global technology company specializing in ad monetization for publishers and content creators, has promoted Stacy Willis, former SVP of Marketing and Customer Experience, to Chief Operating Officer. The company’s move to double down on operations reflects its ongoing commitment to quality and customer service.

Advertising technology as a whole has steadily grown globally from $522 billion in 2021 to a projected $626 billion in 2023. Experts predict a continued rise to $835 billion by 2026. Some of that trajectory will depend on how the regulatory environment shifts toward new laws around data privacy, particularly child data privacy.

Playwire is uniquely positioned to succeed on both fronts.

Playwire’s Evolution and Market Status

The company’s ad monetization platform, RAMP, has grown consistently since its start in 2007. It has enjoyed several distinctions, among which is being the first, only, and biggest ad platform for video games. After signing an exclusive agreement to provide ad representation for World of Warcraft, the company gained the number one spot on comScore’s list of gaming ad rep firms.

It then ventured into video monetization. By 2014, the company had a large footprint in North America, the U.K., and Australia. At that time, leaders within the company spotted an opportunity to build a kid-safe business model that would also accommodate children’s gaming and educational verticals. That early adoption made Playwire a leader in COPPA-compliant advertising today, a highly relevant status.

In 2018, Playwire was acquired by a majority owner – FreakOut Holdings – and remains a separate company. It continues its drive to provide publisher-centric resources that solve revenue inefficiencies.

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This year, Playwire was the recipient of Best Monetization Platform for Publishers from Digiday. The award showcases how the company has grown to be the best publisher monetization platform for publishers of all types, growing beyond its gaming roots to become a leader across industries.

Stacy Willis: A Leader for What’s Next

Stacy Willis joined Playwire in January of 2022 as the VP of Marketing. She was promoted three times within a year and a half: to SVP of Marketing, then SVP of Marketing and Customer Experience, and now to Chief Operating Officer.

President and CEO Jayson Dubin explains, “Stacy never stops moving. She takes initiative. She’s always looking for the next way to break something and then rebuild it into something better. This approach made her the obvious fit for this role of leadership at Playwire. I know she’s the right person to bring clarity and forward motion to our operations, ensuring we maintain the highest possible standards of service and keep building game-changing products for our clients.”

Stacy studied as an engineer before getting her MBA. She then served as the Director of Web Strategy and Design at IMPACT. After IMPACT, she was a sought-after Independent Marketing Executive and In-House Marketer for numerous technology companies.

This experience fuels her ongoing dedication to user experience, a differentiator Playwire carries in this space.

She explains her journey to Playwire and vision for this new role: “The pace of change in tech is unreal. That’s why we like it. The goal is to always be not one step ahead but three steps ahead, which is what the history-making team at Playwire does every day. I’m thrilled to be in a spot to have as much impact as possible, supporting all of the incredible individuals at this organization and ensuring we build solutions that make our clients the most successful businesses in the world.”

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