Nicolle Pangis, the former CEO of Ampersand, has been appointed as Netflix’s new vice president of advertising. This role is critical as the streaming service aims to increase its advertising revenue, a challenging task in a competitive market.
Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s president of advertising, praised Pangis’s reputation and her data-driven approach to streaming advertising. “Together, we’ll continue to build and scale a great ads business for our clients and Netflix,” Reinhard stated.
Netflix entered the video advertising space two years ago but has struggled compared to rivals like Amazon. While both companies offer popular programs, Amazon has effectively promoted its ad-supported tier, making it a leading option for its Prime Video service. Despite having a global ad-supported option, Netflix has not yet reached the consumer impression levels that large advertisers seek.
The company has significantly restructured its ad-sales team, dismissing the original senior executives in charge. Peter Naylor, who previously worked at NBCUniversal and Hulu, left in July, coinciding with the industry’s annual upfront market. His former boss, Jeremi Gorman, departed last October.
In the third quarter of 2024, Netflix reported a 34% growth in subscriptions for its ad-supported tier. Executives believe they are on track to meet advertiser expectations by 2025, with Pangis overseeing ad sales in the U.S. and Canada.
Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, acknowledged the challenges of building new initiatives alongside a robust core business. He explained, “It takes a lot of work, but we know the path, and we’re hustling to move down that path as quickly as possible.”
At Ampersand, Pangis developed new business strategies focused on addressable advertising, utilizing specific consumer data. She has also held senior positions at GroupM, part of the British advertising company WPP. Additionally, she serves as an independent board member at Madhive, which assists advertisers in optimizing their spending.
Pangis holds an MBA in Strategic Management and Marketing from Rutgers University and completed her BS in Communication with an English minor from Boston University in just three years.
Related topics:
