David L. Smith
David L. Smith, CEO of Mediasmith, Inc. in San Francisco is a veteran in the advertising media management arena.
David is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of new media application, media strategy, media planning and metrics, and has a number of awards to his name including an Effie and an ad:tech Individual Achievement award. Trained in the major agency media department environment, he has been in the independent media service field since 1978 when he founded Mediasmith. Mediasmith is generally regarded as the first media service in the nation to provide consulting services as well as full service media management and planning in addition to media buying. His experience is broad, working with clients in categories ranging from consumer goods to high tech and interactive, retail, ecommerce, corporate and business-to-business.
Smith is a pioneer in the application of computers in media, deployment of interactive advertising and media metrics. His experience ranges from participating in the creation and early usage of the first generation of advertising technology (housekeeping systems, data sources) to the current issues facing the use of metrics in the digital marketplace. He has been at the forefront of new metrics applications, with major involvement on the AAAAs, ARF, OPA and IAB national committees working to establish and refine standards in metrics, business practices and financial issues for interactive advertising. Smith has also contributed his knowledge through articles and interviews in an extensive range of media over the past two decades. He is a regular speaker at Industry events including iMedia, @d:tech, OMMA and others and writes regularly for a number of industry publications and Web sites including iMediaConnection and MediaPost. His advisory board involvement includes OPA, IAB, comScore/Media Metrix, AdEx and a number of start-up private companies.
David is a strong advocate of the media planning process. "Much of the management emphasis in media is placed on saving money through negotiation. While I accept the value of these efforts, attention to the planning process can often lead to greater rewards through the execution of a superior strategy rather than just low cost schedules. After all, you don't advertise to save money, you advertise to make money. To this end, the back end of the advertising data stream, including tracking, optimization and analytics through a new generation of dashboard applications is the next big frontier for media. "
Most recently, ad:tech, an interactive advertising and technology conference dedicated to connecting all sides of today’s brand marketing landscape, awarded Smith with the first ever ad:tech Industry Achievement Award for his contribution to the success of the interactive marketing industry. The honorees of the 10 th Annual ad:tech Awards Ceremony were recognized for their long-term dedication and consistent outstanding service to online marketing.
A University of Washington graduate, Smith is married with a seventeen-year-old son; plays guitar; and is a gourmet Chinese cook. You'll find him at the office early most mornings unless he is traveling with his family.
