Instacart Bolsters Ad Team With New VP Hire
Tim Castelli has been tapped by Instacart to serve as VP of global advertising sales. He will lead the company’s advertising sales team with a focus on developing and deepening its relationships with CPG brands and agencies, and will report directly to Instacart Chief Business Officer Chris Rogers.
Castelli has more than 30 years of industry experience, previously serving as chief revenue officer for iHeartMedia’s multi-platform group. He also previously worked as SVP of sales for AOL and technology industry director for Google, and held further leadership roles at Rolling Stone Magazine and Ziff Davis Media.
The appointment comes at a time when Instacart’s ad business is experiencing continued growth, with the platform currently serving more than 5,500 brand partners.
Earlier this month, Instacart kicked off a first-of-its-kind co-marketing campaign that delivers seamless offsite media integrations and co-branded activations. The company is working with Anheuser-Busch for the initial rollout, which includes shoppable Michelob Ultra TV ads running during the NFL playoffs.
In addition to the campaign, Instacart is launching a game day pop-up, available in its marketplace and app, which will run through Feb. 12. Consumers can shop from more than 40 brands, including many from the Anheuser-Busch portfolio, as well as PepsiCo beverages, Frito-Lay chips and snacks, spirits from Diageo, Wholly Guacamole, and Digiorno pizzas.
Additionally, Instacart upgraded its ad buying experience in October, and in November, launched Instacart Promotions, which help its brand partners deliver more value and savings to consumers as they shop across the marketplace. All CPGs, including emerging brands, now have self-service access and capabilities to launch new deal structures, promotions and incentives with their Instacart Ad campaigns.
San Francisco-based Instacart partners with more than 1,000 national, regional and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 75,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace.
