New audience solution transforms community engagement into targetable segments across 100 million logged-in users
OpenWeb today announced Community Exchange, an audience platform that turns real community conversations into curated audiences. Community Exchange combines logged-in user participation with contextual intent signals across OpenWeb’s network of 5,000+ trusted publishers. These anonymized, people-based audiences can be activated across display, video, native, exclusive, and in-conversation advertising inventory. The company also appointed Kelly Andresen as Executive Vice President of Demand Sales, overseeing OpenWeb’s global direct demand strategy and partnerships, and leading the company’s advertising sales organization worldwide.
OpenWeb’s Community Exchange is a new kind of audience and media platform that addresses a critical challenge in digital advertising. OpenWeb’s recently conducted research shows that while 99% of advertisers plan to increase first-party data investment, most identity solutions force buyers to choose between scale and precision. Community Exchange is built from the real conversations happening across OpenWeb’s 100M+ logged-in users, with audience segments created from authentic community participation including comments, reactions, and real-time engagement. These audiences are anonymized capturing intent and sentiment that go far beyond page context. And because it’s integrated with OpenWeb’s SSP, activation for advertisers is seamless. The Community Exchange platform was designed with privacy in mind. Data primarily comes from consented, logged in user relationships with publishers, ensuring performance without privacy compromises.
“Advertisers need authentic ways to reach real people,” said Kelly Andresen, Executive Vice President of Demand Sales at OpenWeb. “When someone comments on an article or reacts to content, they reveal mindset and sentiment that page-level targeting misses. It’s the perfect time to be joining this business and a unique inflection point in the market.”
Andresen brings two decades of advertising experience to OpenWeb. She previously served as President of USA TODAY National Sales, overseeing Gannett’s national sales division across 250 sites. Before Gannett, she held leadership positions at The Washington Post and SiriusXM, where she developed advertising solutions for premium channels.
At OpenWeb, Andresen oversees teams operating in the United States, United Kingdom, and France, focusing on bringing engagement data and insights to advertisers seeking brand-safe environments at scale. Market demand for engagement-based targeting continues to grow. OpenWeb’s research also indicates 86.8% of buyers will pay more for engagement-based audiences, while 53.3% prefer curated deals over open exchanges. Community Exchange meets both needs through direct access to premium inventory and simplified supply paths.
“Supply path optimization matters more than ever,” said OpenWeb CEO Jim Daily. “Buyers want direct relationships with premium publishers and clear visibility into where ads appear. Community Exchange provides both through our owned-and-operated network.”
He continued, “This is why it was critical we find the right demand side leader to take us to the next level. Kelly brings a breadth and depth of experience that helps us grow and deliver a best in class advertising experience.”
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