Ad Tech Vet Ari Paparo Joins E-Commerce Platform Bazaarvoice

Last year, Bazaarvoice, which helps e-commerce companies manage customer reviews, got into the media business by buying Longboard Media, which helps the same companies run and target ads.

Now Bazaarvoice has someone to run their new business: Ad tech veteran Ari Paparo.

Paparo’s most recent job was at AppNexus, where he spent a year and change; before that, he was at Nielsen for a spell. But he’s best known for his work at DoubleClick, both before and after the display ad giant sold to Google.

Bazaarvoice is one of many companies trying to leverage the copious amounts of data that e-commerce sites generate into new opportunities, like advertising; clients include Walmart and Best Buy.

E-commerce heavyweight Amazon, which has been circling around ads for a couple years without making a major push, is still thought to have a $1 billion ad business of its own.