We deliver! Get curated industry news straight to your inbox. Subscribe to Adweek newsletters.
On this insightful episode of The Garage, James Moore, chief operating officer at Simplify, brings the energy to Miami Beach’s Fontainebleau Hotel for a masterclass in hyperlocal programmatic advertising.
Hosts Dan Massimino and Evan Hovorka explore James’ journey of scaling Simplify into a powerful programmatic platform that serves thousands of campaigns with pinpoint precision.
They analyze Simplify’s approach, the challenges of localization, the power of real-time data, and how to create campaigns that convert, down to the last ZIP code.
“We didn’t start out to be a local-focused programmatic company,” James says on the podcast. “Like most companies, we came up with a unique value proposition we put into the marketplace, and then it turned out it just worked really, really well for local.”
The conversation also dives into the challenges of managing thousands of campaigns at once, the importance of automation and near real-time optimization, and how Simplify’s approach has evolved to help agencies and brands navigate the complexities of local advertising at scale.
Listen in and discover why hyperlocal advertising is more relevant than ever for retailers, brands, and agencies alike!
Episode highlights:
[01:32] From Big Beaver to Big Impact — James Moore shares his personal story of growing up in Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, a tiny hamlet of just 13 people, and how those early experiences shaped his thinking about community and local relevance. Dan and Evan reflect on their own small-town experiences, creating a relatable backdrop for why hyperlocal advertising resonates deeply for brands and retailers that want to connect authentically with their communities. James’s story of going from a school with one teacher for three grades to leading major programmatic efforts sets the stage for understanding the value of local knowledge. This segment brings a light, personal feel that grounds the high-level data conversation in real-life roots.
[03:55] The Evolution of Simplify: Data at the Core — In this segment, James unpacks how Simplify has grown from working with keyword search data to becoming a programmatic media buying platform specializing in local campaigns. He explains how they harness unstructured data to deliver real performance at a ZIP code level and why serving local audiences requires more than just bulk audience segments ,it demands precision, testing, and adaptation. Dan and Evan dig deeper, asking how this shift allowed Simplify to support agencies that need to speak to local needs with pinpoint relevance. James shares how the move from segment-based buying to granular audience insights transformed the value they could deliver to clients.
[11:52] Foot Traffic and Data-Driven Attribution — Here, the conversation turns to measurement and the tools needed to prove that local campaigns are working. James details how Simplify leverages foot traffic attribution, offline data, and real-time signals to measure campaign impact ,moving beyond clicks to show actual store visits and purchases. Evan shares how these data-driven insights are critical for retailers like Albertsons to track results and optimize strategies. They also touch on how clean rooms and first-party data integrations are essential for proving ROI in physical stores. This segment emphasizes that accurate measurement is not a luxury ,it’s a competitive advantage that sets leading retail media networks apart.
[15:41] Automation and the Challenge of Scale — James, Dan, and Evan dive into the challenges of managing thousands of hyperlocal campaigns. James explains how Simplify uses automation and bulk optimization to handle massive campaign volumes with precision ,turning the complexity of local targeting into manageable, data-backed decisions. They explore why agencies need partners who can scale these efforts without losing sight of the local details. James shares how exception-based optimization keeps campaigns on track without manual tweaks. Evan notes that while in-store data can lag, digital signals help keep everything moving quickly, even in the most complex environments.
[28:44] The Future of Retail Media and Local Relevance — In this final segment, the discussion turns to what’s next. Evan talks about how agencies and retail media networks must integrate real-time shelf health, in-store pricing, and product availability into advertising decisions to create even more relevant campaigns. James shares how Simplify is ready to partner with retailers to turn this data into actionable insights, helping agencies, brands, and retailers unlock new opportunities and drive true growth for local communities. They also discuss the broader industry trends around blending digital and physical measurement for full-funnel success. This segment ends with a clear takeaway: the future of advertising will be built on data that speaks directly to what’s happening on the shelf ,and how customers live in their neighborhoods.
