3 Nov, 2015 – Before its troubles began, Viacom was long the place where top creative talent, from Jon Stewart to Johnny Knoxville, flourished across the conglomerate’s cable networks. Many of those famous faces have come and gone, but a very different breed of innovators has since taken up residence at the conglomerate. Their talent, however, is more science than art.
Over the past few years, a phalanx of data scientists from Microsoft and other technology havens have been lured to Viacom, where they are busily calculating ways to help marketers place their commercials with more precision. Once known as “Project Gemini,” a reference to one of NASA’s earliest human spaceflight programs, the service — now known as Vantage — will soon be offered to a broader array of the company’s sponsors. This combination of Silicon Valley wonk and Madison Avenue hard sell comes as rivals are crafting similar efforts.
Read more at Variety