Are Media appoints Blake Talarico to lead commercial data strategy

Are Media has appointed Blake Talarico as its new Head of Commercial Data, tasking the former Nine executive with leading the rollout of Are Media Collectives and driving the company’s next phase of data innovation.

Talarico joins from Nine, where he specialised in commercialising data products and forging strategic partnerships with some of Australia’s largest advertisers and agencies. His appointment marks a key step in Are Media’s ongoing investment in audience insight and digital capability.

In the newly created role, Talarico will spearhead the launch of Are Media Collectives — a female audience segmentation tool spanning seven content verticals — while developing new data products and partnerships. This includes shopper intent segments built from Are Media’s first-party transactional data and new onboarding pathways allowing advertisers to match their own customer data with Are Media’s network of eight million authenticated users.

Anna Quinn, Director of Sales at Are Media, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Blake to Are Media. His expertise in data strategy and commercialisation will be instrumental in launching *Are Media Collectives* and our new data products, ensuring we continue to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions for our clients and audiences.”

Talarico said the opportunity to help shape Are Media’s evolving data strategy came at an exciting time for the business. “By combining audience interest and intent data, transactional data and cross-platform engagement with Are Media’s trusted brands, we can deliver highly targeted campaigns that create measurable business outcomes,” he said.

“I look forward to working with the team to unlock the full potential of Are Media’s first-party data and shape the future of data-driven media in Australia.”

Are Media connects with 90 per cent of Australian women through brands including The Australian Women’s Weekly, marie claire, Better Homes and Gardens, and WHO. Its commercial division has increasingly focused on first-party data and integrated content commerce solutions to help advertisers reach engaged female audiences across platforms.

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