GSI Commerce Inc. announced that Stephen Denton has joined the company as president of GSI Media, Inc., where he will oversee the operations and strategic direction of the company. The Pepperjam affiliate network, acquired by GSI last year, will operate under the GSI Media brand.
GSI Media is a separate business unit of TrueAction(TM), GSI’s digital design and marketing agency, reporting to Nick Pahade, president of TrueAction and CEO of GSI Media.
“GSI Media, Inc. was created during the acquisition of the Pepperjam affiliate network with the goal of combining leading media networks under one roof to drive optimal value for clients,” said Pahade. “Steve is one of the most respected and experienced leaders in the affiliate marketing and ad network industry. The affiliate network can drive significant traffic for our clients and hiring Steve is proof positive of our seriousness and vision to grow the network over time, financially and geographically. We feel very fortunate to have Steve join our team.”
As president of GSI Media, Denton will lead and manage the company’s affiliate network, Pepperjam, as well as shape and drive the direction of the overall GSI Media business unit. In 2009, GSI Commerce acquired the Pepperjam affiliate marketing network to expand the breadth and depth of TrueAction’s marketing services capabilities. Since the acquisition, several of GSI clients, including Modell’s and Shop.NHL.com, have successfully transitioned over to the Pepperjam affiliate network.
“Leveraging top tier marketing services is critical to online success, and GSI Media will represent the opportunity to coordinate GSI’s current network, Pepperjam, with other media networks in the future,” said Denton. “GSI offers clients a unique end-to-end e-commerce solution, and Im excited for the opportunity to provide clients with a performance-based media network that is aligned with their brand and e-commerce goals.”
Denton has over 11 years of digital media experience and 20 years of successfully leading sales and marketing teams. Prior to joining GSI Media, Denton helped clients manage and monetize cross media marketing solutions as senior vice president of Cross Commerce Media. Prior to Cross Commerce Media, Denton was president at Linkshare Corporation, a leading performance marketing network provider, where he was responsible for all client facing operations including sales, merchant services, affiliate development, search, and marketing. Denton also served in key leadership roles at FedEx Corporate Services, The Times-Mirror Company, and PepsiCo.
As part of the transition, Pepperjam founder, Kristopher B. Jones, will be leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities but has agreed to continue to act as an advisor to the company for a period of time. “Kris has made great contributions to the affiliate industry and to the success of Pepperjam. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” said Pahade.
