Adtech company Smartly.io acquires Ad-Lib.io

Helsinki-based advertising technology provider Smartly.io announced that it has acquired creative optimization platform Ad-Lib.io. 

With the acquisition, Smartly.io aims to advance its cross-channel reach from social to now include dynamic creative optimization across programmatic, CTV and the entire Google ecosystem. The company currently manages more than $3 billion annual ad spend. 

“The past two years have proven that creative technology has become the most important lever for driving digital advertising performance,” said Kristo Ovaska, CEO and co-founder, Smartly.io. “Ad-Lib.io is a clear leader in the creative space by innovating on the mission-critical dimensions of workflow, automation, brand governance, personalization and insight. Their knowledge of the Google stack is unmatched in the industry and combining that with Smartly.io’s deep understanding of Facebook and the social stack across creative, media and data allows us to now serve customers across all major digital channels.”

As a Google Certified Creative partner and currently working with 10 of the top 30 global advertisers, Smartly.io partners with all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok, and works with over 700 major advertisers worldwide.

“Smartly.io is the preeminent leader in delivering creative and media effectiveness for social,” said Oli Marlow-Thomas, founder and president, Ad-Lib.io. “With brand marketers and agencies increasingly uniting their social and programmatic teams into integrated digital creative and media investment teams, this is a natural next step for both companies.”

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but the WSJ reported that Smartly.io has paid more than $100 million for the acquisition.