Popular crowdsourced traffic app Waze was acquired by Google last year for an astounding $1.3 billion. Google stated at the time that its “fast-growing community of traffic-obsessed drivers” will work together “to find the best routes from home to work, every day.” The app is available on Android, Windows Phone and iOS.
While the product development team is based in Israel, it seems Waze is ready to expand its advertising efforts into Canada. The company has hired its first Canadian employee, sales manager Michael Wilson. Wilson will be based in Toronto and focus on building relationships to bring geo-targeted ads to the app. The Waze ad platform has also seen some of Canada’s top brands appear within the app, such as Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire.
Wilson stated, “Waze already helps many of the world’s best brands get the most out of their mobile, social, location-based advertising efforts… and joining the team presents a great opportunity to contribute to that growth in Canada. As a long time Wazer, I love the social aspect of the app and how much time it’s saved on my commute over the years. I’m also excited by the opportunities that we’ll find for advertisers thanks to the ad platform’s precise targeting capabilities.”
Wilson was a graduate of Boston University and previously worked at Microsoft representing Skype and Windows 8, Yahoo, and BearingPoint Consulting in New York.