Twenty years ago, Andrew Fischer realized that the internet would control the future of advertising.
This was long before smart phones became a dominate force in our lives; AOL was still the talk of Silicon Valley, and dial up connections were considered state of the art.
While most of the public had only a vague idea how the internet would change advertising, Fischer saw the global platform as an ideal spot to create a very specific marketing system, one that relied on data to define and target audiences with digital ads crafted for specific consumers.
Digital advertising now brings in about $100 billion annually. Fischer’s company, Choozle, is poised to take a piece of that on-line pie.
Started by Fischer and co-founder Jeffrey Finch in 2012, the company’s revenue has expanded by 120 percent in recent years.
Today, Choozle has over 50 employees and sales offices across the nation and in London.
Choozle has been described as an automated digital advertising platform that brands and agencies use to conduct advertising campaigns across display, video, mobile and social mediums. Rather than manually buying online advertisements, Choozle’s software bids on and purchases ads in real time based on variables, including target audiences and spend.
Choozle offers information about website visitors. Its services include analytics, data visualization, and ad-buying tools that enable marketers gather consumer insights, create media, and launch real-time advertising campaigns across video, mobile, display, and social mediums from a single interface
Because the platform is self-service oriented, it is designed to allow customers to plan, execute, monitor and optimize all campaigns in-house, while leveraging Choozle’s consumer data, targeting and reporting capabilities.
Choozle was a celebrated as one of the top 50 Colorado Companies to Watch in 2016.
Fischer began his digital career about 20 years ago after he left a job with Merrill Lynch.
“I saw the opportunity with the rise of the internet and jumped ship,” Fisher said. “Even by the late ‘90s the internet was blowing up. I was not prescient, but one could see the growth and interest. … This was an incredible opportunity. We have ridden the wave ever since.”
Fischer said he follows a simple business philosophy.
“It’s the Three Ps,” he said. “People, products and profit. If you focus on working with the right people and invest in them, you will get great products. If you have great products, profits will follow.”
Choozle employees may be among the happiest employees in Colorado. That’s because Fischer treats them like family. The company even has pajama work days.
Other Choozle perks include:: $100 monthly stipend for any health/wellness activity; a $250 quarterly stipend to be applied toward any educational pursuit (professional or personal); a flexible/remote work environment; and many offsite activities including multiple ski days, volunteer activities, brewery tours, and of course, happy hours.
In addition, as a member of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado (EFCO), Choozle set aside 1 percent of its founding equity to support Colorado nonprofits – thus upon a successful exit, Choozle will be in the position to allocate millions in philanthropic donations to local charities.
“We want to be a place where current employees recommend others come to work here,” Fischer said. “To be a great place to work, you have to make sure each employee advances their careers and grows.”