Ari Bluman: The Accomplishments of an Accomplished Man

GroupM is just one party for whom Ari is irreplaceable During his illness he was surrounded by unconditional love of friends family colleagues and people from across an industry that is unique in its ability to combine combat with camaraderieAri was just as rare in this regard combining stubbornness and belligerence with a huge sense of humanity and a truly sharp intellectHe applied that intellect to the identification quantification and solution of deeply complex business problems that required real understanding of how markets worked and the motivations of the stakeholders Critically Ari understood the role of a technology ecosystem that created the market in which he dealt and that had equal potential to corrupt and purify its key commodity In business as in life battles are harder to fight when the good guys and the bad guys look the sameWinning that battle meant creating new alliances for good Ari did this with his colleagues in the GroupM Investment community with our clients who believed in the necessary pursuit of truth with technology partners that could shine light in dark places and with sellers of media that recognized that the interests of the advertiser were ultimately aligned with their own This seems obvious but sometimes it only becomes obvious when someone makes it soAri was that person He combined clarity and rationality to make his point the social skills to form the necessary alliance of partners and the forcefulness to persuade the market of the need to changeNot everyone agreed with Ari not everyone agrees with the standards he drove but no one disagrees with the intent and the results are there to seeAri Bluman was there at the inception of digital advertising and its juxtaposition with data He was there as new data sets platform partnerships and mechanisms for counting emerged At 247 Real Media under the leadership of Dave Moore he sold hard At GroupM under the leadership of Rino Scanzoni he bought every bit as hard To be there at the beginning to pay attention to observe and foment change are central to a career from which a legacy is built Showing up does not cut itAri Bluman did not just show up He was amp8220always workingamp8221 In so doing he influenced the market but also countless individuals who have their own stories to tell about the fights and the friendship about the mentoring and simple integrity of a huge personalityFew have stories of outlasting Ari in a bar and few will leave a legacy of similar significance Ari Bluman was an outsized personality He leaves an outsized hole in our market and our lives Now we have a choice do we leave the hole as a monument or fill it with more of what Ari would have done more light more integrity more humanityLet39s choose the second Let39s remember him with actions That way Deb his family and friends can say that his work and influence outlived the man

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Ari Bluman: The Accomplishments of an Accomplished Man

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