Keith Lorizio Replaces Domeniconi as Head of Microsoft's U.S. Ad Sales

Microsoft has promoted Keith Lorizio to VP of U.S. sales and marketing, a role previously held by Robin Domeniconi. In an interview today with ClickZ, he said a primary focus going forward will be to improve the company’s media analytics offerings to brand advertisers.

A five-year employee, Lorizio was most recently head of U.S. field sales for Microsoft, overseeing 230 employees. He’ll now lead a group more than twice that size, controlling field sales, account services and marketing in the U.S. His team is charged with packaging and selling all the company’s ad platforms in this country, including MSN, the Microsoft Media Network, Xbox, and some aspects of Microsoft’s search alliance with Yahoo.

Lorizio, 45, lives in Boston but spends much of his time in New York. He’ll report to Carolyn Everson, Microsoft’s corporate VP of global ad sales, who started just one month ago and is also based in New York. The U.S. is by far the largest contributor to Microsoft’s ad revenue, making up 48 percent of global sales.

Domeniconi meanwhile has returned to her roots in the magazine industry, taking a job as chief brand officer for the Elle Group. While at Microsoft, she emphasized audiences over products, reducing the number of reps for specific products and platforms while emphasizing integrated media packages featuring Web and mobile properties, Xbox, search, and ad network placements.

Lorizio told ClickZ he will focus on improvements in another area where Microsoft is lacking – media analytics.

“Right now we have data captured from many different platforms; with media analytics there’s room for us to grow,” he said. “To have those consumer insights we have to look at exactly what’s happening, the path users are having and the sites they’re visiting.”