The revolving door between the advertising technology sector and the broader marketing services industry continues to spin, and this time it has deposited Todd Parsons in a corner office at Prodege.

Mr. Parsons, whose career has wound through various precincts of the digital advertising landscape, will become chief executive of the marketing insights firm on Oct. 1. Prodege, which is owned by the private equity giant Blackstone, operates a consumer panel of more than 125 million people — a number that, if it were a country, would place it somewhere between Mexico and Japan in population.

The company runs loyalty programs under seven brand names, including Swagbucks, MyPoints, and InboxDollars, which will be familiar to anyone who has ever been offered points for completing a survey or watching a video advertisement. (The essential transaction — consumer attention exchanged for modest rewards — has been a staple of the marketing research business for decades, though the scale has grown considerably.)

Members of these loyalty programs complete tasks and provide feedback to consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, and game developers, creating the kind of first-party data that has become increasingly valuable as third-party cookies continue their long, much-delayed journey toward obsolescence.

Mr. Parsons's background in artificial intelligence is expected to shape his approach at Prodege, according to people familiar with the company's plans, though the specific applications of that technology to a panel-based insights business remain to be articulated.

The appointment represents another instance of Blackstone deploying experienced advertising technology hands to manage its portfolio of marketing services companies, a strategy that has characterized the firm's approach to the sector since it began acquiring such properties several years ago.

Whether 125 million loyalty program members will notice the change at the top seems unlikely.

Original story published in adweek.com: "Adtech Vet Todd Parsons Named CEO of Blackstone-Owned Insights Firm"