Sprint’s digital marketing chief departs for New York firm with ties to SoftBank

The head of digital marketing at Sprint Corp. has left the Overland Park-based company to join a business with ties to Sprint’s Tokyo-based owner.

Scott Zalaznik will head global retail efforts at New York-based xAd, which helps companies track customers’ behavior in stores to better target mobile ads.

XAd said Zalaznik had been with Sprint for 15 years, managing its digital and online marketing most recently. He has advised xAd for nearly a year and was “closely involved” with several technology efforts, according to xAd’s announcement.

Sprint confirmed an Advertising Age report that Evan Conway was named to succeed Zalaznik. Conway, according to Advertising Age, has been the vice president of monetization and strategy at Pinsight Media, a mobile advertising service that Sprint owns.

Advertising Age also said Zalaznik told the publication that his departure was unrelated to an ongoing review of Sprint’s management team by its new CEO, Marcelo Claure.

Claure has said he expects some of the company’s current management not to survive the review.

SoftBank, which owns 80 percent of Sprint, had invested in xAd last month, according to Advertising Age.

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Sprint’s digital marketing chief departs for New York firm with ties to SoftBank."