Spotzer, an Amsterdam company selling a “ready to air” video solution for SMBs, has made clear it is serious about partnering with traditional media channels to brings its solution to small businesses. The company announced today that it has brought on Gordon Henry to serve as president of its North and South American operations.

Many in the industry know Henry well as the now former chief marketing officer of Yellowbook, Yell Group’s U.S. division. Before joining Yellowbook in 2001, Henry worked at Knight Ridder and Columbia House, giving him a varied media background.

One of Gordon’s achievements at Yellowbook was building a powerful brand for an independent Yellow Pages publisher. Today, arguably, the consistently branded Yellowbook has higher recognition than some incumbent brands that have gone through multiple variations as they changed form via mergers and spin-offs. Yellowbook changed ad campaigns several times under Henry, and also recently upgraded its graphical look, but the brand remained consistent and was consistently promoted. That focus and effort paid off and it came out of Henry’s shop.

At Spotzer, Henry will be charged with helping the video company rise above a very crowded competitive field. It helps if the person doing this understands the inner workings of Yellow Pages organizations. The ability to match a vendor’s capabilities to what publishers can actually sell can be a critical advantage.

Henry joins Spotzer after it has already gained some traction in the marketplace. In September, it announced a deal with MerchantCircle, and reportedly it has yet-to-be-announced deals with a number of large directory publishers around the globe.