Revenue Generator Podcast: Sales + Marketing + Product + Customer Success = Revenue Growth

AI platform selection remains uncertain as frontier models rapidly evolve. Dave Steer, Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow, brings two decades of scaling experience at GitLab, Cloudflare, and other category-defining companies to discuss navigating the current AI landscape. He argues that context-aware platforms built on top of commodity frontier models will determine competitive advantage, with marketing workflow platforms like Webflow positioning to compete against developer-focused tools like GitHub and GitLab.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketers risk becoming lazy by blindly trusting AI outputs without critical thinking. Dave Steer, CMO at Webflow, explains how to maintain strategic judgment while leveraging artificial intelligence effectively. He demonstrates creating a custom "chief of staff" GPT trained on company context and decision-making frameworks to challenge thinking rather than replace it. Steer emphasizes treating AI as a strategic partner that asks probing questions instead of a tool that generates mindless outputs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

B2B tech marketing requires constant adaptation to survive industry disruption. Dave Steer, Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow, brings two decades of scaling experience from GitLab, Cloudflare, and other category-defining companies. He explains why successful marketers treat their strategies like stock portfolios with both long-term anchors and rapid pivots. Steer outlines how experimentation frameworks help teams adapt quickly when market conditions shift unexpectedly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketing teams now handle engineering workflows as AI tools blur traditional boundaries. Dave Steer, CMO at Webflow, explains how marketers are gaining developer superpowers while maintaining distinct responsibilities. He outlines how marketing owns vision creation while engineering ensures reliability and infrastructure. The discussion covers how no-code platforms enable marketers to build technical solutions while preserving the critical need for engineering expertise in enterprise environments.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Content generation is the most overhyped AI use case in marketing. Dave Steer, CMO at Webflow, argues that marketers are focusing too narrowly on AI as a content creation tool rather than exploring its broader strategic potential. He advocates for building agentic AI workflows that orchestrate customer experiences and automate complex marketing processes. Steer emphasizes creating sophisticated automation systems where marketers become editors of AI output rather than manual content creators.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most marketers treat AI as a copywriting assistant instead of a customer experience transformation tool. Dave Steer is Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow, specializing in AI-driven website personalization and answer engine optimization for enterprise growth. He explains how to structure content for both human visitors and AI crawlers, implement automated multivariate testing at scale, and maintain strategic direction while experimenting with AI-powered optimization tools.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI is transforming B2B buyer behavior and competitive intelligence strategies. Blue Bowen, Research Principal at G2, explains how sales leaders can leverage marketplace data to understand win-loss patterns and competitor positioning. He discusses G2's market intelligence offering for competitive analysis, G2AI's product discovery interface, and momentum reports that track surging tools in marketing automation. The conversation reveals how review data and switching patterns create competitive advantages in AI-driven sales environments.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI sales forecasting promises to predict deal outcomes but fails to account for unique deal complexities. Blue Bowen, Research Principal at G2, explains why revenue intelligence tools that rely on historical data fall short in enterprise sales environments. He discusses how AI struggles with contextual nuances that make each B2B deal distinct and why current forecasting technology remains an imperfect science for predicting sales outcomes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI SDRs dominate B2B sales adoption despite mixed reviews. Blue Bowen, Research Principal at G2, reveals surprising findings from their latest AI impact research. The study shows AI sales development representatives lead adoption rates due to pipeline pressure, while AI sales coaching and training tools remain significantly underutilized. Bowen identifies AI-powered revenue forecasting as overhyped, citing the unique complexity of enterprise deals that historical data models struggle to predict accurately.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Attribution models are failing B2B marketers in today's complex buying journey. Blue Bowen, Research Principal at G2, explains why traditional first-touch and last-touch attribution creates misleading vanity metrics. He recommends using AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) tools like Profound to track LLM visibility and adopting holistic attribution approaches that analyze multiple touchpoint patterns rather than single conversion events.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

B2B buyers now use AI for 60% of software evaluations, fundamentally changing sales dynamics. Blue Bowen, Research Principal at G2, explains how AI is reshaping buyer behavior and what sales teams must adapt to succeed. The discussion covers shifting from SEO to answer engine optimization for LLM visibility, using AI for account prioritization and signal detection, and automating activity capture to improve data quality for better sales forecasting.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Publishers face shrinking traffic as AI disrupts content discovery. Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, explains how the largest independent ad management firm helps publishers navigate programmatic complexity. She discusses blocking AI crawlers to force commercial agreements, diversifying traffic sources beyond Google search, and implementing pay-to-crawl barriers that create negotiating leverage with LLMs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Programmatic budget allocation remains challenging for marketers targeting niche audiences. Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, explains how to maximize $10 million in programmatic spend for specialized markets. She recommends starting with seed audience data to build lookalike models, letting DSP algorithms identify where your actual customers consume content rather than making assumptions, and testing smaller budget increments before scaling successful campaigns.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Programmatic advertising complexity is overwhelming publishers despite 18% revenue growth. Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, explains how publishers can navigate privacy regulations, AI disruption, and buyer sophistication. She covers blocking AI crawlers to force commercial negotiations, diversifying traffic sources beyond Google search, and implementing attention metrics beyond basic viewability thresholds.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Publishers face mounting pressure as AI disrupts traditional traffic sources. Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, explains how the largest independent ad management firm helps publishers navigate programmatic complexity and declining search visibility. She discusses implementing crawler blocking technology through Cloudflare, developing diversified traffic acquisition strategies beyond Google Search dependency, and creating network-scale negotiating power with AI companies for content licensing deals.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Publishers face declining traffic as AI disrupts content discovery. Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, explains how the largest independent ad management firm helps publishers navigate programmatic advertising's evolution. She discusses blocking AI crawlers to force commercial partnerships, diversifying traffic sources beyond Google search, and implementing pay-to-crawl models similar to Netflix's shift from subscription to advertising-supported tiers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI automation threatens traditional marketing roles across campaign management and optimization. Alex Schultz, CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, explains how marketers can adapt to platform-driven campaign creation. He outlines a three-category framework for evaluating which marketing functions will be automated, which expensive tasks become viable through AI, and which entirely new opportunities emerge. Schultz emphasizes that creative strategy remains irreplaceable and advises marketers to focus on categories two and three rather than routine tasks facing automation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most executives misunderstand how Mark Zuckerberg approaches marketing decisions. Alex Schultz, CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, reveals Zuckerberg's core philosophy of learning from domain experts before making strategic choices. Schultz explains how Zuckerberg brought in creative legend David Droga for Meta's company rebrand and demonstrates the CEO's willingness to acknowledge knowledge gaps. The discussion highlights how executive humility and expert consultation drive better marketing outcomes at scale.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meta's AI hiring surge creates company-wide excitement and talent consolidation. Alex Schultz, CMO & VP of Analytics at Meta, explains how the company's aggressive AI talent acquisition strategy affects internal culture and industry dynamics. He discusses the galvanizing effect of high-profile hires like recent AI executives, the public nature of tech talent poaching between major companies, and how Meta's investment in AI infrastructure and talent mirrors professional sports free agency dynamics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple's iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency disrupted digital advertising measurement. Alex Schultz, CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, shares his candid first reaction to Apple's privacy changes and their strategic impact. He explains how Meta leveraged synthetic data modeling and predictive analytics to recover from reduced tracking capabilities. The conversation covers how privacy constraints forced stronger data science practices and ultimately made Meta's advertising platform more efficient with less user data.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI search features are transforming traditional marketing approaches. Alex Schultz, CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, explains how AI-powered search and chat experiences will reshape digital advertising strategies. He discusses AI engine optimization as the new SEO, the competitive landscape between Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Meta's positioning through AI glasses and voice interfaces that integrate real-world context with search capabilities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meta's CMO tackles balancing creativity with AI automation. Alex Schultz, CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, shares his framework for marketing in an AI-first world where nearly 2 million advertisers now use Meta's generative AI ad creation tools. He discusses the "North Star goal" methodology for aligning marketing strategy, explains how to break out of automated campaign optimization traps through active testing and account resets, and outlines why human creativity remains essential even as AI handles more execution tasks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI integrations fail when they replace human connection entirely. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, explains why customers immediately reject automated experiences that lack human touchpoints. He outlines designing better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, implementing contextual personalization that adapts to individual customer needs, and creating hybrid experiences that enhance rather than replace human interaction.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI implementations fail when companies eliminate human touchpoints entirely. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, specializes in integrating machine learning models for Fortune 500 brands like McDonald's and Hyundai. He advocates for strategic handoff triggers that route complex queries to human agents and contextual personalization systems that adapt AI responses to individual customer profiles. The discussion covers designing AI experiences that enhance rather than replace human interaction across customer service workflows.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most marketing leaders are automating AI without human oversight. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, explains why customers reject purely automated experiences and demand human interaction. He outlines designing better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, implementing contextual personalization that adapts to individual customer plans and needs, and creating quality checkpoints where humans validate AI outputs before customer-facing deployment.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI customer interactions fail when companies prioritize automation over human connection. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, explains why Fortune 500 brands need strategic human oversight in their AI implementations. He outlines better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, contextual personalization frameworks that adapt to individual customer needs, and experience design principles that integrate AI without eliminating the human element customers actually want.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI integration fails when companies ignore human interaction needs. Stephen Roach, VP of Ecosystems and AI at Qualified Digital, specializes in balancing automation with human-centered customer experiences for Fortune 500 brands. He outlines designing better handoff triggers between AI and human agents, implementing contextual personalization that adapts to individual customer plans and preferences, and creating AI systems that enhance rather than replace human touchpoints in customer service workflows. Stephen Roach: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sales and marketing alignment fails when teams optimize for different metrics. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, explains how shared pipeline accountability transforms B2B revenue operations. She details moving SDR teams under marketing leadership while aligning both organizations to pipeline metrics instead of separate SQL and closed-won targets. The discussion covers implementing weekly funnel reviews and restructuring compensation models to create true cross-functional partnership.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Balancing short-term demand generation with long-term brand health creates constant budget tension. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, explains how enterprise B2B companies maintain pipeline flow without emptying the funnel. She outlines the demand creation versus demand capture framework as a bank account model and demonstrates how modern digital brand marketing can drive immediate conversions through QR codes, form fills, and content CTAs while building trust for high-value software purchases.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sales leaders resist marketing initiatives when they don't see immediate pipeline impact. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, shares strategies for building trust with skeptical sales teams while maintaining long-term brand health. She explains how to balance demand creation with demand capture using a "bank account" approach and demonstrates how modern brand marketing can drive measurable conversions through QR codes, content CTAs, and digital touchpoints.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketing and sales teams clash over lead quality versus pipeline readiness. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, explains why sales teams dismiss marketing's lead generation efforts. She reveals that sales wants fully qualified pipeline with verified budget, timing, and buyer intent rather than raw lead volume. The discussion covers how marketers can shift from vanity metrics like website visitors to pipeline metrics that sales actually values.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sales and marketing alignment remains elusive despite decades of effort. Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, shares proven strategies for bridging the costly departmental divide. She outlines three critical alignment tactics: establishing shared pipeline metrics as the universal success measure, restructuring RevOps to report independently from both departments to eliminate territorial data disputes, and implementing AI-powered SDR tools like Reggie for automated follow-up and Nooks for increased outbound volume.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketing budgets aren't growing but AI investments are essential. David Rabin, CMO at Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, explains how enterprise marketers can fund AI transformation by cutting underperforming programs. He advocates for breaking organizational inertia by eliminating low-ROI sponsorships, ineffective tools, and wasteful staff allocations to create budget space for AI experimentation. Rabin emphasizes using AI's enhanced targeting capabilities to deliver personalized content that connects with prospects at the right moment.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI adoption faces organizational resistance despite clear competitive advantages. David Rabin, CMO at Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, explains how marketers can navigate transformation barriers. He identifies "order taker" roles as most vulnerable to AI replacement while emphasizing that adopters versus laggards will determine career survival. Rabin advocates for using AI as a copilot to expand role scope and building agents that work in your style rather than resisting technological change.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketing teams struggle with AI implementation despite widespread availability. David Rabin, CMO at Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, explains how enterprises can overcome organizational barriers blocking AI adoption. The conversation covers three critical implementation strategies: establishing clear ROI frameworks for AI investments, organizing data infrastructure to support AI workflows, and building internal change management processes to shift teams from manual to automated marketing operations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Enterprise companies rush into AI implementation without proper strategy or governance structures. David Rabin, Chief Marketing Officer at Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, explains how to build organizational frameworks that enable successful AI adoption. He discusses establishing AI committees for tool evaluation and marketing governance, organizing data infrastructure including product databases and visual identity systems, and implementing Studio AI for automated marketing toolkit generation that delivers faster and cheaper content production.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketing teams struggle with AI implementation despite widespread availability. David Rabin, CMO at Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, explains how enterprises can move beyond experimentation to scalable AI adoption. The discussion covers three critical implementation barriers: calculating ROI on untested processes, organizing enterprise data for AI consumption, and developing internal AI deployment capabilities across marketing and IT teams.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI agents are revolutionizing marketing automation. Nicholas Holland, Head of AI at HubSpot, shares his expertise on how agentic AI is transforming traditional marketing workflows. He highlights key thought leaders marketers should follow for AI insights, including Matthew Berman's technical yet accessible content and HubSpot's "Marketing Against the Grain" podcast for practical implementation strategies.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI agents are reshaping marketing automation. Nicholas Holland, Head of AI at HubSpot, explains the shift from managing people to orchestrating AI agents. He emphasizes that current AI technology isn't the bottleneck - rather, organizations need structured frameworks for agent management, clear guidelines for implementation, and new metrics for evaluating management effectiveness in hybrid human-AI teams.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will AI replace marketing jobs by 2028? Nicholas Holland, Head of AI at HubSpot, examines the evolution of AI agents and their impact on marketing automation. He explores how agentic AI is fundamentally changing marketing workflows, team structures, and job functions. Holland also shares insights on staying current with AI developments through content creators like Matthew Berman who balance technical depth with practical business applications.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Custom AI agents vs. out-of-the-box tools: which delivers better ROI? Nicholas Holland, Head of AI at HubSpot, shares his expertise on the evolution of AI agents in marketing automation. He recommends starting with pre-built AI tools before attempting custom development, emphasizing the importance of mastering prompt engineering and data integration first. Holland outlines a practical progression path from using AI for basic tasks to implementing complex automated workflows that can transform marketing operations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicholas, Head of AI at HubSpot discusses AI Agents for marketing automation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Contextual advertising is evolving with AI integration. Kerel Cooper, CMO at GumGum, shares how advertisers can deliver effective campaigns without relying on personal data. He explains how AI-powered contextual targeting tools can identify relevant content environments, maintain brand safety, and scale advertising efforts across emerging digital platforms while preserving user privacy. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI's role in contextual advertising is under scrutiny. Kerel Cooper, CMO at GumGum, challenges conventional thinking about digital advertising channels and data usage. He explains how contextual targeting works across display, video, and podcast formats without relying on personal data, while sharing insights on why video has become his top channel choice for reaching today's consumers. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI-powered contextual targeting is transforming advertising strategies. Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at GumGum, explains how contextual advertising tools can deliver effective campaigns without relying on personal data. He discusses how AI's ability to understand content context creates more relevant ad placements, addresses skepticism about AI's comprehension of human nuance, and highlights how these technologies continue to improve efficiency while respecting user privacy. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cookie deprecation is reshaping digital advertising strategies. Kerel Cooper, CMO at GumGum, explains how contextual targeting delivers effective advertising without relying on personal data. He discusses AI-powered contextual intelligence tools that analyze content for brand safety and suitability, while sharing how marketers can leverage these technologies to maintain campaign performance in a privacy-first digital landscape. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Contextual advertising is making a comeback in digital marketing. Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at GumGum, explains how AI-powered contextual targeting has evolved beyond basic URL matching to analyze entire page content, audio files, and video frames. Modern contextual tools now identify consumer mindset and emotional states to deliver more relevant messaging, while helping brands expand their reach beyond obvious content categories through sophisticated propensity modeling and real-time optimization. Show Notes CHAPTERS: 00:15: History of Contextual Targeting02:18: Contextual vs. Cookie Targeting04:22: Expanding Audience Reach07:12: AI-Powered Content Analysis09:35: Right Person, Right Time11:42: Live Event Targeting Trends14:10: Marketing During UncertaintyCONNECT:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterAI-Powered Contextual Ad Targeting: The Evolution of Smarter AdvertisingIn today's privacy-conscious digital landscape, contextual advertising is experiencing a renaissance. Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at GumGum, joins the podcast to explain how contextual targeting has evolved from basic URL-based approaches to sophisticated AI-powered systems that understand content at a deeper level. With over 20 years of digital media experience, Cooper provides valuable insights into how GumGum's contextual-first digital advertising platform helps brands deliver relevant messages without relying on personal data.The Evolution of Contextual AdvertisingContextual advertising has transformed dramatically since its early days. "Originally, contextual advertising was all about targeting based on the URL, maybe doing some targeting based on keywords," explains Cooper. "If you were at domain.com/autos, we were targeting you in the auto section and you became an auto intender." Today's contextual advertising is far more sophisticated, using AI to analyze entire pages of text, audio files, and videos frame-by-frame to understand content in its proper context and determine consumer mindset.Beyond Basic Domain TargetingModern contextual advertising goes beyond simply matching ads to domain categories. GumGum's technology can analyze the emotional state of users based on the content they're consuming and make intelligent assumptions about their interests. For example, a recent case study with Mars pet care products demonstrated how contextual targeting could expand reach beyond obvious pet-related content. By using GumGum's "Mindset Graph," Mars discovered that their target audiences (heavy dog food buyers, new puppy parents) also consumed content in categories like home and garden, food and drink, and travel – resulting in an 89% higher view-through rate compared to their standard targeting approaches.The AI Advantage in Contextual TargetingAI is at the heart of modern contextual advertising's effectiveness. GumGum's technology uses artificial intelligence to understand the entire content of articles, audio files, and videos, then determines the likely mindset of consumers engaging with that content. This allows for delivering not just the right brand message, but delivering it when consumers are in the optimal mindset to engage with it. As Cooper notes, "You can deliver ads anywhere, you can buy impressions anywhere, but that doesn't mean that they're meaningful."The Right Person, Right Place, Right TimeThe key to effective contextual advertising is understanding when consumers are in the right mindset to receive your message. While no targeting method is perfect, GumGum's technology optimizes throughout campaigns to improve performance. The system can even adapt to real-time events and emotional states – for example, delivering different messages to fans of wi ing versus losing sports teams during a championship game, with perhaps "champagne ads for the wi ers and whiskey ads for the losers."Why Marketers Are Embracing Contextual AdvertisingWith 72% of marketers now using contextual advertising, it's clear this approach is gaining momentum. This growth stems from several factors: increasing privacy regulations limiting cookie-based targeting, marketers seeking to build emotional co ections with consumers, and the improved effectiveness of AI-powered contextual solutions. Cooper advises that regardless of economic uncertainty, "the worst thing that you could do is kill off budgets, pull back from marketing." Instead, marketers should leverage tools like contextual advertising that can reach consumers more efficiently and effectively.ConclusionAs third-party cookies fade away and privacy concerns mount, contextual advertising offers marketers a powerful alternative that doesn't rely on personal data. The evolution from simple domain targeting to sophisticated AI-powered content analysis has transformed contextual advertising into a highly effective approach for reaching consumers in the right mindset. By understanding not just what content people are consuming but the context and emotional state in which they're consuming it, marketers can deliver more meaningful, relevant messages that resonate with their audience and drive better results.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Creator marketing ROI is in crisis. Joseph Perello, CEO of Props, explains how to transform creator content into a performance channel by blending human storytelling with paid media precision. He reveals why scaling individual creators (rather than expanding creator volume) delivers better results, and demonstrates how owned media can drive measurable business outcomes beyond traditional vanity metrics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Demand creation vs. demand capture: which podcast strategy wins? Joe Perello, CEO of Props and former NYC CMO, shares his expertise on turning creator marketing into a performance channel. He explains why brand-owned content is the new frontier for predictable marketing outcomes, demonstrates how to blend creator authenticity with paid media precision, and reveals techniques for converting podcast listeners into qualified leads without relying on traditional metrics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Performance marketing or influencer partnerships? Joe Perello, CEO of Props, reveals how smart marketers are blending creator content with paid media precision. His approach transforms creator marketing into a true performance channel by maintaining full accountability for business results rather than chasing viral hits. Perello demonstrates how owned media content delivers authentic engagement while providing the targeting capabilities and measurable outcomes of traditional performance marketing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Content marketing remains unmeasurable and "mushy" for most CMOs. Joe Perello, CEO of Props and former NYC CMO, shares how to transform creator marketing into a performance channel with measurable outcomes. He reveals techniques for achieving 55-65% open rates across client programs and explains why authentically integrated brand content consistently outperforms traditional advertising when paired with precise targeting and clear calls to action.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.