Podcasts about adtech

In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Ellen Parker welcomes two of LinkedIn's most active programmatic voices: Gary Guarnaccia and Ryan Verklin. Together, they dive into the realities of in-housing, retail media, DSP strategy, and the ongoing shifts in supply path optimization (SPO). Ryan shares his journey from agency life to in-house at Bayer, where he helped lead the transition to hands-on programmatic buying before moving into retail media. Gary reflects on his role supporting Bayer's in-house teams through ad tech partnerships, ensuring programmatic and retail investments drive real business outcomes. We dig into hot-button industry debates, including: In-house vs. agency vs. retail media networks – how traders' roles are evolving. DSP strategy – why more DSPs don't automatically mean more reach. Retail media networks – the difference between on-site and off-site, and how CPG brands leverage retailer data for incremental reach. Amazon DSP – is it really positioned to replace other omni-channel platforms? Traders' perspective – why user-friendly DSPs, efficient reporting, and reduced friction are critical to long-term success. SPO and transparency – reacting to Index Exchange's announcement and The Trade Desk's move to categorize SSPs as resellers. The conversation highlights a recurring theme: programmatic traders need more love. Empowering the hands-on-keyboard teams with better tools, education, and collaboration leads to stronger business results—and less burnout. If you're a programmatic trader, strategist, or leader navigating the complexities of DSPs, SSPs, and retail media, this episode is packed with insights and candid perspectives you won't want to miss. Additional resource: Gary LinkedIn post    About Us: We teach historically excluded individuals how to break into programmatic media buying and land their dream jobs. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, an engaged community, and expert coaching, we offer:   Programmatic Training & Coaching: Executive Membership: for the busy mid-level to senior or director-level programmatic ninja looking for a structured, high-impact way to stay ahead of evolving trends, sharpen your optimization skills, and connect with like-minded experts. Join Here: https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/executivemembership   Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on DSP exercises, and real-time feedback. Sign Up: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program   Self-Paced Course: Learn at your own speed with full content access. Enroll Here: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course   Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Guest Introductions 03:11 – From Agency to In-House: Ryan & Gary's Journeys 08:35 – The Rise of Retail Media at Bayer 14:20 – DSP Strategy: Why More Doesn't Always Mean Better Reach 20:02 – Retail Media Networks: On-Site vs. Off-Site Explained 26:41 – Amazon DSP: Threat or Opportunity? 33:17 – Why Traders Deserve More Love in Ad Tech 40:05 – Reporting, AI, and Reducing Friction for Traders 46:28 – SPO Debate: Resellers, Transparency & Control 53:19 – Final Thoughts & Industry Takeaways   Meet Our Guest: Gary Guarnaccia – Ad Tech Partnerships, Bayer https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-g-16328640/   Ryan Verklin – Retail Media Lead, Bayer https://www.linkedin.com/in/verklin/ https://www.instagram.com/verklin/ https://x.com/verklin   Meet The Team: Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach https://www.heleneparker.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker   Manuela Cortes - Co-Host  Programmatic Digest In Espanol:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-   Learn Programmatic As a TEAM: https://www.heleneparker.com/workshop/ As a Programmatic Ninja: https://www.heleneparker.com/course/ Programmatic Coaching Newsletter:https://www.heleneparker.com/newsletter/   Programmatic Digest https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGMMRsZkw0IIUbQIJmMBxw   Looking for programmatic training/coaching?  Sign up to our Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on within DSP(s) exercises, and real-time feedback—perfect for those who thrive on accountability and community, and looking to grow their technical skillset https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program   Self-Paced Course: Full access to course content anytime, allowing independent learners to study at their own speed with complete flexibility. https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course   Join our next workshop by signing up to our waitlist below:  https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/  

In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields sits down with Michael Komasinski, CEO of Criteo, to unpack how one of ad tech's best-known companies has reinvented itself for a privacy-first world. Once synonymous with retargeting, Criteo has successfully evolved into a powerhouse in retail media, supporting more than 230 retailers and $160 billion in GMV.Michael shares how the company's early investments in addressability technology and diversification under Megan Clarkin laid the foundation for long-term resilience. He also discusses the industry's next big shifts from the end of “easy money” in retail media to the rise of agentic workflows, AI-powered ad optimization, and Criteo's surprising new partnership with Google. Key Highlights:

In our milestone 100th episode of the AdTechGod Podcast, we're diving into three big themes: the future of ad tech, the power of giving back, and where agencies are headed next. Segment 1  kicks off with industry legends Ari Paparo and Terence Kawaja. They break down how AI, automation, and consolidation are reshaping digital advertising—and what the booming creator economy means for authenticity and growth. Segment 2 takes a different turn, with Tom Deierlein, Heidi Browning, and Peter Naylor sharing the incredible story behind the TD Foundation. It's a nonprofit supporting families of wounded warriors and fallen heroes, proving how small donations and industry support can drive real impact. Segment 3 looks ahead to the agency world. Lauren Wetzel (Infosum/WPP) and Sam Bloom (PMG) talk about everything from navigating walled gardens and evolving business models to building people-first cultures in an AI-driven era. To my listeners, sponsors, and friends: thank you. Hitting 100 episodes is a huge milestone for me, and I couldn't have done it without your support. Segment 1 – The Future of Ad Tech 00:00 – Celebrating 100 Episodes of AdTechGod Podcast 01:48 – The Impact of AI on Ad Tech 05:22 – Consolidation in the Ad Tech Industry 08:59 – Challenges for Publishers in the AI Era 12:17 – The Future of Live Advertising 15:25 – Opportunities in the Creator Economy 18:59 – Navigating Authenticity in Content Creation Segment 2 – Giving Back: The TD Foundation 22:21 – Celebrating Milestones and Giving Back 23:53 – The Birth of the TD Foundation 28:22 – Personal Stories and Impact 31:49 – Real-Life Case Studies 36:01 – Challenges and Call to Action 39:05 – Corporate Involvement and Community Support Segment 3 – The Future of Agencies 42:21 – The Future of Agencies 45:40 – Navigating Walled Gardens & Data Challenges 49:55 – Evolving Business Models in Advertising 56:44 – Building a People-Centric Agency Culture 62:21 – Celebrating 100 Episodes & Looking Ahead Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Google search case, a forced spin-off of Chrome was never gonna happen, but a court-ordered divestiture of GAM isn't beyond the pale in the ad tech case, says Geoffrey Manne, president and founder of the International Center for Law and Economics.

In this episode of the #AdTechHeroes podcast, Jon Wallett welcomes Nobles Crawford, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Brand Engagement at L'Oreal. They discuss Crawford's career journey, the evolution of the advertising industry, the importance of networking, and the impact of AI on creativity in marketing. They also cover the need for personal relationships in the industry and the potential for technology to enhance, rather than replace, human connection.Interested in being a guest? Contact us: adtechheroespodcast.com/contact

Ha llegado la hora de ponernos al día en las cinco áreas de siempre: ePrivacy y marco regulatorio; MarTech y AdTech; IA, competencia y mercados digitales; PETs y Zero-Party Data; Futuro de los medios.Encontrarás ligeros cambios frente a la versión en inglés para hacerlo más relevante. Hemos incluido:* Las decisiones clave en el TJUE* Un par de multas de la AEPD* Los avances tecnológicos de TikTok y Amazon Ads* La investigación abierta a los chatbots por la FTC* Los cambios en Reino Unido con las consultas de la ICO* Las directrices de la CNIL* El último capítulo en la pelea entre los grandes “AI labs” y los creadores de contenido* El nuevo protocolo para pagos entre agentes (AP2)Todos los links y referencias están en un post independiente en la sección en español de Masters of Privacy.La voz sintética que nos acompaña está generada con Eleven Labs. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mastersofprivacy.com/subscribe

Joe goes solo to rattle off 10 common misconceptions adtech CEOs have about marketing. No way to grow a business like calling out your customer. Topics include how to find great marketers, how often to communicate, and how to measure the impact of adtech marketing.

In a very basic and very real way, real estate technology comes down to problems and solutions - an iterative journey toward a better result, a better business, and a better life.Here in our fourth Techtember conversation, you'll learn how two leaders clearly identify  problems and built their own tech solutions.Spend just over 20 minutes with Ryan Young - CEO and Team Leader of the #1 team in Ohio, as well as CEO and Co-Founder of Fello.Then spend just under 24 minutes with Brian Hurley - a Google engineer who also builds marketing and tech solutions for his wife Tarasa, who's grown from agent to team leader to brokerage co-owner.RYAN YOUNGWhen you're building the #1 real estate team in your state, you run into problems. One of the most important: building a moat around your most valuable asset - your database.Ryan Young, CEO and Team Leader of The Young Team in Northeast Ohio, decided to build a solution. And that solution became Fello, where's Co-Founder and CEO.Learn how he evolved from a post-it-note agent to a tech-obsessed, AI-driven leader. Learn how Fello continues to iterate on its solutions as problems, opportunities, and capabilities continue to evolve. And get tips to turn your database from “glorified spreadsheet” to dividend-paying asset.Watch or listen for insights into:Growing from a post-it-note agent to a tech-obsessed, AI-empowered leader of multiple companiesClearly identifying the biggest problem for his real estate business and founding Fello as a solutionValuing your database as your most valuable assetLayering improvement on improvement in Fello to solve problem after problem for The Young TeamEmpowering agents with AILeveling up automations with AIBRIAN HURLEYFor more than a decade, Brian Hurley's served as a Google software engineer. But he's also built the tech behind a real estate business that's grown from solo agent to team to brokerage.One big observation: we need to make it about the problem and solution, not about the tech.Brian shares several great examples, shares his approach to experiments, and explains the role of automation vs the role of the agent.Watch or listen for insights into:Why a 10/10 passion for new tech is about solutions, not about techWhy every tech investment is a calculated betWhat the right timeline is for your next experiment - telling you when to double down or pull the plugHow to use AI as a force multiplier rather than a simple shortcutWhich mistake Brian made in setting up the marketing and techHow Brian simplified their systems to support growth and adapt to complexityHow to close the authenticity gap as you automate (personal videos and more conversations)How he built a custom lead accountability system inspired by a past guestHow the Team Bot from Real Estate Team OS helped them find the perfect operations manager for their growing businessMentioned in this episode:→ Fello https://fello.ai/→ Tarasa Hurley https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-leads-tarasa-hurley-river-point-realty→ Chelly Herren https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/techtember-operations-real-estate-tech-stack-chelly-herren→ Techtember https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVoSlXhdFv_RC9V8G5tUw1QX→ Follow Up Boss Success Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/followupbosscommunity→ Real Estate Team OS AI Bot https://www.realestateteamos.com/botConnect with Ryan Young:→ Ryan at Fello dot aiConnect with Brian Hurley:→ https://www.tarasa.com→ https://conrya.comConnect with Real Estate Team OS:→ https://www.realestateteamos.com→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

It is time for a seasonal update at the intersection of Marketing, Data, Privacy and Technology. We will stick to our usual five blocks: ePrivacy & regulatory updates; MarTech & AdTech; AI, Competition and Digital Markets; PETs and Zero-Party Data; Future of Media.This includes:* CJEU decisions on Latombe (EU-US data transfers have survived, for now) and SRB (relative nature of personal data) * UK legal updates and ICO consultations on ePrivacy-related topics* Record public fines and enforcement actions in California* Ongoing explosion of pixel and cookie-related lawsuits across the US* Important fines in the EU, with CNIL's unwavering passion for large-scale ePrivacy enforcement* Agentic AI milestones for AdTech and customer centricity/empowerment* Key initiatives to protect copyright holders from large AI labs (together with Anthropic's settlement)All references and links can be found in a separate blog post available to Masters of Privacy Connect subscribers on our website's Newsroom section.Our usual disclaimer: the voice that joins me today is a text-to-speech output generated with Eleven Labs. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mastersofprivacy.com/subscribe

In this MadTech Podcast episode, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by head of content John Still, and Rich Ashton, managing partner at FirstPartyCapital.  They look at the US Federal Trade Commission launching an investigation into whether Amazon and Google misled advertisers, and a new partnership which will bring Netflix's premium ad inventory to Amazon's DSP, Amazon Ads.  They also discuss the latest M&A activity in the ad tech scene, including Bending Spoons' acquisition of Vimeo, and Vitruvian Partners buying a majority sake in healthcare DSP DeepIntent. 

In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Helene Parker welcomes Rosey Sutton, Head of Programmatic at Leadswell, for a deep dive into the world of B2B programmatic advertising. Rosey shares her journey from traditional broadcast buying to programmatic leadership, offering practical insights into brand-to-demand strategy, content syndication, and how to connect brand awareness with demand generation for better results. We explore the importance of aligning creative messaging with funnel stages, why programmatic often serves as the accelerator in B2B, and how intent data can transform targeting strategies. Rosey also breaks down common mistakes marketers make when siloing brand and demand teams—and how to build campaigns that nurture leads and maximize conversions. Finally, we discuss the role of AI in programmatic, how marketers can use it responsibly to turn data into insights, and why storytelling is still at the heart of every great campaign. If you've ever wondered how to truly connect the dots in B2B programmatic, this episode is packed with clarity and actionable takeaways.   About Us: We teach historically excluded individuals how to break into programmatic media buying and land their dream jobs. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, an engaged community, and expert coaching, we offer:   Programmatic Training & Coaching: Executive Membership: for the busy mid-level to senior or director-level programmatic ninja looking for a structured, high-impact way to stay ahead of evolving trends, sharpen your optimization skills, and connect with like-minded experts. Join Here: https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/executivemembership Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on DSP exercises, and real-time feedback. Sign Up: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program   Self-Paced Course: Learn at your own speed with full content access. Enroll Here: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course   Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Guest Intro 02:14 – Rosey's Career Journey: From Broadcast to Programmatic 05:02 – What Brand-to-Demand Really Means in B2B 09:28 – Content Syndication Explained 15:10 – Why Programmatic Accelerates the Funnel 18:47 – The Role of Intent Data in Campaigns 23:19 – Aligning Creative Messaging With the Funnel 28:44 – Using Analytics & GA4 to Tell a Better Story 34:26 – AI as a Tool for Insights & Optimization 41:57 – Rosey's Words of Wisdom for Programmatic Marketers   Meet Our Guest: Rosey Sutton, LeadSwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalinesutton/   Meet The Team: Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach https://www.heleneparker.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker   Manuela Cortes - Co-Host  Programmatic Digest In Espanol:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-   Learn Programmatic As a TEAM: https://www.heleneparker.com/workshop/ As a Programmatic Ninja: https://www.heleneparker.com/course/ Programmatic Coaching Newsletter:https://www.heleneparker.com/newsletter/   Programmatic Digest https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGMMRsZkw0IIUbQIJmMBxw      Looking for programmatic training/coaching?  Sign up to our Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on within DSP(s) exercises, and real-time feedback—perfect for those who thrive on accountability and community, and looking to grow their technical skillset https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program   Self-Paced Course: Full access to course content anytime, allowing independent learners to study at their own speed with complete flexibility. https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course Join our next workshop by signing up to our waitlist below:  https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/  

Marketing attribution is one of the toughest challenges for modern marketers — and most get it wrong. In this episode of the ContraMinds Podcast, we sit down with Scott Desgrosseilliers, Founder & CEO of Wicked Reports, to decode what really works in measuring marketing impact. Scott shares his journey of building Wicked Reports and explains why accuracy alone isn't enough — attribution has to be actionable. He covers practical insights on choosing the right attribution model, measuring KPIs beyond ROAS, connecting online and offline journeys, and balancing experimentation with accountability.If you're a CMO, performance marketer, or entrepreneur looking to cut through the noise and understand what truly drives growth, this episode is packed with actionable wisdom.What You'll Learn in This Episode:•Why marketing attribution isn't about perfection but profitability•How to align attribution models with campaign intent•Which KPIs go beyond vanity metrics (like NCAC and New Visit %)•How to bridge online and offline sales data•The mindset every marketer needs: persistence + accountabilityAbout Scott DesgrosseilliersScott Desgrosseilliers is the Founder & CEO of Wicked Reports, a pioneering marketing attribution platform built to give businesses clarity on what really drives growth. Today, Scott is known for his no-nonsense approach to attribution: transparent, actionable insights that cut through the noise and focus on profitability.

Frisch berufen in den Beraterkreis von Wirtschaftsministerin Katherina Reiche erklärt Justus Haucap seinem Wettbewerbsfreund von der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Rupprecht Podszun seine erste Ehrenamtshandlung: Das Berater-Quartett will die Rentenversicherung zukunftsfest machen. Von dort starten die beiden Düsseldorfer Professoren aber sofort Richtung Wettbewerb: Der Google-Adtech-Fall bewegte in den letzten Wochen die Gemüter - und natürlich auch Podszun und Haucap. Der war übrigens gerade in Südafrika (dienstlich) und hat spannende Einblicke mitgebracht, u.a. zur Frage eines Public Interest-Tests und der Rolle von Investitionszusagen. Die sind ja schließlich auch in Europa schwer im Kommen. Last but not least: Das Landgericht Dortmund hat dem Bundeskartellamt einen interessanten Brief geschickt... alles rund um Kartellrecht und Wettbewerbsökonomie wie immer in "Bei Anruf Wettbewerb"!

Joe Hirsch the CEO of Swivel and former CEO of SpringServe, shares his journey through the ad tech industry, discussing his experiences with affiliate marketing, ad serving, and the evolution of ad operations. He emphasizes the importance of operational efficiency and the role of AI in optimizing ad campaigns, while also addressing the future of AdOps and the integration of technology in the advertising space. Takeaways Joe Hirsch has a long history in ad tech, starting from affiliate marketing. He co-founded multiple companies, including Spring Serve, which was acquired by Magnite. Swivel aims to automate repetitive tasks in ad operations to improve efficiency. The ad server business model requires scaling operations without increasing labor costs. Swivel integrates AI to replicate and scale human decision-making in ad operations. AI is not meant to replace humans but to augment their capabilities. The future of AdOps will see agents as primary users of ad platforms. Precision in ad operations is crucial to avoid costly mistakes. AdOps professionals should embrace AI technologies to enhance their skills. The ad tech industry is evolving rapidly, with AI playing a significant role. Chapters 00:00Introduction to Joe Hirsch and His Journey 04:48Transitioning from Spring Serve to Swivel 10:58Understanding Swivel's Operational Efficiency 16:07The Future of AdOps and AI Integration The Refresh News: September 15:Google's AdTech Filing, Magnite's AI Bet, and YouTube's NFL Debut This episode of The Refresh covers three major stories shaping advertising this week: Google's eyebrow-raising statements in its AdTech antitrust remedies filing, Magnite's acquisition of creative production platform Streamer AI, and YouTube's first-ever exclusive NFL broadcast. Host Kate breaks down the implications of each development for advertisers, publishers, and platforms in the evolving digital ecosystem. Google's court filing revealed open web display ads purchased through AdWords dropped to 11% in January 2025, down from 40% in 2019, sparking concerns over the open web's decline. Google defended itself by attributing ad spend shifts to CTV and retail media, while critics highlighted its dominance in directing referral traffic through AI-driven search changes. Magnite announced the acquisition of Streamer AI to help small and mid-sized businesses overcome creative production hurdles in connected TV advertising. The CTV market is expanding rapidly, with Nielsen reporting 75% of TV viewing is ad-supported and eMarketer projecting $33B in CTV ad spend for 2025, though measurement challenges remain. YouTube's first free exclusive NFL broadcast drew 17.3M viewers globally, surpassing Amazon's 2024 averages but raising questions about sustaining viewership once games move behind a paywall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a $637 million PE acquisition of healthcare of a DSP to acquisitions of freshly minted startups, there's been a flurry of ad tech deals this month. And they have one thing in common: AI.

In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Manuela Cortes sits down with Angelina Eng, Vice President at IAB, to unpack the evolving world of measurement, attribution, and attention in digital advertising. Angelina shares her deep expertise in helping reduce friction across the ad tech ecosystem and establishing industry best practices through IAB's Measurement, Addressability, and Data Center. She breaks down the misconceptions around last-touch attribution, the importance of assisted attribution, and how weighting ad formats can better reflect their role in the funnel. We also explore the challenges and opportunities in publisher–buyer collaboration, the adoption of conversion API standards, and why standard taxonomies are critical for interoperability. Angelina offers practical steps for media buyers and publishers looking to elevate transparency, data harmonization, and campaign effectiveness. The conversation also dives into the future of attention metrics, how they're being defined and measured, and whether they can become a standard KPI. Finally, Angelina shares her thoughts on how AI is reshaping the ad tech stack—from operations to optimization—while emphasizing the need for compliance, minimizing bias, and balancing human oversight. Plus, we get to know Angelina beyond her work, including her love for the outdoors, salsa dancing, and family life. If you've ever struggled with attribution models, measurement frameworks, or attention debates, this episode is packed with clarity and forward-looking insights.   About Us: We teach historically excluded individuals how to break into programmatic media buying and land their dream jobs. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, an engaged community, and expert coaching, we offer:   Programmatic Training & Coaching: Executive Membership: for the busy mid-level to senior or director-level programmatic ninja looking for a structured, high-impact way to stay ahead of evolving trends, sharpen your optimization skills, and connect with like-minded experts. Join Here: https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/executivemembership   Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on DSP exercises, and real-time feedback.  Sign Up: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program   Self-Paced Course: Learn at your own speed with full content access. Enroll Here:  https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course   Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Guest Intro 01:43 – Attribution Misconceptions Explained 05:26 – Assisted Attribution & Weighted Assets 08:26 – Conversion APIs & Publisher Collaboration 11:12 – Attention Metrics: Hype vs Reality 18:26 – Standardization & IAB's Role in Data Alignment 26:05 – How AI is Reshaping Ad Tech 30:53 – Fun Facts with Angelina Eng   Meet Our Guest: Angelina Eng, IAB https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelinaeng   Meet The Team: Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach https://www.heleneparker.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker   Manuela Cortes - Co-Host  Programmatic Digest In Espanol:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-   Learn Programmatic As a TEAM: https://www.heleneparker.com/workshop/ As a Programmatic Ninja: https://www.heleneparker.com/course/ Programmatic Coaching Newsletter: https://www.heleneparker.com/newsletter/   Programmatic Digest https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGMMRsZkw0IIUbQIJmMBxw     Looking for programmatic training/coaching?  Sign up to our Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on within DSP(s) exercises, and real-time feedback—perfect for those who thrive on accountability and community, and looking to grow their technical skillset https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program   Self-Paced Course: Full access to course content anytime, allowing independent learners to study at their own speed with complete flexibility. https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course   Join our next workshop by signing up to our waitlist below:  https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/  

Cookies are out, context is in. People Inc.'s Jonathan Roberts joins The Big Impression to talk about how America's biggest publisher is using AI to reinvent contextual advertising with real-time intent.From Game of Thrones maps to the open web, Roberts believes content is king in the AI economy. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian Fowler (00:00):I'm Damian Fowler, and welcome to this edition of The Big Impression. Today we're looking at how publishers are using AI to reinvent contextual advertising and why it's becoming an important and powerful alternative to identity-based targeting. My guest is Jonathan Roberts, chief Innovation Officer at People Inc. America's largest publisher, formerly known as Meredith. He's leading the charge with decipher an AI platform that helps advertisers reach audiences based on real time intent across all of People Inc. Site and the Open Web. We're going to break down how it works, what it means for advertisers in a privacy first world and why Jonathan's side hustle. Creating maps for Game of Thrones has something for teachers about building smarter ad tech. So let's get into it. One note, this episode was recorded before the company changed its name. After the Meredith merger, you had some challenges getting the business going again. What made you realize that sort of rethinking targeting with decipher could be the way to go?Jonathan Roberts (01:17):We had a really strong belief and always have had a strong belief in the power of great content and also great content that helps people do things. Notably and Meredith are both in the olden times, you would call them service journalism. They help people do things, they inspire people. It's not news, it's not sports. If you go to Better Homes and Gardens to understand how to refresh your living room for spring, you're going to go into purchase a lot of stuff for your living room. If you're planting seeds for a great garden, you're also going to buy garden furniture. If you're going to health.com, you're there because you're managing a condition. If you're going to all recipes, you're shopping for dinner. These are all places where the publisher and the content is a critical path on the purchase to doing something like an economically valuable something. And so putting these two businesses together to build the largest publisher in the US and one of the largest in the world was a real privilege. All combinations are hard. When we acquired Meredith, it is a big, big business. We became the largest print publisher overnight.(02:23):What we see now, because we've been growing strongly for many, many quarters, and that growth is continuing, we're public. You can see our numbers, the performance is there, the premium is there, and you can always sell anything once. The trick is will people renew when they come back? And now we're in a world where our advertising revenue, which is the majority of our digital revenue, is stable and growing, deeply reliable and just really large. And we underpin that with decipher. Decipher simply is a belief that what you're reading right now tells a lot more about who you are and what you are going to do than a cookie signal, which is two days late and not relevant. What you did yesterday is less relevant to what you need to do than what you're doing right now. And so using content as a real time predictive signal is very, very performant. It's a hundred percent addressable, right? Everyone's reading content when we target to, they're on our content and we guaranteed it would outperform cookies, and we run a huge amount of ad revenue and we've never had to pay it in a guarantee.Damian Fowler (03:34):It's interesting that you're talking about contextual, but you're talking about contextual in real time, which seems to be the difference. I mean, because some people hear contextually, they go, oh, well, that's what you used to do, place an ad next to a piece of content in the garden supplement or the lifestyle supplement, but this is different.Jonathan Roberts (03:53):Yes. Yeah. I mean, ensemble say it's 2001 called and once it's at Targeting strategy back, but all things are new again, and I think they're newly fresh and newly relevant, newly accurate because it can do things now that we were never able to do before. So one of the huge strengths of Meredith as a platform is because we own People magazine, we dominate entertainment, we have better homes and gardens and spruce, we really cover home. We have all recipes. We literally have all the recipes plus cereal, seeds plus food and wine. So we cover food. We also do tech, travel, finance and health, and you could run those as a hazard brands, and they're all great in their own, but there's no network effect. What we discovered was because I know we have a pet site and we also have real simple, and we know that if you are getting a puppy or you have an aging dog, which we know from the pet site, we know you massively over index for interest in cleaning products and cleaning ideas on real simple, right?Damian Fowler (04:55):Yeah.Jonathan Roberts (04:55):This doesn't seem like a shocking conclusion to have, but the fact that we have both tells us both, which also means that if you take a health site where we're helping people with their chronic conditions, we can see all the signals of exactly what help you need with your diet. Huge overlaps. So we have all the recipe content and we know exactly how that cross correlates with chronic conditions. We also know how those health conditions correlate into skincare because we have Brody, which deals with makeup and beauty, but also all the skincare conditions and finance, right? Health is a financial situation as much as it is a health situation, particularly in the us. And so by tying these together, because most of these situations are whole lifestyle questions, we can understand that if you're thinking about planning a cruise in the Mediterranean, you're a good target for Vanguard to market mutual funds to. Whereas if we didn't have both investipedia and travel leisure, we couldn't do that. And so there's nothing on that cruise page, on the page in the words that allows you to do keyword targeting for mutual funds.(05:55):But we're using the fact that we know that cruise is a predictor of a mutual fund purchase so that we can actually market to anyone in market per cruise. We know they've got disposable income, they're likely low risk, long-term buy andhold investors with value investing needs. And we know that because we have these assets now, we have about 1500 different topics that we track across all of DDM across 1.5 million articles, tens of millions of visits a day, billions a year. If you just look at the possible correlations between any of those taxonomies that's over a million, or if we go a level deeper, over a hundred million connected data points, you can score. We've scored all of them with billions of visits, and so we have that full map of all consumers.Damian Fowler (06:42):I wanted to ask you, of course, and you always get this question I'm sure, but you have a pretty unusual background for ad tech theoretical physics as you mentioned, and researcher at CERN and Mapmaker as well for Game of Thrones, but this isn't standard publisher experience, but how did all that scientific background play into the way you approached building this innovation?Jonathan Roberts (07:03):Yeah, I think when I first joined the company, which was a long time ago now, and one of the original bits of this company was about.com, one of the internet oh 0.1 OG sites, and there was daily data on human interest going back to January 1st, 2000 across over a thousand different topics. And in that case, tens of millions of articles. And the team said, is this useful? Is there anything here that's interesting? I was like, oh my god, you don't know what you've got because if you treat as a physicist coming in, I looked at this and was like, this is a, it's like a telescope recording all of human interest. Each piece of content is like a single pixel of your telescope. And so if somebody comes and visit, you're like, oh, I'm recording the interest of this person in this topic, and you've got this incredibly fine grained understanding of the world because you've got all these people coming to us telling us what they want every day.(08:05):If I'm a classic news publisher, I look at my data and I find out what headlines I broke, I look at my data and I learn more about my own editorial strategy than I do about the world. We do not as much tell the world what to think about. The world tells us what they care about. And so that if you treat that as just a pure experimental framework where this incredible lens into an understanding of the world, lots of things are very stable. Many questions that people ask, they always ask, but you understand why do they ask them today? What's causing the to what are the correlations between what they are understanding around our finance business through the financial crash, our health business, I ran directly through COVID. So you see this kind of real time change of the world reacting to big shocks and it allows you to predict what comes next, right? Data's lovely, but unless you can do something with it, it's useless.Damian Fowler (08:59):It's interesting to hear you talk about that consistency, the sort of predictability in some ways of, I guess intense signals or should we just say human behavior, but now we've got AI further, deeper into the mix.Jonathan Roberts (09:13):So we were the first US publisher to do a deal with open ai, and that comes in three parts. They paid for training on our content. They also agreed within the contract to source and cite our content when it was used. And the third part, the particularly interesting part, is co-development of new things. So we've been involved with them as they've been building out their search product. They've been involved with us as we've been evolving decipher, one of the pieces of decipher is saying, can I understand which content is related to which other content? And in old fashioned pre AI days when it was just machine learning and natural language processing, you would just look at words and word occurrence and important words, and you'd correlate them that way. With ai, you go from the word to the concept to the reasoning behind it to a latent understanding of these kind of deeper, deeper connections.(10:09):And so when we changed over literally like, is this content related to that content? Is this article similar in what it's treating to that article? If they didn't use the same words but they were talking about the same topic, the previous system would've missed it. This system gets deeper. It's like, oh, this is the same concept. This is the same user need. These are the same intentions. And so when we overhauled this kind of multimillion point to point connection calculation, we drastically changed about 30% of those connections and significantly improved them, gives a much reacher, much deeper understanding of our content. What we've also done is said, and this is a year thing that we launched it at the beginning of the year, we have decipher, which runs on site. We launched Decipher Plus Inventively named right? I like it. We debated Max or Max Plus, but we went with Plus.(10:59):And what this says is we understand the user intent on our sites. We know when somebody's reading content, we have a very strong predictor model of what that person's going to need to do next. And we said, well, we're not the only people with intent driven content and intent driven audiences. So we know that if you're reading about newborn health topics, you are three and a half times more likely than average to be in market for a stroller. We're not the only people that write about newborn health. So we can find the individual pages on the rest of the web that do talk about newborn health, and we can unlock that very strong prediction that this purchase intent there. And so then we can have a premium service that buy those ads and delivers that value to our clients. Now we do that mapping and we've indexed hundreds of premium domains with opening eyes vector, embedding architecture to build that logic.Damian Fowler (11:56):That's fascinating. So in lots of ways, you're helping other publishers beyond your owned and operated properties.Jonathan Roberts (12:02):We believed that there was a premium in publishing that hadn't been tapped. We proved that to be true. Our numbers support it. We bet 2.7 billion on that bet, and it worked. So we really put our money where our mouth is. We know there's a premium outside of our walls that isn't being unlocked, and we have an information advantage so we can bring more premium to the publishers who have that quality content.Damian Fowler (12:24):I've got lots of questions about that, but one of them is, alright. I guess the first one is why have publishers been so slow out of the starting blocks to get this right when on the media buying side you have all of this ad tech that's going on, DSPs, et cetera.Jonathan Roberts (12:42):I think partly it's because publishers have always been a participant in the ad tech market off to one side. I put this back to the original sin of Ad Tech, which is coming in and saying, don't worry about it, publishers, we know your audience better than you ever will. That wasn't true then, and it's not true today, but Ad Tech pivoted the market to that position and that meant the publishers were dependent upon ad Tech's understanding of their audience. Now, if you've got a cookie-based understanding of an audience, how does a publisher make that cookie-based audience more valuable? Well, they don't because you're valuing the cookie, not the real time signal. And there is no such thing as cookie targeting. It's all retargeting. All the cookie signal is yesterday Signal. It's only what they did before they came to your site, dead star like or something, right? The publisher definitionally isn't influencing the value of that cookie. So an ad tech is valuing the cookie. The only thing the publisher can do to make more money is add scale, which is either generate clickbait because that's the cheapest way to get audience scale or run more ads on the page.(13:57):Cookies as a currency for advertising and targeting is the reason we currently have the internet We deserve, not the internet we want because the incentive is to cheap scale. If instead you can prove that the content is driving the value, the content is driving the decision and the content is driving the outcome, then you invest in more premium content. If you're a publisher, the second world is the one you want. But we had a 20 year distraction from understanding the value of content. And we're only now coming back to, I think one thing I'm very really happy to see is since we launched a cipher two years ago, there are now multiple publishers coming out with similarly inspired targeting architecture or ideas about how to reach quality, which is just a sign that the market has moved, right? Or the market moving and retargeting still works. Cookies are good currency, they do drive performance. If they didn't, it would never worked in the first place. But the ability to understand and classify premium content at web scale, which is what decipher Plus is a map for all intent across the entire open web is the thing that's required for quality content to be competitive with cookies as targeting mechanism and to beat it atDamian Fowler (15:15):Scale. You mentioned how this helps you reach all these third party sites beyond your properties. How do you ensure that there's still quality in the, there's quality content that match the kind of signals that makes decipher work?Jonathan Roberts (15:32):Tell me, not all content on the internet is beautiful, clean and wonderful. Not allDamian Fowler (15:36):Premium is it?Jonathan Roberts (15:36):I know there's a lot of made for arbitrage out there. Look, we, we've been a publisher for a long time. We've acquired a lot of publishers over the years, and every time we have bought a publisher, we have had to clean up the content because cheap content for scale is a siren call of publishing. Like, oh, I can get these eyeballs cheaper. Oh, wonderful. I know I just do that. And everyone gives it on some level to that, right? So we have consistently cleaned up content libraries every time we've acquired publishers. Look at the very beginning about had maybe 10 to 15 million euros. By the time we launched these artists and these individual vertical sites were down to 250,000 pages of content. It was a bigger business and it was a better business. The other side is the actual ad layout has to be good,Damian Fowler (16:29):ButJonathan Roberts (16:29):Every time we've picked up a publisher, we've removed ads from the site. Increase, yeah, experience quality,Damian Fowler (16:33):Right?Jonathan Roberts (16:36):Because we've audited multiple publishers for the cleanup, we have an incredibly detailed understanding of what quality content is. We have lots of, this is our special skill as a publisher. We can go into a publisher, identify the content and see what's good.Damian Fowler (16:54):Is that part of your pitch as it were, to people who advertisers?Jonathan Roberts (16:58):We work lots of advertisers. We're a huge part of the advertising market because we cover all the verticals. We have endemics in every space. If you're trying to do targeting based on identity, we have tens of millions of people a day. It'll work. You will find them with us, we reach the entire country every month. We are a platform scale publisher. So at no point do we saying don't do that, obviously do that, right? But what we're saying is there's a whole bunch of people who you can't identify, either they don't have cookies or IDs or because the useful data doesn't exist yet. It's not attached to those IDs. So incremental, supplementary and additional to reach the people in the moment with a hundred percent addressability, full national reach, complete privacy compliance, just the content, total brand safety. And we will put these two things side by side and we will guarantee that the decipher targeting will outperform the cookie targeting, which isn't say don't do cookie targeting, obviously do it. It works, it's successful. This is incremental and also will outperform. And then it just depends on the client, right? Some people want brand lift and brand consideration. They want big flashy things. We run People Magazine, we host the Grammy after party. We can do all the things you need from a large partner more than just media, but also we can get you right down to, for some partners with big deals, we guarantee incremental roas,Damian Fowler (18:26):ActualJonathan Roberts (18:26):In-store sales, incremental lift.Damian Fowler (18:29):So let's talk about roas. What's driving advertisers to lean in so heavily?Jonathan Roberts (18:34):Well, I think everybody's seen this over the last couple of years. In a high interest or environment, the CMOs getting asked, what's the return on my ad spend? So whereas previously you might've just been able to do a big flashy execution or activation. Now everybody wants some level of that media spend to be attributable to lift to dollars, to return to performance, because every single person who comes through our sites is going to do something after they come. We're never the last stop in that journey, and we don't sell you those garden seeds. We do not sell you the diabetes medication directly. We are going to have to hand you off to a partner who is going to be the place you take the economic action. So we are in the path to purchase for every single purchase on Earth.(19:19):And what we've proven with decipher is not only that we can be in that pathway and put the message in the path of that person who is going to make a decision, has not made one yet. But when we put the messaging in front of it of that person at the time, it changes their decisions, which is why it's not just roas, which could just be handing out coupons in the line to the pizza store. It's incremental to us, if you did not do this, you would have made less money. When you do this, you'll make more money. And having got to a point where we've now got multiple large campaigns, both for online action and brick and mortar stores that prove that when we advertise the person at this moment, they change their decision and they make their brand more money. Turns out that's not the hardest conversation to have with marketers. Truly, truly, if you catch people at the right moment, you will change their mind.Damian Fowler (20:10):They'll happily go back to their CFO and say, look at this. This is workingJonathan Roberts (20:15):No controversially at can. During the festival of advertising that we have as a publisher, we may be the most confident to say, you know what? Advertising works.Damian Fowler (20:27):You recently brought in a dedicated president to leadJonathan Roberts (20:30):Decipher,Damian Fowler (20:30):Right? So how does that help you take what started out as this in-house innovation that you've been working on and turn it into something even bigger?Jonathan Roberts (20:39):Yeah, I think my background is physics. I was a theoretical physicist for a decade. Theoretical physicists have some good and bad traits. A good trait is a belief that everything can be solved. Because my previous job was wake up in the morning and figure out how the universe began and like, well, today I'll figure it out. And nobody else has, right? There's a level of, let's call it intellectual confidence or arrogance in that approach. How hard can it be? The answer is very, but it also means you're a little bit of a diante, right? You're coming like, oh, it's ad tech. How hard can it be? And the just vary, right? So there's a benefit. I mean, I've done a lot of work in ad tech over the last couple of years. Jim Lawson, our president of Decipher, ran a publicly listed DSP, right? He was a public company, CEO, he knows this stuff inside a and back to front, Lindsay Van Kirk on the Cipher team launched the ADN Nexus, DSP, Patrick McCarthy, who runs all of our open web and a lot of our trade desk partnerships and the execution of all of the ways we connect into the entire ecosystem.(21:38):Ran product for AppNexus. Sam Selgin on the data science team wrote that Nexus bitter. I've got a good idea where we're going with this and where we should go with this and the direction we should be pointed in. But we have seasoned multi-decade experience pros doing the work because if you don't, you can have a good idea and bad execution, then you didn't do anything. Unless you can execute to the highest level, it won't actually work. And so we've had to bring in, I'm very glad we have brought in and love having them on the team. These people who can really take the beginnings of what we have and really take this to the scale that needs to be. Decipher. Plus is a framework for understanding user intent at Webscale and getting performance for our clients and unlocking a premium at Webscale. That is a huge project to go after and pull off. We have so many case studies proving that it will work, but we have a long way to go between where we are and where this thing naturally gets to. And that takes a lot of people with a lot of professional skills to go to.Damian Fowler (22:43):What's one thing right now that you're obsessed with figuring outJonathan Roberts (22:46):To take a complete left turn, but it is the topic up and down the Cosette this summer. There isn't currently any viable model for information economy in an AI future. There's lots of ideas of what it would be, but there isn't a subtle marketplace for this. We've got a very big two-sided marketplace for information. It's called Google and search. That's obviously changing. We haven't got to a point to understand what that future is. But if AI is powered by chips, power and content, if you're a chip investor, you're in a good place. If you're investing energy, you're in a good place of the three picks and shovels investments, content is probably the most undervalued at the moment. Lots of people are starting to realize that and building under the hood what that could look like. How that evolves in the next year is going to really determine what kind of information gets created because markets align to their incentives. If you build the marketplace well, you're going to end up with great content, great journalism, great creativity. If you build it wrong, you're going to have a bunch of cheap slop getting flooded the marketplace. And we are not going to fund great journalism. So that's at a moment in time where that future is getting determined and we have a very strong set of opinions on the publishing side, what that should look like. And I am very keen to make sure it gets done. You soundDamian Fowler (24:17):Optimistic.Jonathan Roberts (24:19):A year ago, the VCs and the technologists believed if you just slammed enough information into an AI system, you'd never need content ever again. And that the brain itself was the moat. Then deep seek proved that the brain wasn't a moat. That reasoning is a commodity because we found out that China could do it cheaper and faster, and we were shocked, shocked that China could do it cheaper and faster. And then the open source community rebuilt deep to in 48 hours, which was the real killer. So if reasoning is a commodity, which it is now, then content is king, right? Because reasoning on its own is free, but if you're grounding it in quality content, your answer's better. But the market dynamics have not caught up to that reality. But that is the reality. So I am optimistic that content goes back to our premium position in this. Now we just have to do all the boring stuff of figuring out what a viable marketplace looks like, how people get paid, all of this, all the hard work, but there's now a future model to align to.Damian Fowler (25:23):I love that. Alright, I've got to ask you this question. It's the last one, but I was going to ask it. You spent time building maps, visualizing data, and I've looked at your site, it's brilliant. Is there anything from that side of your creativity that helped you think differently about building say something like decipher?Jonathan Roberts (25:42):Yeah. So I think it won't surprise anyone to find out that I'm a massive nerd, right? I used to play d and d, I still do. We have my old high school group still convenes on Sunday afternoons, and we play d and d over Discord. Fantasy maps have been an obsession of mine for a long time. I did the fantasy maps of Game of Thrones. I'm George r Martin's cartographer. I published the book Lands of Ice and Fire with him. Maps are infographics. A map is a way of taking a complex system that you cannot visualize and bringing it to a world in which you can reason about it. I spent a lot of my life taking complex systems that nobody can visualize and building models and frameworks that help people reason about 'em and make decisions in a shared way. At this moment, as you're walking up and down the cosette, there is no map for the future. Nobody has a map, nobody has a plan. Not Google, not Microsoft, not Amazon, not our friends at OpenAI. Nobody knows what's coming. And so even just getting, but lots of people have ideas and opinions and thoughts and directions. So taking all that input and rationalize again to like, okay, if we lay it out like this, what breaks? Being able to logically reason about those virtual scenario. It is exactly the same process, that mental model as Matt.Damian Fowler (27:12):And that's it for this edition of The Big Impression. This show is produced by Molten Hart. Our theme is by loving caliber, and our associate producer is Sydney Cairns. And remember,Jonathan Roberts (27:22):We do not as much tell the world what to think about. The world tells us what they care about. Data's lovely, but unless you do something with it, it's useless.Damian Fowler (27:31):I'm Damian, and we'll see you next time.

Send us a textWe discuss Google's new guidelines for Business Profile action links, the company's conflicting statements about the health of the open web in an antitrust case, and Apple's rumored partnership with Google's Gemini to power Siri. Together, these stories highlight Google's tightening grip on local businesses, the shifting economics of publishing, and how Apple's AI ambitions could reshape search traffic and advertising revenue.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

As Google gets ready to fight an antitrust battle around its advertising technology, a new court filing hints at how the search giant might frame its arguments around ads and the state of the web in court. Plus, we take a look at how the stocks in the Apple ecosystem are moving on its biggest launch event of the year. 

Peter Craddock joins us once again to discuss the recent EDPS v Single Resolution Board decision by the Court of Justice of the EU. Although it builds on the previous Scania and Breyer cases to settle on the “relative” nature of personal data, its practical implications on everything we do in the Marketing Technology and digital advertising spaces cannot be overstated.Peter is a lawyer as well as a software developer. He is based in Brussels, heads the EU Data/Cyber/Tech Law team at Keller & Heckman, and helps international companies with their global data strategy and with EU data litigation.References:* Peter Craddock on LinkedIn* When is data no longer personal? And what are the implications? (Peter Craddock)* EDPS v. SRB (full text of the decision)* Peter Craddock: ePrivacy exceptions, advertising, analytics, the limits of consent and server-side processing (Masters of Privacy, 2024) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mastersofprivacy.com/subscribe

I invited Laura Desmond, CEO of Smartly, to make sense of what feels like the biggest shake-up in marketing since the mobile era. She has led through every cycle I can remember, from the early internet to the rise of social, and she sees AI changing the rules faster than any previous wave. Across our conversation we unpack how AI is rewriting creative work, buying, and measurement, while forcing brands to rebuild trust with clear rules on data, models, and creator rights. Here's the thing. Attention is shorter, and the thumb moves fast. Most people give an ad about two seconds, and video is taking over the feed. Laura expects video to account for three quarters of digital ads by 2026, which tracks with what I am seeing across every platform. Smartly is betting on that shift with tools that turn Shorts or TikToks into personalized CTV spots, and bring CTV signal back into social. The goal is simple to say and hard to pull off. Show every person something that feels made for them, then learn from the response and improve the next piece of creative in near real time. We also talk about why the ground is moving under search. A growing number of people, especially younger users, skip the front page of Google and ask an AI assistant instead. That changes how discovery works, how queries appear, and where ad products live. Laura thinks we are heading toward campaigns that cut across search, social, retail media, and CTV as one flowing video-first effort, with creative and media stitched together by software rather than teams tossing files over the wall. Results matter, and Laura shared two proof points I kept coming back to. Smartly's platform has been validated by PwC for a 13 percent ROI lift across clients. The same study confirmed time savings that add up to 42 minutes a day for hands-on users. That reclaimed time funds the work that actually moves the needle, like faster A/B tests, sharper creative decisions, and better budget moves across channels. We also dig into conversational ads. In a recent test with Boots, Smartly's format delivered roughly four times the return on investment versus business as usual, which speaks to how fast query-style interactions are shaping expectations. Trust sits in the middle of all this. Laura is clear that responsible AI is table stakes. Brands need controls to tune or override generated assets, clarity on data sources and model choice, and a stance on creator rights before any content goes live. Her view of AI is creative first. Automate the tedious parts. Keep people in charge of taste, tone, and brand. Use the feedback loop to learn faster, not to replace the team. We close on where this all leads. Expect brand experiences that blur physical and digital without losing the human spark. Stadiums full, stores buzzing, and at the same time richer virtual touchpoints, snackable video, and one-to-one conversations that feel helpful rather than creepy. If this is your world, Laura is hosting Smartly's ADVANCE on September 17 in Brooklyn, and it looks set to be a real working session for marketers who want results, not theater. You can find details here: https://bit.ly/4fRgWEE. Tune in if you want a candid, practical map for where creative, media, and AI are heading next, and how to measure what matters while keeping your brand worthy of trust. ********* Visit the Sponsor of Tech Talks Network: Land your first job  in tech in 6 months as a Software QA Engineering Bootcamp with Careerist https://crst.co/OGCLA

AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on Google's case with the European Union

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, David Ly Khim interviews Michael Walrath, CEO and Chairman of Yext. Known for building and exiting multiple companies—including RightMedia and Moat—Michael shares how Yext evolved from a local lead-gen platform to a digital presence powerhouse. He dives deep into the fragmentation of search, the shift toward generative engines, and the rise of “agentic” AI-powered experiences. With candid reflections on strategy pivots and digital transformation, Michael urges marketers to rethink discoverability, measurement, and structured content in an era where your next customer might not be human, but an AI assistant making decisions on their behalf.Key TakewaysYext's Strategic Pivots: The company evolved from call-based lead gen to local visibility, to enterprise search—each requiring bold but risky reinvention.Google Dominance Has Peaked: With 92%+ of search traffic once flowing through Google, that landscape is now fragmenting due to LLMs and AI agents.Structured Data Drives Discovery: Clean, contextualized data remains a marketer's best lever for visibility—whether on Google or in LLM-powered engines.Brand Visibility Beats SEO Rankings: As AI agents answer more queries, brands must optimize for visibility across platforms, not just search engine results pages.The Agentic Web Is Coming: AI assistants with memory and context will handle more decision-making—marketers must build for both humans and machines.AI Shifts Are Already Here: Yext observed traffic shifts 6+ quarters ago—marketers should act now, not wait, to influence AI results.Reframing Attribution: Zero-click answers and agentic transactions require a shift from traditional web metrics to outcome-focused measurement.Show LinksVisit Visit Yext on Linkedin and XConnect with Michael Walrath on LinkedInConnect with David Khim on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterSome interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

Nuro Cofounder Dave Ferguson talks with TITV Host Akash Pasricha about the Uber robo-taxi partnership. We also break down NVIDIA's Q2 earnings with SemiAnalysis' Doug O'Laughlin, Seaport Research Partners' Jay Goldberg and The Information's Anissa Gardizy , and we get into Google's potential AdTech spinoff with our reporter Cathy Perloff.TITV airs on YouTube, X and LinkedIn at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Or check us out wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe to The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/subscribe_hSign up for the AI Agenda newsletter: https://www.theinformation.com/features/ai-agenda

Die Podcast-Charts werfen Fragen auf. Xuchen Li steht im Zentrum einer Klage zwischen xAI und OpenAI wegen angeblichen Diebstahls von Grok-Source-Code. Für Google ist es kein gutes Zeichen, wie wenig Perplexity mit Werbung verdient. Taz Patel verlässt überraschend nach nur neun Monaten seine Position als Werbechef bei Perplexity. Meta kämpft mit Abwanderungen in seiner Superintelligence-Abteilung und erwägt die Integration von Google- und OpenAI-Modellen. Die EU verschiebt eine Kartellstrafe gegen Google nach Interventionen. Alibaba entwickelt eigene KI-Chips für den chinesischen Markt. Jim O'Neill soll ohne medizinische Ausbildung die CDC leiten. Elon Musk unterstützt die AfD bei den NRW-Kommunalwahlen. Unterstütze unseren Podcast und entdecke die Angebote unserer Werbepartner auf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠doppelgaenger.io/werbung⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Vielen Dank!  Philipp Glöckler und Philipp Klöckner sprechen heute über:   (00:00:00) Podcast-Charts Anomalien (00:21:10) xAI verklagt Xuchen Li (00:26:40) Taz Patel verlässt Perplexity (00:29:45) OpenAI Indien-Expansion (00:39:00) Meta  (00:46:00) Alibaba KI-Chip Entwicklung (00:49:15) Meta Celebrity-Chatbots (00:52:00) EU Google-Strafe verschoben (00:54:40) Jim O'Neill für CDC nominiert (00:56:30) Musk Shownotes Podcast Charts Deep Dive: doppelgaenger.io/charts/ Musk's xAI verklagt Ingenieur wegen Geheimnisdiebstahls an OpenAI – reuters.com Perplexity-Werbechef Taz Patel verlässt das Unternehmen – adweek.com OpenAI plant Rechenzentrum in Indien – bloomberg.com Metas KI-Leiter über Google-, OpenAI-Modelle in Apps – theinformation.com Zuckerbergs KI-Einstellungen stören Meta mit schnellen Abgängen – ft.com Meta flirty Chatbots Taylor Swift – reuters.com Google-Bußgeld wegen Adtech in letzter Minute zurückgezogen – mlex.com Die neue CDC-Chefin: Keine medizinische Ausbildung, half bei Thiels Inselprojekt – fortune.com Musk wirbt erneut für die AfD - und warnt vor dem „Ende Deutschlands“ – morgenpost.de Mord bei Burning Man: Silicon Valley's Wüsten-Spielplatz wird zum Tatort – techcrunch.com

Ari Paparo sits down to talk about his new book Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance, and talk about some of the defining moment of ad tech.Buy the book at https://www.amazon.com/Yield-Google-Bullied-Advertising-Dominance/dp/B0F67HV2BBFollow ADSN: https://TheADSN.comhttps://x.com/The_ADSNhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3JyftL7aNBc7Q5axOdIaovhttps://youtube.com/@theadsn

Jennifer Oliver is an experienced commercial litigator who has defended consumer class actions and multidistrict litigation, including those arising from data breaches and antitrust. She has worked in several high-profile jury trials, serving as lead counsel in complex mediations. She also counsels clients on matters related to privacy compliance and use of ad tech and similar technologies.Jennifer is a shareholder at Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney and has a long list of relevant affiliations and certifications including being an Executive Committee Member of the Privacy Section at the California Lawyers Association.With Jennifer we have dived deeper into AdTech or pixel-related litigation in California, both in court and through arbitration.References:* Jennifer Oliver on LinkedIn* Jennifer Oliver's profile at Buchanan* John Pavolotsky: How successful can US privacy laws be at regulating AI models and systems? (Masters of Privacy)* California SB 690 Passes California's Senate, Signaling a Major Step in Redefining Privacy Law and Limiting CIPA Litigation for Online Businesses This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mastersofprivacy.com/subscribe

In this episode of Disruption/Interruption, host KJ sits down with Bill Lederer, Founder and CEO of MADTECH.AI, to discuss how marketing analytics is being transformed by automation, AI, and decision intelligence. Bill shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur, the challenges of messy marketing data, and how his innovations are helping brands make smarter, faster decisions. Key Takeaways: [2:12] - Most marketing data is disconnected, siloed, and often unusable, making good decision-making difficult. [6:57] - AI and automation are reducing the need for large teams in marketing analytics, allowing companies to do more with less. [11:32] - Automating data pipelines and transformations can lead to significant cost savings and efficiency gains. [13:04] - MADTECH.AI acts as a multi-tool for marketers, integrating data unification, visualization, and predictive analytics. [19:02] - Bill advises listeners to be skeptical of hype, test new technologies carefully, and focus on early ROI. Quote of the Show [23:42]:"The time compression in order to be able to do anything—to learn, to fix, to improve—it's a qualitative difference. The speed with which everything is able to be done now... it's dramatic. If you’re not leveraging this, you’re already behind." – Bill Lederer Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we’re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome. Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval Ways to connect with Bill Lederer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billederer/ Company Websites: MadTech.AI How to get more Disruption/Interruption: Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlDSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Luchs is the Founder and CEO of DatalinxAI, an AI-powered data refinery that simplifies customer data. As an expert in AI, AdTech, MarTech, and SaaS, he previously served as the Global Head of AWS and Amazon Ads at Amazon, where he led global partnerships and AI business development. Joe was also the Commercial Founder and Head of Revenue at Beeswax (acquired by Comcast) and held a leadership role at Oracle. In this episode… Organizations are beginning to implement AI for personalization, automation, and business intelligence. Yet, messy, unstructured, and inconsistent data hinder smooth implementation. How can businesses bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI models and the data readiness required to scale them? According to AI and data expert Joe Luchs, companies often spend years and vast resources on data prep before they notice ROI on AI models. He recommends using secure hybrid cloud architectures, embedding data compliance measures, and automating preparation processes to free up teams from tedious work. By focusing on high-quality data readiness, businesses can accelerate AI adoption, empower staff to focus on innovation, and deliver the hyper-personalized experiences consumers expect. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Joe Luchs, Founder and CEO of DatalinxAI, to discuss preparing data for widespread AI adoption and integration. Joe explains how consultancies have pioneered data readiness, the future of AI-driven brand experiences, and the dangers of leveraging AI without proper regulations.

In this episode, Heidrick & Struggles' Nicole Balsam and Haven Thompson sat down with Lisa Valentino, president of Best Buy Ads, which is the in-house regional media arm of Best Buy. The three discuss the growth in retail media networks and what this means for talent across the retail, media, and ad tech sectors. Valentin shares the capabilities and skill sets that are most important for talent today, and what sectors outside of retail media networks can be relevant experience. She also discusses how generative AI is affecting the retail media networks space, and how she expects the space to continue evolving in the next few years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathy Perloff, Theo Wayt, and Shweta Khajuria talk with TITV Host Akash Pasricha about the ad tech rivalry between Amazon and The Trade Desk. We also talk with Theo Wayt about Elon Musk's xAI and its unique talent pool, Jake Loosararian, CEO of Gecko Robotics, explains how his company's robots are used across different sectors, and Lin Qiao, CEO of Fireworks AI, details how her company helps application developers with quality, speed, and cost for their AI products.Articles discussed on this episode:https://www.theinformation.com/articles/walmart-backing-away-trade-desk-amazon-ad-tech-rival https://www.theinformation.com/articles/amazons-quest-displace-google-internet-ad-powerbroker https://www.theinformation.com/articles/elon-musks-xai-runs-ex-google-talentTITV airs on YouTube, X and LinkedIn at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Or check us out wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe to The Information.Sign up for the AI Agenda newsletter

The Trade Desk has won the battle for supremacy on the open internet, says Needham & Company's Laura Martin. But it might just be losing the war for the future of the web to walled gardens and AI search.

At Black Hat USA, cybersecurity experts revealed an eye-opening case of billion-dollar scams hiding in plain sight. In this episode, Ben is joined by cyber threat expert Tyler Moffitt to unpack the world of malicious ad tech, where criminal networks run like Fortune 500 companies. From the VexTrio traffic distribution system to its flashy partner network Los Pollos, discover how cybercriminals hijack legitimate ad frameworks to push fake apps, push notification scams, and credit card traps—while flaunting their wealth on Instagram. Learn why this form of organized cybercrime is so hard to shut down, and why your next redirect might not be as harmless as it looks.Follow or subscribe to the show on your preferred podcast platform.Share the show with others in the cybersecurity world.Get in touch via reimaginingcyber@gmail.com As featured on Million Podcasts' Best 100 Cybersecurity Podcast and Best 70 Chief Information Security Officer CISO Podcasts rankings.

OpenX filed a lawsuit against Google over its anticompetitive practices. And HyphaMetrics claimed victory against Nielsen in court over a patent lawsuit.

Allison Schiff is the Managing Editor at AdExchanger, where she covers mobile, Meta, measurement, privacy, and the app economy. Allison received her MA in journalism from the Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland (her favorite place) and a BA in history and English from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. In this episode… Ad tech companies are under increasing pressure to evolve their privacy practices. What was once considered a “wild west,” loosely regulated environment, is now being reshaped by regulatory enforcement actions and shifting consumer expectations. Many companies are becoming more selective about their vendors, implementing privacy by design, and embracing data minimization practices after years of unchecked data collection. While at the same time, many ad tech companies are rushing to position themselves as AI companies, often without a clear understanding of the risks and how these claims align with consumer trust. To meet rising regulatory and consumer expectations, some ad tech companies are taking concrete steps to improve their privacy posture. This includes auditing third-party tools, removing unnecessary tracking pixels from websites, and gaining more visibility into how data flows through partner systems. On the AI front, research shows that consumer trust drops when AI-generated content is not clearly labeled and that marketing products as AI-powered makes them less appealing. These findings point to the need for greater transparency in company data collection practices and marketing and AI transparency.  In this episode of the She Said Privacy/He Said Security podcast, Jodi and Justin Daniels speak with Allison Schiff, managing editor at AdExchanger, about how ad tech companies are adapting to regulatory scrutiny and evolving consumer privacy expectations. Allison shares how the ad tech industry's approach to privacy is maturing, and explains how companies are implementing privacy by design, reassessing vendor relationships, and using consent tools more intentionally. She offers insight into how journalists utilize AI while maintaining editorial judgment and presents concerns about AI's impact on critical thinking. Allison also describes the disconnect between AI marketing hype and consumer preferences, and the need for companies to disclose the use of AI-generated content to maintain trust.

In this episode, Amb. Elisha sits down with Matt Dorman, a 28-year tech veteran and founder of the digital agency NDEVR.   Matt helps large media, wellness, and manufacturing companies build high-performing websites, grow traffic, and increase revenue, all while navigating today's shifting digital landscape.   He breaks down:   • Why big media companies are struggling to grow   • How publishers can define their audience and boost revenue   • The biggest ad tech mistakes costing companies money   • How to audit and clean up your website ads   • The future of content creation in the age of AI   • Bridging the communication gap between tech teams and content creators  

Onetag Co-CEO Filippo Gramigna joins Eric and Joe on the pod to discuss running Onetag as co-CEO with founder Daniel Pirchio, Italian vs Nordic vs American debate styles, and how and when to expand a European adtech company to the US. Filippo gives Joe and Eric some tips on how to navigate intergenerational disagreements, and the trio dives into the nuances of curation.

In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, host AdTechGod interviews Walt Dublin, Vice President of Enterprise Publisher Development at Raptive. Walt shares his journey into the ad tech industry, discussing the evolution of publisher partnerships, the impact of AI on content monetization, and the importance of diversity in the tech space. He emphasizes the need to protect publishers and their content while also highlighting innovative changes within the industry. The conversation concludes with Walt expressing his passion for education and mentorship. Takeaways Walt Dublin's journey into ad tech began 14 years ago. He became the top salesperson at his first company within six months. The landscape for publishers has changed significantly over the years. Publishers now conduct more due diligence before partnerships. Raptive focuses on helping mid-tier publishers monetize effectively. AI and crawlers pose challenges for content creators. Diversity in tech leads to better problem-solving and innovation. Raptive advocates for the protection of journalists and their content. Publishers are innovating to enhance user experience and revenue. Walt is passionate about education and mentoring young people. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AdTech and Walt Dublin 02:27 Walt's Journey in AdTech 05:20 The Evolution of Publisher Partnerships 08:36 Protecting Publishers in the Age of AI 11:25 Innovations and Changes in Publishing 14:21 Diversity in AdTech and Its Importance 20:59 Passions Beyond AdTech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when AI starts generating content for everyone—and no one wants to watch it?In this episode, MSNBC's Chris Hayes and ad tech veteran Antonio García Martínez join a16z General Partner, Erik Torenberg to unpack the shifting economics of attention: from the rise of “AI slop” and spammy feeds to the difference between what we want to pay attention to and what platforms push on us.They explore:How AI changes what gets created and what gets seenWhy internet ads still mostly suckThe return of group chats—and the slow death of mass cultureBased on Chris's new book The Sirens Call, this is a candid look at what AI might amplify or break in our online lives. Timecodes:0:00 Introduction 1:47 Meet the Guests: Chris Hayes & Antonio Garcia Martinez3:01 The Economics of Attention & AI Slop6:38 Acquisition vs. Retention: The Attention Challenge10:01 Fame, Identity, and Social Media Fragmentation13:21 The Group Chat Solution & Privacy16:01 Business Models, Community, and Technology19:01 Mass Culture, Fragmentation, and the Algorithm23:01 Ad Tech, Personalization, and Advertising Effectiveness29:01 The Future: AI, Growth, and Abundance Resources: Find Chris on X: https://x.com/chrislhayesFind Antonio on X: https://x.com/antoniogmLearn more about Chris' book ‘The Sirens' Call': https://sirenscallbook.com/Learn more about Antonio's book ‘Chaos Monkeys': https://www.harpercollins.com/products/chaos-monkeys-antonio-garcia-martinez?variant=32207601532962 Stay Updated: Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16zFind a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Next in Media spoke with Marketecture CEO Ari Paparo, author of the new book "Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance" about how Google was able to build a monopoly on programmatic ads, despite so many people in the ad industry shouting about it for years - and whether we can stop the next one.

In this episode of the AdTechGod pod, Edina Kalamperovic, SVP of Retail Growth at Epsilon, shares her unique journey from agency to ad tech, emphasizing the importance of understanding client relationships and the evolving landscape of digital advertising. She discusses the significance of data utilization, personalization, and the future of retail media, while also highlighting her personal brand loyalty to Anthropology and the impact of consumer experience. Takeaways Edina's journey into advertising was influenced by her creative background and desire for impact. Understanding the psychology of consumers is crucial in advertising. Clients are increasingly focusing on customer-centric strategies and data utilization. Personalization is key to effective marketing campaigns. Loyalty should be viewed as a mindset rather than a program. Retail media presents new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers. Measurement and understanding of data are critical for driving business outcomes. The retail landscape is evolving, requiring brands to adapt to consumer preferences. In-store experiences can significantly enhance customer loyalty. Brands that understand their customers will succeed in a competitive market. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AdTech and Edina's Journey 08:20 The Evolution of Client Relationships and Data Utilization 15:39 Retail Media and the Future of Commerce 20:28 Personal Brand Loyalty and Consumer Experience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Advertising is fundamental part of business and it's one that has been buffeted by the impacts of technology in both the path to markets and the management of its delivery. Creating a brand reputation and influencing consumers is the core function and analyst Natalie Colakides and Ian Whittaker, managing director of Liberty Sky Advisors, join host Eric Hanselman to discuss the nuances of advertising and technology's evolution around it. Shifts in media have had a profound effect - the reach of linear television media has decreased significantly, while digital advertising options have expanded. Businesses are looking to blend linear and streaming advertising, but it can be complex to make an effective distinction. There is significant global variation in media consumption and advertising potential. While the UK was the first market where digital spending overtook traditional, the European market is diverging from patterns in the U.S.. Many businesses are looking to AdTech to make the process more efficient, but there are limits its capabilities. Agencies still have a significant role to play, but the advertising buying and planning that has been a big part of their business could be under threat from advances delivered by AI. Enterprises have a lot to wrestle with, but they need to keep focused on the fundamental task of winning hearts and minds.   More S&P Global Content: Kagan Media and Telecom Summit event link   For S&P Global subscribers: Big Four ad agencies see mixed results due to macro uncertainty A sneak preview of the Kagan Media & Telecom Summit 2025 See it in charts: TV Networks, June 2025   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Natalie Colakides, Ian Whittaker Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Next in Media spoke with WPP Media's Jessica Brown and Spark Foundry Worldwide's Kelly Metz, focusing on YouTube's growing role in the TV marketplace, the shift towards holistic video measurement, the increasing importance of AI and streamlined approaches in media buying, and the evolving challenges and opportunities in creator partnerships and cross-platform attribution.

This episode is brought to you by Walmart Connect. From homepage to home improvement. Win Carts and Minds with Walmart Connect.Next in Media spoke with Sarah Hofstetter, chairwoman of Profitero, a division of Publicis, about the haves and have nots in retail media, whether the big players TV presence is going to cause a bifurcation in the market, and what agentic shopping might do to the whole category.

What happens when the world's most popular AI tools become ad platforms? That's the question I put to Aaron Goldman, CMO of MediaOcean, in a candid conversation about the future of advertising, search, and AI-native experiences. Aaron brings over two decades of industry insight to the table, sharing his perspective on how platforms like ChatGPT are becoming the next digital frontier, not just for consumer interaction but for ad monetization. As generative AI shifts from novelty to utility, the implications for marketers are profound. Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Perplexity are all experimenting with ways to integrate advertising without disrupting user experience. But what happens when the interface you trust for recommendations also serves you tailored promotions? We explore how AI can shape embedded ads, personalize intent-driven marketing, and even facilitate transactions within the prompt itself. Aaron also reflects on the rise of AIO (AI Optimization), what it means for traditional paid search, and how agencies must adapt to tools like Model Context Protocol to stay relevant. This episode isn't just about platforms and protocols. It's about empathy, creativity, and critical thinking in a world increasingly automated by algorithms. If AI becomes your co-pilot, how do you stay in the driver's seat? So what do you think? Will AI advertising be a seamless leap forward or the start of a trust crisis? Let me know your thoughts after the episode.

In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields interviews Dani Mariano, CEO of Razorfish, about their research into Gen Alpha, highlighting this generation's unique media consumption habits, brand maturity, and influence on household purchasing decisions, as well as Razorfish's "creator collab" program designed to meet the evolving demands of creator-centric marketing.

In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, we sit down with Heather Macaulay, President of MadTech, an AdTech consultancy transforming how teams approach data, integrations, and strategy. Heather shares her unexpected journey into ad tech—from Newbury Street project management to Pubmatic to founding MadTech—and the lessons she's picked up along the way. We dive into what it really means to have a strong, scalable tech stack, the common mistakes advertisers make when choosing tools, and why platform connectivity is now mission-critical. Heather also breaks down how MadConnect, MadTech's integration engine, is solving industry-wide challenges around data orchestration and interoperability. We also talk about early career growth, preparedness as a power move, and the importance of being a lifelong student. Plus, Heather shares how AI is shaping her workflow and offers tactical advice for making the most of tools like ChatGPT. If you're in your first few years in the industry—or managing a team that is—this episode is gold.     About Us: We teach historically excluded individuals how to break into programmatic media buying and land their dream jobs. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, an engaged community, and expert coaching, we offer: Programmatic Training & Coaching: Executive Membership: for the busy mid-level to senior or director-level programmatic ninja looking for a structured, high-impact way to stay ahead of evolving trends, sharpen your optimization skills, and connect with like-minded experts Join Here: https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/executivemembership   Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on DSP exercises, and real-time feedback. Sign Up: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program  Self-Paced Course: Learn at your own speed with full content access. Enroll Here: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course       Timestamps: (00:00) - Welcome & Guest Intro (01:49) - Heather's Origin Story: From Literature to Ad Tech (04:28) - Events, Community, and Female-Forward Activations (06:28) - What MadTech Does: Product + Data Consultancy (07:26) - Solving Integration Challenges with MadConnect (08:55) - Advice for Newbies: Be Curious, Prepared & Over-Invest (11:47) - Tech Stack Talk: Common Gaps and Evaluation Strategy (15:18) - API Gaps & the Cost of Poor Connectivity (17:31) - Real-World Examples: Activating Audiences with MadConnect (20:35) - Emerging Trend: AI in Strategy, Sales & Workflow (25:03) - How to Use AI as a Junior Team Member (27:27) - Heather's Tips for Prompting, Positioning & Product Copy (30:27) - Final Thoughts & Where to Connect     Meet Our Guest: Heather Macaulay – President, MadTech Connect on LinkedIn     Meet The Team: Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach https://www.heleneparker.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker/   Manuela Cortes - Co-Host  Programmatic Digest In Espanol:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-/     Learn Programmatic: As a TEAM: heleneparker.com/workshop As a Programmatic Ninja: heleneparker.com/course Newsletter: heleneparker.com/newsletter Programmatic Digest LinkedIn YouTube  

Taken from the AI + a16z podcast, Arcjet CEO David Mytton sits down with a16z partner Joel de la Garza to discuss the increasing complexity of managing who can access websites, and other web apps, and what they can do there. A primary challenge is determining whether automated traffic is coming from bad actors and troublesome bots, or perhaps AI agents trying to buy a product on behalf of a real customer.Joel and David dive into the challenge of analyzing every request without adding latency, and how faster inference at the edge opens up new possibilities for fraud prevention, content filtering, and even ad tech.Topics include:Why traditional threat analysis won't work for the AI-powered webThe need for full-context security checksHow to perform sub-second, cost-effective inferenceThe wide range of potential actors and actions behind any given visitAs David puts it, lower inference costs are key to letting apps act on the full context window — everything you know about the user, the session, and your application. Follow everyone on social media:David MyttonJoel de la GarzaCheck out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here, including articles, projects, and more podcasts. Stay Updated: Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16zFind a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.