Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast.

Can advertisers truly trust AI to transform the future of digital advertising?

Jeremy Bloom, CEO of Marketecture Media, sits down with Kyle Spraker, SVP of North America at Integral Ad Science (IAS), to explore the evolving role of AI in advertising. From AI-powered search and agentic media buying to measurement, transparency, and the future of the open web, they discuss how brands can build confidence in emerging technologies while driving measurable results.

The conversation also explores publisher consolidation, changing consumer behavior, and the growing influence of athletes and women's sports in modern marketing.

Takeaways

• AI Is Evolving Search, Not Replacing It: Conversational AI introduces new opportunities for personalized discovery, consumer engagement, and advertising.
• Measurement Is Essential to AI Adoption: Standardized metrics, cross-platform measurement, and clear ROI will help advertisers confidently invest in AI-powered environments.
• Transparency Builds Trust: Advertisers need visibility into AI algorithms, data inputs, and campaign performance to ensure technology delivers brand-specific results.
• Agentic AI Could Transform Programmatic Advertising: AI agents may automate manual media buying workflows, reshape DSP and SSP capabilities, and enable faster campaign optimization.
• The Open Web Faces New Challenges: Declining publisher traffic and potential consolidation could reshape advertiser relationships, placing greater emphasis on quality content and trustworthy measurement.
• Traditional Marketing Funnels Are Changing: AI-driven discovery is blurring the boundaries between awareness, consideration, and conversion, encouraging more customized measurement strategies.
• Sports and Influencer Marketing Continue to Grow: Athletes are increasingly controlling their own audiences and content, creating new opportunities for brands, particularly in women's sports.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: In AI We Trust at Marketecture Live Chicago
01:19 Is AI Advertising the Next Evolution of Search?
02:13 AI Discovery, Consumer Behavior, and Advertising ROI
02:52 Building Standardized Measurement for AI Advertising
04:52 Measuring Performance and Marketing Outcomes
06:20 Building Advertiser Confidence Through Transparency
08:01 Agentic Ad Tech: The Future of DSPs, SSPs, and Media Buying
09:50 The Open Web, Publisher Traffic, and Consolidation
12:04 Publisher Quality, Mid-Funnel Measurement, and Trust
13:14 How AI Is Reshaping the Traditional Marketing Funnel
14:11 Emerging Advertising Trends and Brand Strategies
16:21 From Professional Baseball to Advertising Leadership
17:18 Athletes, Influencer Marketing, and Audience Ownership
17:56 The Growth of Women's Sports and Brand Investment
19:52 Closing Thoughts and Final Takeaways

Guests: Ari Paparo

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What makes great PR in ad tech, and how is AI reshaping the advertising industry?

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi welcome Chris Harihar, EVP at Mod Op, to discuss the future of ad tech PR, effective storytelling, and the challenges of communicating AI and agentic advertising strategies. The conversation explores Yahoo DSP's agentic vision, PubMatic's AI announcements, and why traditional PR tactics are no longer enough. Chris also shares how Aristotle's principles of persuasion can help brands build credibility and connect with audiences.

Plus, the team breaks down Google's and Microsoft's earnings, FreeWheel's future with NBCUniversal, Pinterest's partnership with Magnite, Stagwell's acquisition of Freestar, the announced DoorDash and Instacart deal, and Walmart's move into agentic commerce.

Takeaways

• Why traditional ad tech PR needs a fresh approach.
• How Yahoo DSP and PubMatic are shaping agentic AI messaging.
• The role of storytelling and credibility in effective PR.
• Google's AI monetization challenges and advertising growth.
• FreeWheel's future and the evolving CTV landscape.
• How major acquisitions are reshaping ad tech and retail media.
• Walmart's move into AI-powered shopping and agentic commerce.

Chapters
00:00 Marketecture Live 2027 Announcement
00:55 Welcome to Marketecture Podcast
02:34 Chris Harihar Joins: The Fortune Cookie Advertising Debate
07:46 What Makes Great PR in Ad Tech?
09:29 Yahoo DSP and PubMatic's Agentic AI Strategies
13:24 When AI Advertising PR Backfires
18:52 Apple, Privacy, and Industry Backlash
20:43 Aristotle's Three Principles of Effective Storytelling
23:17 PR Lightning Round: Research, Executives, and Social Media
24:58 Do Press Releases Still Matter in AI Search?
27:04 Google Earnings and the Future of Search Advertising
31:33 YouTube's Growth and Instagram's CTV Opportunity
33:00 Chris Harihar on AI Tools and Muse
34:16 Microsoft Earnings and Cloud Growth
35:11 FreeWheel, Universal Ads, and NBCUniversal
38:44 Could Paramount Skydance Move Away From FreeWheel?
39:51 Pinterest Opens Programmatic Advertising With Magnite
41:38 Stagwell Acquires Freestar: Agency and Publisher Tech Converge
44:03 DoorDash and Instacart: Retail Media Consolidation
47:04 Walmart's MCP Server and the Future of Agentic Commerce
50:11 Closing Remarks

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Chris Harihar

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi sit down with Carlo Palomino, President of OpenFortune, to explore how the company transformed fortune cookies into a powerful advertising channel. Carlo shares how OpenFortune built its global distribution network, drives brand engagement through creative campaigns, and partners with brands and creators like MrBeast. Plus, in The Refresh, Ari and Eric discuss Meta's earnings and new ad formats, Apple's privacy restrictions, Salesforce's acquisition of Braze, Kevel's $52 million funding round, Netflix's advertising challenges, and the expansion of ChatGPT ads.

Takeaways

• OpenFortune is transforming fortune cookies into an advertising channel that connects brands with consumers through memorable real-world experiences.
• Meta's strong advertising growth and new premium ad formats highlight its expanding opportunities for brand advertisers.
• Apple's WebKit privacy restrictions raise new challenges for identity resolution and cross-site tracking.
• Salesforce's acquisition of Braze and Kevel's $52 million funding round reflect continued investment in MarTech and commerce media.
• Netflix's advertising challenges highlight the importance of balancing premium brand campaigns with performance marketing.
• OpenFortune's distribution network, QR code engagement, and partnerships with Gary Vee and MrBeast demonstrate the potential of experiential advertising.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:05 Meta Earnings, AI Growth, and New Ad Formats
08:43 Meta Muse and AI Productivity
10:09 Apple's Privacy Restrictions and Identity Resolution
13:02 Salesforce Acquires Braze
16:30 Kevel's $52 Million Funding Round
19:10 Netflix's Advertising Growth Challenges
22:26 Netflix's Measurement Tools and DSP Integration
23:03 ChatGPT Ads Expansion and AI-Powered Creative
25:55 Publicis and LiveRamp Acquisition Update
27:13 Meet Carlo Palomino, President of OpenFortune
28:19 Turning Fortune Cookies into Advertising Experiences
29:22 How Branded Fortune Cookie Ads Work
31:39 Building OpenFortune's Distribution Network
33:25 Global Reach and Advertising Inventory
34:21 Gary Vee's Investment and Campaign Results
35:22 Creative Fortune Cookie Advertising Campaigns
36:42 Measuring QR Code Engagement and Brand Lift
38:26 OpenFortune's Expansion and Fortune Tacos
41:29 MrBeast Partnership and Collectible Fortune Cookies
42:51 Closing Remarks

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Carlo Palomino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded at Marketecture Live Chicago, Will Hoyt of Blis, part of T-Mobile Advertising Solutions, sits down with Danielle Mathews, Senior Director of Integrated Marketing at Pura, to explore how mobile data, first-party insights, and omnichannel advertising are transforming retail marketing.

Danielle shares how Pura evolved from a direct-to-consumer brand into an omnichannel business, using behavioral targeting, connected TV, retail media, and data partnerships to discover new audiences and drive incremental growth. They also discuss measurement, data clean rooms, AI, and why brand identity and platform-specific content will be essential for marketing success in 2027.

Takeaways

• Mobile Data Unlocks Consumer Insights: Mobile app behavior helps brands discover new audiences, validate assumptions, and improve advertising strategies.
• First-Party and Third-Party Data Drive Growth: Combining customer insights with external behavioral signals strengthens targeting across retail, connected TV, and digital channels.
• Omnichannel Marketing Expands Reach: Pura's transition from DTC to retail highlights the importance of connecting digital advertising with in-store shopping experiences.
• Clean Data Improves Measurement: Identity resolution, data clean rooms, and incrementality measurement help marketers identify genuinely new customers and optimize spending.
• Brand Identity and Content Shape 2027: Maintaining a consistent brand identity while creating platform-specific content will be critical as AI and consumer behavior evolve.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Marketecture Live Chicago
00:54 Meet Blis and T-Mobile Advertising Solutions
02:05 How Pura Uses Smart Technology and Customer Data
03:19 Pura's Evolution From DTC to Omnichannel Retail
04:51 Consumer Behavior and Audience Segmentation
06:12 Using Mobile Data to Drive Target Store Traffic
07:56 Connecting Mobile Data With CTV Advertising
08:23 Combining First-Party and Third-Party Data
10:33 Improving CPG Audience Targeting and Measurement
11:21 Data Clean Rooms, Identity Resolution, and Incrementality
13:09 Marketing Trends and Opportunities for 2027
14:42 Brand Storytelling and Platform-Specific Content
15:40 Measuring Marketing Impact and Final Takeaways

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi welcome Scott Messer, founder of Messer Media and co-founder of AdTech Therapy, to discuss the challenges facing digital publishers as AI reshapes advertising and the open web. They explore declining publisher traffic, AI content licensing, Google's antitrust ruling, and how agentic advertising could transform direct media buying by reducing programmatic fees. The conversation also covers Apple's Safari privacy changes, Prebid's potential role in a unified auction, OpenAI's advertising strategy, the future of agentic commerce, and emerging retail media partnerships involving Uber, TripleLift, and Instacart.

Takeaways:

• Declining Open Web Traffic: Scott Messer explains how AI and declining search traffic are forcing publishers to rethink their business models, prioritize audience loyalty, and diversify revenue streams.
• AI Content Licensing: Publishers are exploring bot restrictions, licensing agreements, and regulatory action to protect their content and secure compensation from AI platforms.
• Agentic Advertising: AI-powered direct media buying could reduce DSP and SSP fees, streamline reservations, and create more efficient transactions between advertisers and publishers.
• Google Antitrust and Prebid: Google's antitrust ruling could reshape programmatic advertising by opening opportunities for Prebid Server and alternative ad-serving technologies.
• AI Advertising and Privacy: The hosts examine OpenAI's behavioral targeting approach, Apple's Safari restrictions, and the implications for publisher monetization and consumer privacy.
• Retail Media and Agentic Commerce: Partnerships involving Uber, TripleLift, and Instacart highlight new opportunities for commerce data, while retailers continue to evaluate AI shopping agents.

Chapters:
00:29 Introduction to Scott Messer and Ad Tech Therapy
01:08 Upcoming Ad Tech Events and Apparium Summit
02:16 Scott Messer on Fixing Broken Ad Tech Operations
05:23 Declining Open Web Traffic and Publisher Challenges
06:37 Building Publisher Loyalty and Protecting Content from AI
08:03 AI Bots, Content Licensing and Publisher Compensation
13:12 Advertising to AI and the Future of Sponsored Content
17:08 The Ethics of Advertising to AI Agents
18:37 Google's Antitrust Ruling and Prebid's Future
22:49 How Publishers Can Benefit from Agentic Advertising
25:11 Reducing Programmatic Fees Through Agentic Direct Buying
28:29 Prebid Summit and Ad Tech M&A Outlook
30:01 Apple's Safari Privacy Changes and Publisher Revenue
33:43 Character.AI and the Risks of AI Advertising Inventory
37:49 OpenAI's Advertising Strategy and Behavioral Targeting
41:24 Google's Search Scraping Defense and Data Co-op
45:06 Retailers Blocking AI Shopping Agents
47:00 Agentic Commerce and AI-Powered Product Discovery
49:04 Uber, TripleLift and the Future of Retail Media
51:31 Will Retail Media Become Programmatic?
52:04 Closing Remarks

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Scott Messer

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live from Amazon unBoxed in San Francisco, Marketecture host Ari Paparo sits down with Claire Magruder, Director of GO Studio, Global Overview, and Santosh Gunaseelan, Director, Amazon Ads, Creative Intelligence & Optimization, Amazon, to explore how AI-powered creative tools are making streaming TV advertising more accessible. They discuss Amazon's Creative Agent, the importance of human creativity and brand guidelines, and how Traditional Medicinals used AI-generated video ads to drive new-to-brand purchases, improve efficiency, and expand its advertising reach.

Takeaways

• AI-Powered Video Creation: Amazon's Creative Agent helps brands produce streaming TV ads faster and at a lower cost.
• Human Creativity Still Matters: AI supports creative execution while strategists guide storytelling, brand alignment, and approvals.
• Smarter Creative Optimization: Amazon combines performance signals, brand guidelines, and human feedback to improve ad effectiveness.
• Traditional Medicinals' Results: The campaign achieved 1.24x higher new-to-brand purchases and 1.14x greater new-customer acquisition cost efficiency.
• Expanding Streaming TV Access: AI reduces production barriers, allowing more brands to reach audiences across video and streaming formats.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Live from Amazon unBoxed
00:50 Meet Global Overview and Amazon Ads
01:52Traditional Medicinals' Streaming TV Opportunity
02:59 Why AI-Generated Ads Need Creative Intelligence
04:09 Creating Video Ads with Amazon's Creative Agent
05:12 Brand Guidelines and Creative Performance
07:05 Human Judgment in AI-Powered Advertising
08:57 How AI Helps Agencies Scale Creative Production
09:28 Adapting Creative Across Advertising Formats
10:34 Reducing Video Production Costs
11:30 Traditional Medicinals' Campaign Results
11:59 The Future of AI-Powered Streaming TV Ads
13:18 Closing: The Marketecture Animal Question

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi recap Advertising Week and break down the biggest developments shaping ad tech. From Apple's Safari tracking restrictions and Walmart's expanding retail media ambitions to agentic AI in TV buying, OpenWeb's financial troubles, Zeta's acquisitions, and the future of Paramount's ad tech strategy, they explore what these shifts mean for advertisers, publishers, and the broader programmatic ecosystem.

Takeaways

• Advertising Week illuminates the growing influence of agentic AI, CTV, and sell-side decisioning.
• Apple's Safari tracking restrictions raise new challenges for identity providers and advertisers.
• Walmart expands its retail media and CTV ambitions through Vibe and Yahoo DSP.
• Dentsu, NBCUniversal, and FreeWheel explore agentic AI for TV buying optimization.
• OpenWeb's financial struggles highlight challenges facing the open web.
• Zeta's acquisitions strengthen its AI search and first-party data capabilities.
• Paramount's media consolidation raises questions about its future ad tech strategy.
• PubX expands into agentic advertising through its acquisition of Compliant.

Chapters
00:29 - Introduction and Advertising Week Recap
02:29 - Mediaocean AI Fund and Ad Tech Industry Events
04:07 - LiveRamp Demo Day and Agentic AI Innovation
06:14 - Advertising Week Trends: CTV, Open Web, and Agentic Commerce
07:52 - Sell-Side Decisioning and the Future of DSPs
09:33 - Apple's Safari Tracking Restrictions and Identity Challenges
12:28 - Walmart's Retail Media Expansion and Yahoo DSP Partnership
16:04 - Dentsu, NBCUniversal, and Agentic AI TV Buying
20:16 - OpenWeb's Financial Troubles and Publisher Monetization
24:01 - Zeta's Acquisitions of Senso and Digital Audience
26:23 - Paramount, WBD, and the Future of Ad Tech Infrastructure
30:36 - PubX's Agentic Advertising Strategy and Compliant Acquisition
32:07 - Final Thoughts and Closing

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi

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Adam Epstein, CEO of Gigi, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to explore the rise of agentic commerce and what AI agents like Meta’s Muse could mean for shopping, advertising, and consumer behavior. They discuss Amazon’s decision to restrict third-party AI agents, the role of advertising revenue in protecting commerce ecosystems, opportunities in travel and retail, and whether consumers will trust AI to make purchases on their behalf.

Plus, Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi break down The Trade Desk’s Safari ad-serving issue, Amazon unBoxed announcements, AI assistants, and the growing battle for consumer AI adoption.

Takeaways

• AI agents are shifting from answering questions to taking actions for consumers.
• Consumer trust and permissions will be critical to agentic commerce adoption.
• Amazon has strong incentives to protect its shopping experience and advertising revenue from third-party AI agents.
• Travel could become a major use case for AI-powered transactions and bookings.
• Meta’s ecosystem could give Muse a powerful path to adoption, particularly for commerce and small businesses.

Chapters
00:00 Amazon unBoxed and conference highlights
03:02 Meta Muse and real-world AI agent use cases
06:37 The Trade Desk blocked from serving ads on Safari
11:37 Amazon’s AI-powered advertising updates
12:38 Branded Conversations and conversational commerce
15:14 Delta enters the travel media network space
17:19 OpenAI, LiveRamp and AI advertising
19:00 The battle for consumer AI assistants
20:45 Meta expands Muse for SMBs and enterprise
23:11 Anthropic, AI economics and the future of adtech
26:15 Adam Epstein joins the podcast
26:49 Amazon unBoxed and Sponsored Reviews
30:00 Is agentic commerce really the future?
31:00 What makes an effective AI agent?
33:30 Will mainstream consumers adopt AI agents?
36:06 Why AI agents still struggle with everyday tasks
38:00 Why Amazon is blocking third-party AI agents
42:46 Instacart, AI agents and grocery commerce
44:18 Why travel could be transformed by agentic commerce
45:21 How brands could compete inside AI agents
48:12 Testing Muse in real-world situations
51:35 Meta, Shopify and the future of agentic commerce
53:39 Closing thoughts

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Adam Epstein

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Ari Paparo sits down with Ryan Walker, Senior Director of Commerce at PMG, at Amazon unBoxed to explore how PMG helped IQBAR expand its full-funnel marketing strategy. Ryan explains how Amazon Marketing Cloud, audience segmentation, CTV, video, and AI-powered campaign tools helped the brand reach new shoppers, improve acquisition, and connect advertising performance to long-term customer value.

Takeaways

• Full-funnel marketing goes beyond conversion: PMG builds messaging around each stage of the customer journey, from discovery to purchase.
• New customer acquisition required a targeting shift: Amazon Marketing Cloud helped PMG identify that IQBAR was repeatedly reaching existing audiences and needed to expand to new shoppers.
• CTV helped expand reach: Live sports and other CTV inventory helped IQBAR acquire new customers while measuring profitability against expected lifetime value.
• Closed-loop measurement connects media to sales: Amazon allowed PMG to connect upper-funnel video and display exposure with actual purchases.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Ari Paparo and Ryan Walker
00:38 Full-Funnel Marketing at Amazon unBoxed
01:17 How PMG and IQBAR Use Amazon Marketing Cloud
02:54 Reaching Customers Across the Purchase Journey
03:22 Identifying IQBAR’s Growth Plateau
04:39 Shifting Targeting Toward New Customers
05:34 Tailoring Creative and Messaging
06:03 Performance Plus and Brand Plus
06:33 Expanding Across CTV and Video
07:11 Using Live Sports to Reach New Audiences
08:29 Amazon’s Closed-Loop Measurement Advantage
09:46 What’s Next for Full-Funnel Advertising
10:51 If PMG Commerce Were an Animal

Guests: Ari Paparo

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi recap Marketecture Live Chicago before sharing a live conversation with Steven Galanis, Co-Founder & CEO of Cameo, and Johnny Hilbrant, Creator of PE Guy. They explore how Cameo is expanding beyond personalized videos into brand partnerships, how creators are building diversified revenue streams, and why platforms like LinkedIn are becoming valuable channels for creator content. Ari and Eric also break down Meta’s Muse AI agent, recent ad tech M&A, Scope3’s rebrand, and the rise of new commerce media networks.

Takeaways:

• Cameo is expanding its role in brand and creator partnerships.
• Creators are diversifying revenue beyond traditional sponsored posts.
• LinkedIn is becoming a stronger distribution channel for creator content.
• AI agents could reshape how consumers discover and buy products.
• Commerce media is expanding into finance, restaurants, and other industries.

Chapters:
00:00 Marketecture Live Chicago Recap
01:53 How LLMs Source Brand Information
02:59 What Marketers Were Talking About in Chicago
05:49 Steven Galanis on Cameo’s Growth
07:35 Cameo for Business and Brand Endorsements
12:04 The Rise of Micro-Influencers
13:44 Is Everyone an Influencer Now?
17:10 How Creators Diversify Their Revenue
19:12 The Future of Creator Platforms
20:40 Jonny Hilbrant, Creator of PE Guy, Joins
22:29 How PE Guy Was Created
25:15 Creator Platforms and Distribution
28:06 Why PE Guy Is Working on LinkedIn
30:18 Building Long-Term Brand Partnerships
33:02 Do Creators Still Need Agents?
35:25 Meta’s Muse AI Agent
45:00 Infillion Acquires Foursquare
47:33 Taboola Acquires Dianomi
49:08 Scope3 Rebrands
52:46 Citi Launches a Commerce Media Network
55:33 McDonald’s Launches Its Media Network
57:40 Closing Thoughts

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Steven Galanis, Johnny Hilbrant

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Corey Ferengul, Managing Partner at Aperiam, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to explore the rise of Unified Media Platforms (UMPs), a new category of AI-powered tools designed to manage media buying, optimization, creative, and budgets across multiple advertising platforms. Plus, Ari and Eric break down Google’s latest ad tech remedies, AI-driven ad spend growth, Mediaocean’s new AI venture initiative, and other major industry moves.

Takeaways

• Unified Media Platforms use AI to manage campaigns across multiple advertising platforms from one interface.
• UMPs can continuously adjust budgets, analyze performance, and adapt creative with less manual work.
• Vendors are differentiating through customer segments and capabilities such as creative, data, and optimization.
• Google’s remedies could give publishers more flexibility to move away from Google Ad Manager while retaining access to AdX demand.
• AI-powered advertising tools are contributing to increased ad spend, particularly across major platforms.

Chapters
01:11 Welcome to Marketecture Podcast
02:18 Marketecture Live Chicago and Madjobs.ai
05:23 Corey Ferengul Joins the Podcast
05:49 The Rise of Unified Media Platforms
07:46 What Makes UMPs Different?
08:58 Companies Building Unified Media Platforms
11:33 Who Are UMPs Built For?
13:34 How Major Platforms Could Respond
15:56 Can UMPs Become Sustainable Businesses?
17:59 How UMPs Could Reshape Agencies and Ad Tech
20:38 Where to Find Aperiam’s UMP Market Map
22:18 The Refresh
23:01 Google’s Ad Tech Remedies Explained
29:56 Ad Tech M&A and DoubleVerify
32:02 AI Is Driving Ad Spend Growth
34:20 Mediaocean Launches AI Ventures
37:31 Adam Soroka Becomes CEO of PebblePost
40:31 33Across Becomes Wealthstage
42:49 FLAM and Profound Raise New Funding
45:17 OpenAI and Sponsored Agents
46:10 Closing Thoughts and Marketecture Live Chicago

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Corey Ferengul

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Life360 CMO Mike Zeman joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to unpack what CMOs really want from advertising partners, why relationships and business outcomes matter more than buzzwords, and how Life360 balances brand building, performance marketing, and incrementality.

Then, Ari and Eric break down the latest ad tech news, including The Trade Desk’s layoffs, Amazon and OpenAI’s ChatGPT ads partnership, emerging privacy concerns, AI personal assistants, and advertising auction lawsuits.

Takeaways:

• Sell business outcomes, not buzzwords: CMOs want solutions tied to revenue, profitability, and company value.
• Start small and prove value: Mike recommends pilots that demonstrate measurable results before scaling.
• Incrementality matters: Life360 uses marketing mix modeling and long-term customer value to evaluate marketing effectiveness.
• Creative needs to break through: Life360 embraces bold advertising designed to make audiences laugh or cry rather than blend in.
• Ad tech keeps shifting: Ari and Eric discuss The Trade Desk, ChatGPT ads, privacy risks, AI assistants, and auction practices.

Chapters:
01:24 Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi Open the Show
03:39 Meet Mike Zeman, CMO of Life360
04:06 Lessons From Both Sides of Marketing
04:57 Why Relationships Still Matter
06:06 What CMOs Really Want From Vendors
07:13 How Ad Tech Vendors Can Differentiate
07:53 Start With a Pilot, Then Scale
08:11 Inside Life360’s Marketing Strategy
09:21 CTV as a Performance Channel
09:41 Measuring Long-Term Customer Value
10:15 Why Incrementality Matters
10:52 Building Life360’s Advertising Business
11:09 Life360’s Location Data Advantage
11:30 The Nativo Acquisition
12:07 Proving Footfall and Winning New Business
14:46 Building Life360 as an Advertising Brand
16:40 Why Life360 Embraces Bold Creative
19:19 The Refresh: Ad Tech News
19:31 The Trade Desk Layoffs
24:17 The Trade Desk and the S&P 500
27:09 Amazon, OpenAI and ChatGPT Ads
30:08 The Future of ChatGPT Advertising
31:20 LG and Smart TV Privacy Concerns
33:53 U.S. Military Disables Mobile Ad Trackers
35:20 AI Personal Assistants and Privacy
37:07 AI Bots Meet Restaurant Reservations
38:39 Meta and Second-Price Auction Lawsuit
40:25 Closing Thoughts

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Mike Zeman

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi sit down with Jeremy Hobson, host of The Middle with Jeremy Hobson, to explore the shift from traditional radio to digital podcasting, audience growth, monetization, and the changing media landscape. Plus, Ari and Eric break down Google’s ad-tech remedies, OpenAI’s advertising growth, and Amazon’s alleged ad auction practices.

Takeaways:

• Radio meets digital: Jeremy Hobson shares how The Middle combines live call-in radio, podcasts, video, and social media.
• Building a sustainable media business: Station fees, grants, crowdfunding, and advertising all contribute to The Middle’s revenue model.
• Google avoids an ad-tech breakup: Ari explains why behavioral remedies could still create meaningful changes for competition.
• AI advertising is evolving: Ari and Eric examine OpenAI’s advertising growth and why AI ads may develop differently from traditional search advertising.
• Amazon faces scrutiny: The FTC and 22 states accuse Amazon of using soft floors in its ad auctions, raising questions about auction transparency.

Chapters:
01:04 Welcome to the Marketecture Podcast
04:18 Introducing Jeremy Hobson
07:03 Jeremy Hobson Joins the Show
08:01 Building The Middle
11:23 Radio vs. Podcast Advertising
13:25 YouTube Shorts & Podcast Growth
16:16 From Public Radio to Entrepreneurship
17:21 Building a Sustainable Revenue Model
21:43 Politics, Podcasts & the Influencer Era
25:10 The Future of Political Media & AI
28:29 This Week’s Ad-Tech News
30:01 Google Avoids an Ad-Tech Breakup
30:28 Ari’s Three Takes on Google’s Remedies
38:21 OpenAI’s Advertising Growth
41:01 How AI Ads Differ From Search Ads
45:21 Amazon’s Ad Auction Controversy
50:06 Closing Thoughts

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Jeremy Hobson

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Ari Paparo sits down with Nick Troiano, CEO of Cadent, to discuss how Cadent is evolving from its linear TV roots into a unified advertising platform spanning CTV, digital, YouTube, and more. They explore audience-first advertising, measurement, AI-powered optimization, walled gardens, and why marketers should prioritize business outcomes over individual channels.

Takeaways:

• Unified advertising is about intelligence, not a single vendor. Troiano explains why unification should connect audience planning, activation, and measurement while preserving data throughout the workflow.
• Audience and ROI should come before channel. Instead of starting with separate TV or YouTube budgets, marketers should begin with their audience and business objectives.
• AI is only as powerful as the data behind it. Fragmented data and disconnected AI tools can limit the technology's ability to improve advertising performance.
• Walled gardens are creating new silos. Independent platforms can play an important role in connecting advertising strategies across multiple closed ecosystems and the open web.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Ari Paparo and Nick Troiano
00:35 What Cadent Looks Like Today
01:14 From Linear TV to a Unified Advertising Platform
02:06 Building Cadent's Identity and Audience Capabilities
03:13 Expanding Into Performance, Digital, and YouTube
04:06 Why Marketers Are Moving Beyond Point Solutions
05:37 What Advertising Unification Really Means
06:35 Connecting Audiences Across DSPs, SSPs, and YouTube
08:18 Why Advertising Should Be Audience and ROI First
09:40 Cadent's Approach to AI
11:29 Where AI Still Falls Short
13:14 Walled Gardens, the Open Web, and Advertising's Future
14:59 Lightning Round with Nick Troiano

Guests: Ari Paparo, Nick Troiano

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Rich Greenfield, Co-Founder of LightShed Partners, joins Ari Paparo and Paul Knegten, CMO of Large, to break down the biggest shifts across media and ad tech, from Meta’s social media settlement and AppLovin’s next move to Fox’s Roku strategy and the growing pressure on The Trade Desk.

Takeaways:

• Meta’s social media restrictions could reduce ad inventory and make younger audiences harder to reach.
• AppLovin’s biggest challenge is expanding its advertising technology beyond gaming into areas like e-commerce and CTV.
• Fox’s Roku acquisition could give it a powerful digital gateway into the streaming and CTV ecosystem.
• Rich argues that The Trade Desk’s reluctance to own first-party data is a major strategic weakness.
• AI-driven media buying could put DSPs under increasing pressure while creating new opportunities for SSPs.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and Corgi’s viral marketing strategy
05:49 Can higher ad prices offset declining web traffic?
07:17 Marketecture Live Chicago preview
08:28 Introducing Rich Greenfield, Co-Founder of LightShed Partners
09:48 Meta’s $17.1B settlement and the impact on advertisers
15:03 Ad scarcity, pricing and social media regulation
20:02 AppLovin’s next growth opportunity
24:44 Why Fox and Roku make sense together
30:48 AI’s potential impact on the future of television
32:33 What’s wrong with The Trade Desk’s strategy?
36:58 Walmart’s growing advertising ambitions
40:37 Meta restrictions and the news of the week
43:45 Scope3 teases its next product move
46:30 Netflix advertising leadership changes
48:09 The Taboola and NBC deal
50:57 AI-driven ad buying and the threat to DSPs
55:03 Reddit’s changing role in AI and AEO
56:54 Closing though

Guests: Ari Paparo, Richard Greenfield

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Ari Paparo and guest co-host Paul Knegten sit down with Jack Raines, author of Young Money, to discuss how viral LinkedIn posts, humor, and attention-driven marketing helped him build a 61,000-subscriber newsletter, land a book deal, and create a personal brand. The episode also covers OpenAI, WPP, Walmart Connect, Taboola, Google’s AI advertising strategy, LiveRamp, and Higgsfield.

Takeaways:

• Jack Raines turned provocative LinkedIn posts into a subscriber acquisition engine for his newsletter.
• Authentic personality and calculated controversy can generate attention, but the product still needs to deliver.
• Free content can create indirect value through book sales, consulting opportunities, and deal flow.
• Making a product or brand easy and fun to share can create an organic marketing flywheel.
• The episode also explores major developments across AI, retail media, ad tech, and the open web.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction with Ari Paparo and Paul Knegten
02:20 Meet Jack Raines, Author of Young Money
04:02 Turning LinkedIn Trolling Into a Growth Strategy
07:23 The Viral Hotel Breakfast Post
10:32 Is Shitposting a Real Marketing Strategy?
13:16 Knowing Where to Draw the Line
14:38 From Viral Posts to Newsletter, VC, and a Book Deal
18:00 Writing and Marketing Young Money
24:23 Building Buzz Around a Book Launch
27:03 The Marketing Lessons Behind Jack’s Strategy
29:17 What Brands Can Learn From Internet Personalities
31:47 OpenAI Leadership Shakeup
33:55 WPP Rebate Fraud Allegations
37:31 Walmart Connect’s Advertising Growth
40:55 Teads, Taboola, and NBCUniversal
44:56 Are Ad Networks Making a Comeback?
45:01 Google’s AI-Powered Advertising Strategy
47:44 LiveRamp Deal and Executive Pay
51:47 Higgsfield and the Future of AI Video Advertising
54:04 Closing

Guests: Ari Paparo, Jack Raines, Paul Knegten

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi sit down with Matthew Drengler, Head of Partnerships at Podscribe, to unpack the messy reality of podcast measurement. They explore attribution, incrementality, the shift from audio to video, social clips, HLS, and why advertisers still need reliable performance data.
The conversation then turns to the changing ad tech landscape, including the open web, Nielsen’s acquisition of DoubleVerify, measurement industry pressure, The Trade Desk’s earnings, PubMatic, Viant, and advertising to AI agents.

Takeaways:

• Video is expanding podcast audiences, but it is also creating new measurement silos across YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.
• Podcast attribution can use RSS prefixes, pixels, and listener-level signals, but those approaches become harder as consumption spreads beyond traditional RSS.
• Promo codes and vanity URLs capture only part of podcast-driven conversions, making more sophisticated attribution important for performance advertisers.
• Measurement can unlock more advertiser investment, while independent measurement and trust remain major industry concerns.
• Ad tech is shifting toward CTV, retail media, apps, creator channels, and AI while traditional open-web and measurement businesses face increasing pressure.

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction
02:04 Marketecture Live Chicago
03:08 Meet Matthew Drengler, Head of Partnerships at Podscribe
04:43 What Podscribe Does
05:45 Why Podcasts Are Moving to Video
07:56 The Growing Podcast Platform Problem
08:32 Apple HLS and the Future of Video Podcast Measurement
09:58 What Actually Counts as a Podcast?
11:41 Should Social Clips Be Part of Podcast Ad Packages?
13:15 Why Social Podcast Clips Are Hard to Measure
15:07 How Podcast Attribution and Incrementality Work
18:02 Should Podcasts Be Treated Like Influencer Marketing?
20:27 Why Better Measurement Unlocks Advertising Budgets
20:47 Networks, Independent Podcasts and Performance
22:17 AI-Powered Podcast Ad Verification
23:55 Spotify's Podcast Ad Skip Discussion
26:07 Ad Tech News Begins
26:51 Is the Open Web Dying?
34:38 Phia and the Cookie-Stuffing Controversy
37:36 Nielsen Acquires DoubleVerify
40:19 Independence and Trust in Measurement
43:40 Comscore and the Measurement Market Shakeup
45:45 Viant's Measurement Layoffs and AI Push
46:33 The Trade Desk Earnings Breakdown
50:03 PubMatic's Growth and Agentic Opportunity
51:26 Viant, CTV and the MySpace Question
54:00 Perplexity, Mobian and Ads Targeted to AI Agents
55:47 Closing With Matthew Drengler

Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Matt Drengler

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi are joined by Nikhil Lai, Principal Analyst at Forrester, to discuss the evolution of performance marketing, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), connected TV, incrementality, AI-powered advertising, and the future of marketing measurement. They also examine the latest ad tech news, including ChatGPT advertising, Walmart's acquisition of Vibe, AppLovin, retail media, and Q2 earnings across the digital advertising industry.

Takeaways

• Why Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is fundamentally different from SEO and how brands should prepare.
• How marketers are redefining performance measurement with blended ROAS and incrementality.
• The opportunities and challenges of Performance TV, connected TV, and AI-driven advertising.
• What ChatGPT, AI agents, and creative automation mean for the future of marketing.
• Key insights from the latest ad tech acquisitions, earnings, and industry trends.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Summer Catch-Up
01:24 Phishing Scam Warning for Advertising Professionals
03:42 Introducing Guest Nikhil Lai, Principal Analyst at Forrester
04:01 Nikhil Lai's Career Journey
05:22 Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) vs SEO
09:01 The Evolution of Performance Marketing
11:09 Measuring Brand Advertising Effectiveness
12:57 Incrementality and Modern Attribution
14:28 AppLovin and Performance Advertising
15:46 Performance TV and Connected TV
18:38 Walmart Acquires Vibe and Pinterest's TV Strategy
21:26 Is There an AppLovin for the Open Web?
22:17 The Future of Marketing Automation and Creative
23:59 Weekly Ad Tech News Begins
24:38 BMW, Spider-Man, and In-Car Advertising
30:31 Agentic Advertising and AI Search
34:32 ChatGPT Advertising and Brand Agents
40:02 Ad Tech Earnings Highlights
45:18 Is MySpace Making a Comeback?
46:50 Meta and LiveRamp Partnership
47:58 Closing Remarks

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Nikhil Lai

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Ben Edelman, independent consultant and longtime ad fraud investigator, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss the Phia affiliate controversy, the evolution of ad fraud, AppLovin's install practices, and what marketers should know about trust and attribution. They also cover Meta and Microsoft earnings, Google's Buyer Direct, creator marketing trends, FreeWheel's latest CTV update, and more.

Takeaways:

- Ben Edelman explains how affiliate fraud has evolved and why it remains a major issue.

- A deep dive into the Phia browser extension controversy and affiliate attribution.

- Lessons from the Blinkx adware scandal and AppLovin's forced install investigation.

- Ari and Eric discuss Meta and Microsoft earnings, Google's Buyer Direct, and the future of creator marketing.

- The latest updates from FreeWheel, Amazon, X, and the broader ad tech industry.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:12 Podcast updates and industry news preview

02:19 Meet Ben Edelman

03:20 The Blinkx adware investigation

10:04 How Ben investigates ad fraud

13:28 The Phia affiliate controversy explained

19:02 Can affiliate marketing be trusted?

23:50 AppLovin's install practices

27:37 Where to follow Ben Edelman

27:51 Meta and Microsoft earnings

33:37 Amazon becomes the largest Fortune 500 company

36:06 Google's Buyer Direct and antitrust concerns

40:14 The rise of micro and nano creators

42:44 AI-generated content in programmatic advertising

43:59 FreeWheel's new CTV reporting capabilities

45:08 X and the WFA legal settlement

46:25 Final thoughts

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Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi welcome Olivia Kory, Chief Marketing Strategy Officer at Haus, to unpack one of advertising's biggest questions: do ads actually work? Olivia explains the critical difference between attribution and incrementality, shares why AppLovin has become a standout performance channel. She discusses the future of media measurement, AI-driven optimization, and agentic media buying. The episode also covers Google's latest earnings, AI search trends, OpenAI's advertising ambitions, and the challenges of measuring podcast advertising.

Takeaways:

• Olivia explains why incrementality measures causation while attribution measures correlation.
• AppLovin delivers strong short-term performance, particularly for lower-cost, impulse purchases.
• Incrementality testing is becoming essential for validating ad platform performance.
• AI is reshaping media measurement, budget allocation, and campaign optimization.
• The hosts discuss Google's AI investments, OpenAI's potential ad network, and why podcast measurement still needs major improvements.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction & Olivia Kory Returns
05:47 Attribution vs. Incrementality Explained
07:48 Do AppLovin Ads Really Work?
10:53 Which Products Perform Best on AppLovin?
12:30 Affiliate Marketing & Incrementality Challenges
16:04 CAPI vs. Pixels: The Future of Measurement
20:13 AppsFlyer, Attribution & Daily Optimization
23:30 AI-Powered Budget Allocation & Agentic Media Buying
28:48 Google's Earnings & AI Growth
32:36 AI Search and Google's Changing SERP
34:30 Is OpenAI Building an Ad Network?
41:51 Business Insider's FAST Channel Launch
43:50 Why Podcast Measurement Is Still Broken
49:16 Should Olivia Start Her Own Podcast?
50:19 Closing Remarks

Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Olivia Kory

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices