
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 Returns05:47 Attribution vs. Incrementality Explained07:48 Do AppLovin Ads Really Work?10:53 Which Products Perform Best on AppLovin?12:30 Affiliate Marketing & Incrementality Challenges16:04 CAPI vs. Pixels: The Future of Measurement20:13 AppsFlyer, Attribution & Daily Optimization23:30 AI-Powered Budget Allocation & Agentic Media Buying28:48 Google's Earnings & AI Growth32:36 AI Search and Google's Changing SERP34:30 Is OpenAI Building an Ad Network?41:51 Business Insider's FAST Channel Launch43:50 Why Podcast Measurement Is Still Broken49:16 Should Olivia Start Her Own Podcast?50:19 Closing Remarks
Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Olivia Kory
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Jul 24
52 min

AppsFlyer President and General Manager Brian Quinn joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss the company’s $1 billion funding round backed by Google, Meta, Unity, and Moloco. They explore independent measurement, mobile commerce, CTV attribution, and the future of AI advertising.
Takeaways:
- AppsFlyer’s strategic investors hold minority, non-controlling stakes, allowing the company to remain independent.
- Google, Meta, Unity, and Moloco rely on independent measurement signals to improve advertising optimization.
- E-commerce and retail are among AppsFlyer’s fastest-growing categories.
- Connecting CTV, web, and app activity is essential for measuring the complete customer journey.
- Last-click attribution remains vulnerable to manipulation and affiliate fraud.
- AI advertising growth will depend on proving incremental returns for marketers.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction with Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi
01:09 Marketecture’s new MADDB MCP server
04:14 Brian Quinn joins the conversation
04:45 What is AppsFlyer?
05:39 Inside AppsFlyer’s $1 billion funding round
06:41 Why AppsFlyer selected strategic investors
07:19 Protecting independent measurement
08:34 Why Google and Meta invested
09:49 AppsFlyer as an optimization signal
11:28 How the unusual funding round came together
12:31 Strategic investors versus private equity
13:20 Competing with Adjust while partnering with AppLovin
15:56 Mobile advertising beyond gaming
17:35 Growth in retail and e-commerce apps
19:25 Connecting CTV, web, and mobile measurement
23:52 Ad tech news of the week
25:19 Fia and the affiliate attribution controversy
27:35 The problems with last-click attribution
31:13 Can AI advertising meet its revenue forecasts?
35:01 Questions around IP-based CTV targeting
37:03 Open-web ad supply falls sharply
38:35 The Trade Desk expands its leadership team
40:20 PubMatic exits the wrapper-management business
41:28 Closing thoughts
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Jul 17
44 min

What happens when AI agents become media buyers and shopping assistants?
Ari Paparo sits down with Abhay Singhal, Co-Founder and CEO of InMobi Advertising, to discuss the future of agentic advertising, AI-powered commerce, and conversational ad experiences, and how InMobi is preparing for a world where AI makes purchasing decisions.
They also explore Glance's expansion to Samsung TVs, InMobi's acquisition of MobileAction, and how traditional ad tech workflows are being reimagined through AI.
Takeaways:
- Why AI agents will fundamentally change digital advertising
- How InMobi's Agentic Selling Platform works
- The future of conversational advertising
- Glance's expansion to Samsung TVs and AI-powered shopping
- How AI is reshaping the customer journey
- Why advertisers need to move closer to the point of transaction
- What the MobileAction acquisition means for app marketers
- How conversational CTV ads are improving engagement
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:07 InMobi's Agentic Advertising vision
01:58 Inside the Agentic Selling Platform
03:01 Why advertising is moving closer to conversion
04:27 AI agents, DSPs & the future of media buying
06:34 Glance explained
08:13 Samsung TV partnership
09:38 Measuring AI-powered commerce
11:07 Why InMobi acquired MobileAction
12:58 Conversational AI ads on Connected TV
15:36 Lightning Round
16:01 Closing
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 15
17 min

Alex Kantrowitz, Founder of Big Technology, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss how OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic, Amazon, and other tech leaders are transforming digital advertising. They also dive into AI-powered media buying, agentic commerce, Criteo acquisition rumors, Cloudflare's monetization strategy, and the future of ad tech.
Takeaways:- Why OpenAI is rapidly building an advertising business.- How Meta, Google, and Anthropic are approaching AI differently.- The future of AI-powered advertising and agentic commerce.- Why Criteo could become an attractive acquisition target.- How Cloudflare is changing publisher monetization with AI payments.
Chapters:00:00 Introduction & Marketecture Live Chicago01:55 Meet Alex Kantrowitz05:20 OpenAI's Advertising Strategy12:07 Why Anthropic Is Avoiding Ads14:45 Meta's AI and Advertising Future17:45 Snap's Business Challenges18:55 Pinterest's Advertising Opportunity21:54 Amazon's Sports & AI Strategy24:15 AppLovin's Rise in Mobile Advertising25:15 Criteo Acquisition Rumors30:57 AI Negotiating Media Deals (ADCP)33:05 Cloudflare's AI Monetization Gateway36:40 Warner Bros. Discovery's AI Ad Tech38:40 WPP's AI Consulting Expansion42:25 Leadership Changes at IAS44:20 Final Thoughts
Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Alex Kantrowitz
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 10
48 min

Ari Paparo speaks with Grant Gudgel, Chief Marketing Officer at Locala, about adaptive advertising, AI-powered planning, location intelligence, omnichannel marketing, privacy, and how brands can improve campaign performance through localized insights.
Takeaways
Locala helps brands optimize campaigns using market-level insights instead of national averages.
AI agents analyze local data to improve campaign planning and performance.
The platform supports omnichannel activation across CTV, DOOH, mobile, audio, and more.
Adaptive advertising enables brands to adjust budgets, messaging, and channels by market.
Privacy and location intelligence remain central to Locala's long-term strategy.
Chapters00:00 Introduction00:21 Grant Gudgel joins Locala as CMO00:37 What Locala does and its evolution01:30 Planning platform vs. traditional DSPs02:15 How brands optimize campaigns market by market03:37 Measuring campaign performance and learnings03:52 AI's role in campaign planning05:42 Solving complex retail and QSR marketing challenges07:08 What adaptive advertising means08:07 Location intelligence beyond retail09:30 Competitive analysis with location data09:58 Omnichannel planning with DOOH and CTV10:22 Privacy and location data11:05 Locala's goals at Cannes11:35 Competitive advantages and growth challenges12:21 Lightning round: Why Locala is a narwhal
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 7
13 min

Ari Paparo sits down with Todd Parsons, President of Performance Media and Chief Product Officer at Criteo, to discuss the launch of Criteo GO, an AI-powered performance platform that unifies cross-channel advertising across the open web, Meta, TikTok, and OpenAI. They explore AI-driven campaign automation, commerce data, retail media, agentic AI, GEO, and what the future of digital advertising looks like.
Takeaways
Criteo GO simplifies cross-channel performance marketing with AI.
Commerce intelligence powers better campaign optimization and outcomes.
AI reduces onboarding from weeks to just hours.
Agentic AI is beginning to automate media planning and execution.
GEO could reshape how brands compete for AI-driven discovery.
Chapters00:00 Introduction to Todd Parsons and Criteo00:50 What is Criteo GO?02:05 Who is Criteo GO built for?03:12 Cross-channel performance marketing explained04:00 Commerce data and retail media strategy06:00 Measuring real performance outcomes09:20 How AI powers Criteo GO11:45 Agentic AI and the future of media buying13:05 Self-service advertising and SMB growth15:38 Lightning round: competition, roadmap, and GEO18:08 Closing thoughts
Guests: Ari Paparo, Todd Parsons
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 6
20 min

Ari Paparo talks with Jennifer Quigley-Jones of PMG, about the ins and outs of working with creators.
Takeaways
Why creator marketing has become a must-have channel for brands.How PMG uses AI and proprietary data to improve influencer campaigns.
The importance of platform APIs, measurement, and creator relationships.
Why authenticity consistently outperforms scripted influencer content.
Industry updates on OpenAI, Comcast, Meta, and the evolving ad tech landscape.
Chapters00:00 Welcome Back From Cannes02:55 Meet Jennifer Quigley-Jones, VP of Strategy & Innovation at PMG04:39 Building Digital Voices and Selling to PMG08:53 How Brands Approach Creator Marketing11:54 Using Data and AI to Find the Right Creators14:38 Why Authentic Content Beats Scripts18:38 Creator Ads, Media Strategy, and Platform APIs22:46 Creators Beyond Social Media29:16 The Future of AI and Creator Marketing32:06 Advertising News: OpenAI, Comcast, Meta & More
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 2
1 hr

Live at Cannes, Ari Paparo sits down with René Raiss, Founder of SQREEM, to discuss how the company's Large Behavioral Model (LBM) analyzes real-world behavior instead of language to predict intent, improve advertising performance, and power AI-driven insights across industries.
Takeaways- Why SQREEM built a Large Behavioral Model instead of a Large Language Model.- How behavioral data provides deeper consumer insights than keywords alone.- Why AI models, not proprietary data, are becoming the competitive advantage.- How brands use SQREEM to improve targeting and lower customer acquisition costs.- Real-world applications of behavioral AI across media, healthcare, finance, and government.- How AI libraries and MCPs are replacing traditional software platforms.- - - Why understanding intent is the future of marketing and advertising.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to René Raiss and SQREEM00:49 The Story Behind the SQREEM Name01:20 What Is a Large Behavioral Model (LBM)?02:11 Why Consumer Behavior Matters More Than Keywords04:21 How SQREEM Collects and Models Behavioral Data05:44 AI Libraries vs Traditional Marketing Platforms06:48 Using Behavioral AI for Better Ad Targeting07:31 Campaign Performance and Lower CPA Results08:11 Applications Beyond Advertising and Marketing09:11 MCPs and the Future of AI Workflows09:43 SQREEM's Growth Strategy and Competitive Advantage10:24 Why the Model Matters More Than the Data11:14 Lightning Round and Closing Remarks
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 30
12 min

At Cannes Lions, Criteo CEO Michael Komasinski joins Ari Paparo to discuss the future of commerce media, OpenAI advertising, AI-powered discovery, retail media, agentic commerce, and how brands can measure success in the evolving AI ecosystem.
Takeaways
How Criteo's OpenAI partnership is reshaping AI advertising.
Why commerce media is expanding beyond traditional retail media.
The importance of measurement, incrementality, and AI-driven discovery.
How retailers can stay competitive in the era of AI shopping assistants.
Chapters00:00 Welcome & Criteo's Evolution01:31 Privacy Sandbox, AI & Industry Changes04:31 Inside Criteo's OpenAI Partnership06:16 How OpenAI Advertising Works for Brands08:19 Where AI Ad Budgets Will Come From10:17 The Reality of Agentic Commerce11:40 AI Shopping Assistants & Retail Media15:12 Measuring AI Advertising Success17:46 Retail Media Challenges & Brand Expectations19:13 Why Criteo's Buy & Sell Strategy Matters20:51 The Future of Commerce Media22:24 Why Retailers Can Win in the AI Era
Guests: Ari Paparo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 29
24 min

Set against the backdrop of UTA Beach at Cannes Lions, Ari Paparo sits down with Michael Burke, Principal at UTA and MediaLink, to discuss creator-led marketing, cultural relevance, AI adoption, brand discovery, and why human relationships matter more than ever in the AI era.
Takeaways
Culture and creators are becoming core media channels for brands.
AI success depends on strong data, processes, and infrastructure.
Brand discovery in AI is driven by reputation, reviews, and open web presence.
Human relationships become more valuable as AI automates workflows.
Curiosity and adaptability are critical skills for future marketing leaders.
Chapters00:00 Welcome from UTA Beach at Cannes Lions 01:14 Why UTA invests heavily in Cannes 02:23 The creator, media, and brand triangle 03:06 How brands should approach influencer strategy 04:05 The role of data and technology in culture marketing 05:30 Why cultural relevance is every marketer's priority 06:29 AI's biggest impact: workflow and discovery 07:16 Why AI requires better data foundations 08:07 GEO, AEO, and the future of brand discovery 10:09 Marketers' interest in OpenAI advertising 10:55 Publicis and LiveRamp industry implications 12:28 Why AI won't replace Cannes networking 13:10 The human skills that matter in an AI era 15:19 What Michael Burke is most excited about at Cannes
Guests: Ari Paparo, Michael Burke
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 26
46 min
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