Ep. 96 Inside United Airlines’ Journey with Mike Petrella from Kinective Media

Sep 9, 2025

Mike Petrella, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships at Kinective Media by United Airlines, shares insights from his extensive career in advertising and media. He delves into the establishment of Kinective Media as a pioneering traveler media network, emphasizing the role of personalized experiences and strategic partnerships in enhancing traveler journeys. The conversation highlights how data and AI are transforming customer interactions, focusing on affluent travelers and the importance of privacy in handling their information.

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ANECDOTE

From Band Practice To AdTech

Mike Petrella entered ad tech after a friend recruited him from band practice into a startup that became Advertising.com.
He moved through AOL, Yahoo, and startups before joining United to build Connective Media from a blank slate.

ANECDOTE

Building Connective Media From Scratch

Mike describes joining United in 2023 to build the commerce media network from a white piece of paper.
He highlights the excitement of creating the platform and scaling it rapidly within the airline ecosystem.

INSIGHT

Traveler-First Omni‑Channel Network

Connective Media is an omni-channel traveler-first media network spanning booking, airport, in-flight, and beyond.
It serves 174 million travelers annually and surfaces richer insights for 63 million MileagePlus members.

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In this conversation, Mike Petrella, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships at Kinective Media by United Airlines, discusses his journey in the advertising and media industry, the establishment of Kinective Media, and its role in transforming traveler commerce. He highlights the importance of partnerships, customer choice, and the use of data and AI to enhance the travel experience. The discussion also covers the unique aspects of the commerce media network and how it engages with affluent travelers. Takeaways

Mike Petrella has a rich background in media and advertising.Connective
Media is the first traveler media network.
The network aims to enrich traveler journeys through personalized experiences.
Partnerships are crucial for expanding the offerings of Mileage Plus.
Data privacy is a top priority in handling traveler information.
AI is being utilized to enhance customer interactions and experiences.
The average traveler spends significant time engaging with content during their journey.
Kinective Media targets affluent individuals with tailored advertising
The platform offers omnichannel access to travelers across various touchpoints.
Creating a personalized journey is essential for customer loyalty.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Kinective Media and Mike Petrella

02:03 Mike's Journey to United Airlines

04:55 Building Kinective Media from Scratch

06:09 Understanding the Commerce Media Network

08:43 Engaging Advertisers and Brands

11:21 Partnerships and Customer Choice

13:56 Loyalty Programs and Consumer Journey

15:10 Utilizing Data for Targeting

18:39 The Role of AI in Enhancing Travel Experience

The Refresh News: September 8:Google’s Antitrust “Win,” Epsilon SSP Backlash, and Perplexity Pauses Ads

This episode of The Refresh breaks down the week’s biggest stories in advertising and tech regulation. Google escaped the harshest remedies in its long-running search antitrust trial, with the court declining to force a Chrome or Android spinoff or ban payments to partners like Apple and Samsung. Meanwhile, media buyers are taking a closer look at Publicis-owned Epsilon SSP, with some blocking it entirely due to transparency concerns. And in the AI space, Perplexity has pulled back on its ad experiments, raising bigger questions about how generative search can—or should—be monetized.

Judge Mehta’s ruling spared Google from structural breakups or bans on partner payments, requiring only limited data sharing and oversight for six years.
Generative AI competition from OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and Perplexity influenced the court’s belief that search competition is evolving without harsher remedies.
Google maintains dominance with 65–70% of global browser share and around 40% of ad spend coming from paid search.
Media buyers discovered they were funneling spend through Publicis-owned Epsilon SSP via reselling, sparking data leakage and conflict-of-interest concerns.
Perplexity scaled back its ads after advertiser pushback, highlighting the lack of clear value, measurement, and final product structure in AI-driven ad formats.

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