The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu #449 Smarter Ad Spend with AI: Zeke Camusio’s Attribution Playbook for Founders and CMOs
In this episode, Mehmet speaks with Zeke Camusio, founder of Data Speaks, an AI-powered platform helping marketers and founders finally solve the attribution puzzle. From cutting through vanity metrics to deploying machine learning for media mix modeling, Zeke shares a tactical playbook for maximizing return on every marketing dollar—without increasing ad spend.
Whether you’re a founder navigating early-stage growth or a CMO optimizing multimillion-dollar campaigns, this conversation offers powerful insights into how AI is transforming marketing efficiency.
🔑 Key Takeaways
• The two major attribution challenges most startups overlook
• Why traditional analytics tools like Google Analytics can mislead your strategy
• The difference between multi-touch attribution and media mix modeling
• How AI and machine learning bring clarity to messy marketing data
• What startup founders should know before scaling their ad budget
• How to optimize ROI across multiple channels—even with limited resources
• What to expect from the future of marketing in a cookie-less, AI-powered world
💡 What You’ll Learn
• Why attribution is broken—and how to fix it
• How to reduce waste in marketing spend
• How small businesses can access tools once limited to enterprise
• The strategic role of AI in marketing planning
• When to consider first-party tracking vs. third-party pixels
• How to think about incrementality in your campaigns
👤 About Zeke Camusio
Zeke Camusio is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Data Speaks, an AI-powered analytics platform that helps companies identify what drives their sales and invest in the right marketing strategies.
With a background in economics and data science, Zeke has spent the last 20 years developing AI, machine learning and data analytics solutions, enabling hundreds of companies to make data-driven decisions and accelerate growth.
He is a frequent speaker at AI, machine learning, and digital marketing conferences and podcasts.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zekecamusio/
⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps
• [00:02:00] – Zeke’s background and journey from marketing agency to AI startup
• [00:06:00] – Common misconceptions about data-driven marketing
• [00:10:00] – Attribution breakdown: why last-click logic fails
• [00:13:00] – Explaining media mix modeling with real-world examples
• [00:17:00] – Where machine learning fits into attribution
• [00:20:00] – Why tracking individual users is no longer the best path
• [00:26:00] – Cost considerations: DIY vs. partnering with attribution experts
• [00:29:00] – Can we track traffic from ChatGPT and LLMs?
• [00:33:00] – Zeke’s prediction: AI agents as decision-making assistants
• [00:36:00] – Final advice for founders and marketing leaders