138: Erin Foxworthy: Snowflake’s Industry Lead on the future of data warehousing, from APIs to data sharing and a unified data layer

What’s up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Erin Foxworthy, Industry Lead, Advertisers & Agencies at Snowflake. 

Summary: In this episode, Erin takes us on a ride through the merging worlds of martech, adtech, AI, and privacy, giving a bold glimpse into what’s next for customer data. We cover how you can use 1st party data for seed predictions, why it’s time you move on from APIs and adopt data sharing and what the unified data layer means for marketers. Oh and Erin gives us her take on the uncertainty of Google's cookie deprecation rollback.

About Erin

• Erin is former Category Development Lead at Microsoft Advertising collaborating with product, marketing and sales teams
• She later became Executive VP of Partnerships and Innovation at Horizon Media – the popular NYC-based ad agency –  focused on first-to-market creative and data opportunities for her clients
• She’s also a well traveled speaker and was awarded the Technology Leader at Cynopsis Top Women in Media in 2020
• Today Erin serves as the Industry Principal for media, entertainment and advertising at Snowflake, focusing on advertisers and agencies 

The duality of creativity and measurement in advertising

In the early days of advertising, media was often an afterthought. Erin recalls how the majority of a CMO's focus was on perfecting commercial spots, direct mail, or magazine ads, with meticulous attention to detail. The creative side was the talk of the industry, leaving media playing a supporting role. However, as digital platforms emerged and ad units fragmented, the dynamic shifted. Creative and media teams, which were once tightly knit, began to drift apart, especially as agencies expanded to handle the complexity of new media channels.

Erin notes that media became so specialized across different digital platforms that it gradually separated from the creative process. In her own career, which began at a full-service agency, she experienced this firsthand. Early on, she worked side by side with creative directors and copywriters, but as agencies scaled and media buying spread across hundreds of channels, those joint discussions became fewer. The focus shifted to simply managing the volume, leaving less time for deeper creative collaboration.

What's promising, though, is the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to bridge that gap again. Erin suggests that advancements in AI are already pushing the industry toward more integrated workflows. Platforms are increasingly using AI-driven algorithms to optimize ad performance—automating decisions and delivering results in a more turnkey fashion. This, she believes, will allow media teams to shift some of their focus back toward creative strategy.

In her view, AI could also democratize creativity, empowering marketers who may not traditionally be involved in creative production to step into that space. With AI handling the data-driven optimization, there’s an opportunity for marketers and agencies to bring creative and media closer together once again, regaining the collaboration that once defined the advertising world.

Key takeaway: AI advancements are reshaping the relationship between creative and media in advertising, offering a chance to reconnect these disciplines. This evolution could allow marketers to step into creative roles while freeing up time to focus on what works, both organically and through paid channels.

The future of automation in creative marketing

We often wonder how far we can trust machines to handle core marketing tasks, especially in areas like email where AI-driven recommendations are common but often met with skepticism. When asked about automation in creative marketing, Erin shared a candid perspective on where the industry stands.

Erin points out that automation’s impact is already visible in marketing operations, particularly in tasks like resizing creative and ad serving. These areas are primed for disruption, and automation is becoming essential in managing the growing complexity of campaign delivery. However, when it comes to more creative and brand-focused ad units, she remains unconvinced that AI is ready to replace the human touch anytime soon.

For Erin, the heart of the issue lies in the nuances of brand messaging. Creative ad units are designed to build emotional connections with consumers, and this often requires a level of empathy and intuition that AI can't replicate—at least not yet. While AI can handle logistics and optimization in areas like programmatic advertising, the human element remains critical for conveying the personality and tone of a brand.

She sees AI's role expanding in marketing operations, but for now, brand messaging is where human creativity holds its ground. As AI continues to evolve, marketers will need to find the right balance, leveraging automation for efficiency while maintaining the human insight necessary to craft compelling, emotionally resonant ads.

Key takeaway: Automation will continue to disrupt marketing operations, particularly in optimizing workflows and ad delivery. However, for creative brand messaging, human creativity remains irreplaceable. Marketers should embrace AI for its efficiency while ensuring it complements, rather than replaces, the human touch in their messaging strategy.

Understanding the convergence of Martech and AdTech

When asked about the distinction between Martech and AdTech, Erin provides an insightful perspective. Traditionally, people often simplify the divide: Martech is for marketers and AdTech is for advertisers. However, she views this as an oversimplification that doesn’t capture the true nature of the industry’s evolution. Both are ultimately driven by technology—platforms created by companies that serve both marketers and advertisers as users. The complexity lies not in who controls the platform, but in finding the right technology to meet the needs of a specific enterprise.

Erin emphasizes that this convergence is especially noticeable as personalization becomes central to marketing and advertising strategies. Where Martech was once seen as powering owned channels like email and SMS, and AdTech controlled paid channels like social ads and programmatic buys, today, the line between the two is blurring. Personalization is no longer limited to owned channels; it’s becoming essential in paid media, social platforms, and even connected TV (CTV) campaigns. This level of integration hinges on having the right data infrastructure, enabling one-to-one conversations across all customer touchpoints.

What makes this especially challenging is the industry's historical lack of unified strategy across these channels. Erin notes that traditionally, marketers have operated in silos—sending emails, running social ads, and buying media independently. Now, with the growing expectation for a seamless, personalized experience, businesses must integrate these efforts to understand how various touchpoints—whether through an SMS campaign, social ad, or CTV buy—are interacting to shape the customer journey.

At its core, this shift is about harnessing data across all platforms and using it to create personalized, consistent messaging. For Erin, the convergence of Martech and AdTech means unifying applications on a scalable platform that can support this kind of holistic approach. This trend is exciting and challenging, pushing companies to rethink the ways they manage customer data and interactions.

Key takeaway: The traditional divide between Martech and AdTech is becoming outdated. As personalization continues to drive both marketing and advertising, the real challenge lies in unifying customer interactions across all channels on a scalable platform. Businesses must move beyond simple categorizations and focus on ...