3439: Zeta and the Future of AI-Powered Marketing That Drives Real ROI

Zeta Global’s CTO, Chris Monberg talks about building AI that helps brands grow with repeatable, scalable programs without losing the spark that makes a brand feel human.

Zeta’s promise is simple to say and hard to do. Help marketers deliver better results with less waste by pairing strong data, clear identity, and practical AI inside the Zeta Marketing Platform.

What stood out first was Chris’s view of design as a contact sport. He hires builders who live in the work, and he still enjoys rolling up his sleeves himself. That mindset shows up in how Zeta approaches AI for marketing.

Rather than shouting for the next click, he wants systems that perceive intent and context. He described an early lesson from retail floors in Seattle. The best experience came from people who noticed a customer’s posture and pace before speaking.

 Empathetic design translates that awareness into algorithms that understand latent signals and respond with care, not noise.

We also dug into a tension many leaders feel. Automation is exciting, but nobody wants generic content. Chris answered with a practical frame. Give marketers a way to create a personal “super agent” that learns from their choices, their brand voice, and the paths they take through the platform.

Offload the repetitive chores, keep creative control, and grow pride of ownership. That pride matters because it breeds adoption. When teams feel the system reflects them, they keep using it and keep improving it.

Another thread was trust. In Chris’s words, the market still underestimates what these tools can do, partly because users are unsure where the value comes from.

Zeta is leaning into transparency so teams can see how decisions are made and how results tie back to their inputs. Data and identity are the moat, but privacy and compliance are the foundation.

He was candid about the weekly grind of meeting new regulatory needs region by region. That operational discipline shapes how Zeta decides to build, buy, or partner. Acquisitions must make sense on day one and integrate fast, with people as the primary asset.

Chris also spoke directly to younger builders who feel stuck. There are no shortcuts. The only way through is work, curiosity, and a willingness to learn in public. He sees small teams pushing new protocols and patterns forward, and he wants more marketers and technologists to join that frontier with clear eyes and a bias for doing.

We closed on culture. Zeta Live in New York brings sports and tech onto the same stage, and there is a reason. When the wider world pays attention, ideas travel further.

If you care about marketing that respects customers and still moves the needle, this episode will give you a practical blueprint. It is about AI that makes room for people, systems that earn trust, and a product leader who still enjoys getting a little grease under his nails.