The Aperiam Podcast

Heather Macaulay, co-founder of MADConnect and a Marketecture Audience Choice winner, discusses the often-overlooked 'connectivity tax' in AdTech and MarTech. She reveals how brittle API integrations sap engineering resources and stall project progress. The conversation dives into MADConnect's role in modernizing infrastructure for seamless data communication. Heather emphasizes the importance of solid data pipelines for AI readiness and shares insights on outsourcing integration maintenance as a cost-effective strategy for companies.

AI is transforming the advertising landscape, prompting agencies to rethink their models. Joe and Corey highlight how brands are beginning to experiment with AI for planning and measurement. They discuss the cultural shifts and investments in tools like Marcel at Publicis, while smaller agencies seize opportunities created by AI. CMOs are encouraged to lead AI adoption by focusing on practical wins. The conversation also delves into the evolving role of programmatic advertising and the importance of assembling diverse, AI-savvy teams. Get ready to adapt or fall behind!

Jenna Griffith, a senior leader in product and marketing for payments and ads, shares her insights on effective leadership during times of change. She emphasizes that clarity is crucial—communication must be frequent to avoid misunderstandings. Jenna discusses the importance of listening to front-line workers and using data to guide internal trust. With AI reshaping roles, she insists that leaders adapt quickly to support the next generation. Ultimately, Jenna advocates for a customer-first approach to challenge internal biases and foster innovation.

Oz Etzioni, CEO of Clinch, leads a breakthrough orchestration platform that connects creative and media for targeted ad delivery. He discusses the urgent need for brands to unify their creative strategies with real-time media planning, especially amidst the rise of AI. Major shifts are reshaping the landscape, with dynamic, personalized content becoming essential. Oz emphasizes automation's role in enhancing efficiency, boosting sales through personalization, and reshaping creative roles while forecasting an increasingly automated future in advertising.

The conversation dives into the changing landscape of the open web as AI influences consumer interactions. Experts discuss the balance between technology and evolving business models. Flexibility and a willingness to experiment become crucial for publishers and brands. They explore how customer feedback can shape product direction while emphasizing that the open web is far from dead—it's adapting. Founders and businesses are encouraged to rethink strategies, harness partnerships, and navigate new market dynamics to seize opportunities.

Turning a great idea into a successful business requires founders to stay closely connected to their early customers. The pitfalls of hiring a senior sales leader too soon can derail progress, so a player-coach is often the better alternative. Effective storytelling and customer feedback are crucial for iterating on products. As companies scale, understanding when to transition from founder-led sales is essential. International expansion and channel partnerships present significant challenges that need careful planning and execution.

Max Snow and Frank Portman, co-founders of Yobi, share their journey from a behavioral science research lab to building a powerful privacy-forward data estate. They discuss their commitment to ethical consumer behavior prediction sparked by their Princeton roots. The duo reveals how they've innovated in programmatic advertising and CTV, leveraging partnerships with Microsoft Azure to enhance privacy while scaling. They also touch on modeling consumer behavior dynamically and navigating the current AI landscape amidst the hype, while maintaining transparency and trust.

In our latest Aperiam Podcast, Joe and Corey dug into the ongoing tug-of-war every CMO faces: what to keep in-house and what to outsource.This isn’t a new debate. Marketing has always lived on a continuum—search once started outsourced, then became core. Social was brought in-house, then pushed out again. Creative has cycled between internal teams and outside agencies. And now AI is adding a new twist, with vendors pitching both sides of the argument: “AI makes it simple enough to run internally” vs. “AI lets us scale your marketing more cost-effectively.”See where we think the pendulum will go next.

Ari Paparo, a 20-year ad tech veteran and the founder of Beeswax, joins to discuss his new book, Yield. He shares insights from his extensive career with companies like DoubleClick and AppNexus. Ari explains how he captured the history of programmatic advertising, including the intricacies of Google's dominance. He highlights surprising findings from his research, such as Google's dual bidding practices, and offers a candid take on industry challenges. Tune in for an insider's perspective on the evolving landscape of digital advertising!

Explore how audience fragmentation impacts trust in today's digital landscape. Traditional sources of credibility are losing relevance, shifting trust to influencers and niche communities. Advertisers face new challenges in building strong connections with audiences. The necessity to earn trust alongside attention is highlighted, making it more crucial than ever. The conversation also touches on the role of AI in enhancing creative strategy and measurement, emphasizing the need for adaptive marketing approaches.