
Madison and Wall Podcast
Madison and Wall's Brian Wieser digs nto how the advertising business really works. Subscribe for analysis, insight and more about advertising, media and technology trends.
Access more M&W research summaries and analysis by subscribing to our complimentary Saturday newsletter at https://madisonandwall.substack.com/.
To learn about becoming a paid subscriber or advertising with us, reach out to Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com.
Latest episodes

Jan 3, 2025 • 12min
Episode 16: TikTok Ban, Omnicom-IPG, Marketer CEO/CFO Comments and More From 2024's Most Popular Posts
Each week on the M&W Podcast, we review Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. We explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.This week we review Madison and Wall's most popular pieces of research during 2024, which highlighted to us some of the year's most important issues to the industry, at least among our readers. These included multiple posts on TikTok, the Omnicom-Interpublic merger, and our analysis of packaged goods company CEO and CFO commentary

Dec 20, 2024 • 11min
Episode 15: The Certainty of More Uncertainty, Plus Sports Rights Up, Other Content Spend Down And More
Each week on the M&W Podcast, we review Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. We explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.This week we review news from the Federal Reserve (and its implications on advertising) as well as our recent work on content spending, packaged goods trends and more!

Dec 13, 2024 • 21min
Episode 14: New Streaming Video Strategies, IPG-Omnicom and More!
Each week on the M&W Podcast, we review Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. We explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.In this episode, Brian looks at a flurry of news relevant to the future of streaming video services and the relationships media conglomerates have with distributors, explores why Warner Bros. Discovery's break-up into two divisions is a bad idea and reviews the news of Omnicom buying Interpublic.

Dec 6, 2024 • 21min
Episode 13: New Ad Forecast! 2025's Advertising Economy Previewed. Plus, a Review of P&G, Nestle and Unilever Investor Days
Each week on the M&W Podcast, we review Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. We explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.In this episode, Brian looks at Madison & Wall's latest advertising industry forecast for 2025 and beyond and reviews key themes for the sector from investor days hosted in recent weeks by major marketers P&G, Nestle and Unilever.Listen to this episode and future M&W Podcast episodes at https://feeds.captivate.fm/madison-and-wall/.

Nov 22, 2024 • 17min
Episode 12: News on News After a Pharma TV Ad Ban, E-Commerce and More
Each week on the M&W Podcast, we review Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. We explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.In this episode, Brian looks at the latest e-commerce sales data, Comcast's non-strategic view of cable networks along with the history of USA Network, plus additional analysis on how an installation of RFK Jr. into the US government may lead to a meaningful negative financial impact on the real news business.Listen to this episode and future M&W Podcast episodes at https://feeds.captivate.fm/madison-and-wall/.

Nov 15, 2024 • 15min
Episode 11: Corporate Parking Tickets, Condiment Inflation, Healthcare Advertising And More
Each week on the M&W Podcast, we review Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. We explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.In this episode, Brian looks at new economics data (turns out condiments are getting more expensive), Meta's big news week, our new analysis on consumer spending on video services and the history of pharmaceutical advertising in the United States, among other topics.Listen to this episode and future M&W Podcast episodes at https://feeds.captivate.fm/madison-and-wall/.

Nov 8, 2024 • 15min
Episode 10: TikTok Banned, Eh? Plus, A Deluge of 3Q24 Advertising Data
The podcast dives into the potential TikTok ban in Canada and its implications for U.S. competitors. There's a fascinating look at how AI is reshaping marketing strategies in fast food. The discussion shifts to the decline of national TV ad revenues and what that means for political advertising. Insights on outdoor advertising performance and the impact of regulatory changes on younger social media users also make waves. Lastly, it highlights Paramount's advertising trends and how ownership caps affect industry dynamics.

Nov 1, 2024 • 25min
Episode 9: The Politics of Advertising (And the Espresso Machine Wars)
Each week on the M&W Podcast, Olivia Morley and Brian Wieser discuss Madison & Wall’s research and analysis to help listeners understand how the advertising business works. They explore how the economy and major trends impact the ad industry, delve into relevant accounting and finance concepts, and touch on advertising history.In this episode, Brian and Olivia break down the implications of the current political landscape on the advertising industry and explore the consequences for media owners and advertisers under potential new administrations. They also dig into the surprising outcomes of measuring attention metrics and why the definition of "attention” might need to evolve.Later, the hosts consider how AI-driven tools and their associated capital expenditures could alter the financial planning of tech giants. Plus, Olivia shares a history lesson on Havas, charting its transformation from 19th-century news bulletins to becoming one of today’s major global advertising players.And finally, they ponder the future of consumer interactions with technology and ask: Are we heading into an era where espresso machine bots choose products on our behalf?Listen to this episode and future M&W Podcast episodes at https://feeds.captivate.fm/madison-and-wall/.Access more M&W research summaries and analysis by subscribing to our complimentary Saturday newsletter at https://madisonandwall.substack.com/.To discuss advertising opportunities or provide feedback, reach out to Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com, or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Oct 25, 2024 • 30min
Episode 8: How Pumpkin Patches Grow
This episode kicks off with lighthearted stories from a pumpkin patch trip and a mountain biking class. The hosts tackle the challenges of measuring economic growth in Europe. They dive into a heated debate on marketing reach, questioning long-held beliefs about brand growth. The conversation also unpacks trust issues in advertising, particularly in the oil sector. Finally, they explore the financial implications of various advertising expenses, linking historical marketing theories to current industry practices.

Oct 18, 2024 • 19min
Episode 7: Apple-Picking Advertising
Delve into the intriguing connection between personal experiences and advertising trends, highlighting income inequality's impact on consumer behavior. Discover Adobe's groundbreaking AI in video production and the clash between holistic and specialized marketing tools. Uncover the struggles of small businesses against larger firms in the advertising landscape and the critical role of content investment. Additionally, contrast traditional software revenue vs. SaaS models, and learn from Adobe's evolution to Creative Cloud, illustrating the importance of long-term strategies.