Adtech Unfiltered

Fragmentation in the marketing industry isn’t new—but the pressure to make faster, smarter decisions in today's increasingly complex landscape is. In this episode, Greg Dolan, CEO and co-founder of Keen Decision Systems, joins host Noor Naseer to discuss how marketing mix modeling (MMM) is evolving to meet these challenges.   Dolan outlines how breaking down marketing silos with a top-down and bottom-up approach can drive better decisions, collaboration, and results across teams and organizations. He and Noor also explore why real-time insights and holistic measurement are critical in a world of shrinking budgets and exploding channels.

Is too much tech undermining your marketing strategy?   In an era where there seems to be a tech point solution for everything, hear why it’s critical to build a strong strategic foundation first before layering on technology and automation.   Tash Walker, founder of global research agency The Mix, joins host Noor Naseer to explore how marketers are mistaking data for insight, and why chasing short-term media metrics can derail long-term brand growth. Together, they break down what it takes to craft strong, human-centered strategies in a fragmented media landscape—and why it’s time to rethink how much thinking we’re outsourcing to our tools.

Host Noor Naseer sits down with author, podcaster, and ad industry visionary Rishad Tobaccowala to discuss how leaders should be rethinking work in today’s adtech landscape. Rishad explores how work has fundamentally changed, details the evolving priorities of the modern workforce, and shares why the adtech industry must broaden its perspective to stay relevant. Listen in for candid conversation and actionable advice on navigating the future of work in advertising and adtech.

In the fast-evolving world of programmatic media and adtech, staying informed is key to advertising success. In this episode, U of Digital Founder Shiv Gupta joins host Noor Naseer to discuss how advertisers need sources of credible information to build sound adtech perspective. Gupta explores how education can help advertisers adapt to rapid industry evolutions, from AI-driven programmatic advertising to evolving privacy regulations. This episode equips advertisers with the mindset shift needed to stay competitive as changes like these redefine the advertising ecosystem.

In a time of obsession over AI and automation, are too many media buyers choosing to set it and forget it? Albert Thompson, Managing Director of Digital Innovation at Walton Issacson, thinks so.   In this episode, Thompson shares how bringing more human insight to programmatic campaigns is vital for optimal media performance. Together with host Noor Naseer, he explores how buyers can blend automation with human expertise to drive more successful campaigns.

In today's dynamic advertising landscape, media buyers must navigate a complex web of partner relationships, buying decisions and shifting industry trends. In this episode of Adtech Unfiltered, Shelby Saville, Chief Executive Officer at Starcom US, shares valuable insights from her time serving as Chief Investment Officer at Publicis Media, US. Together with host Noor Naseer, Saville discusses her approach to partner engagement, what drives investment strategies, and how buying teams can adapt to stay ahead. Her candid perspective offers actionable lessons for both buyers and sellers looking to succeed in an ever-evolving ecosystem.

In this episode of AdTech Unfiltered, Beau Davis, seasoned mobile sales leader and co-founder of sales consultancy Futureproofd, shares insights into the challenges sellers face in today’s advertising ecosystem.   Davis explores strategies for overcoming these obstacles, from longer sales cycles and less face time with clients to growing skepticism from buyers. Together with host Noor Naseer, he discusses what sellers need to know before securing meetings and how to better connect with ad agencies, particularly holding companies.

As advertisers lose more and more classic signals like cookies and MAIDs, adopting effective alternatives for targeting and attribution is more crucial than ever.   In this episode, Vince Voiro, Sr. Director of Connectivity & Ecosystem at LiveRamp, shares the latest on one of these alternative solutions: identity resolution. Together with host Noor Naseer, Voiro explores what identity resolution is, what data is needed to enable it, how it can improve activations and measurement workflows, and more.

In the context of today’s quickly evolving advertising landscape, agencies must keep pace with the rapid growth of digital media and adtech to meet their clients' needs. Brands are demanding deeper insights and expertise around which platforms to invest in, how to leverage first-party data for greater impact, and more.   In this episode, John Lods, CEO of the agency Arm Candy, shares his thoughts on navigating these complexities. Together with host Noor Naseer, Lods explores how agencies can stay ahead of the curve, evaluate new technologies, and offer meaningful, data-driven advice that sets their clients up for success.

Advertisers and brands are hungry to capitalize on AI. But attempts to market and adopt the technology have grown so omnipresent that it seems the industry has skipped past gaining a solid understanding of what AI actually is.   Alex Castrounis is the Founder and CEO of Why of AI, an AI consultancy that educates and advises businesses on investing in AI in impactful ways. In this episode, he lays out the foundational knowledge marketers need to effectively harness this much hyped emerging technology.

Automation is an oft-mentioned word that can mean many different things in advertising. As the Founder and Chief Product Officer of automation solutions organization Fluency, Eric Mayhew has made it his purpose to improve how people buy digital media. He joins host Noor Naseer to highlight how automation and AI can reduce low-value manual labor, minimize friction in workflows and help people and organizations unleash themselves from the laborious aspects of media buying.

In this episode, host Noor Naseer delves into the intricacies of Supply Path Optimization (SPO) and Header Bidding with Basis Technologies VP of Product (DSP) Ian Trider. He sheds light on the supply path’s crucial role in impactful programmatic media buying. Ian explains how this strategy enhances transparency and efficiency in the digital advertising supply chain. The episode explores how advertisers can benefit from selecting optimal paths to reach their target audiences while minimizing costs and fraud. 

What does it take to uncover what’s really going on in adtech? A whole lot of effort that not every advertising professional knows they need to put forth. In a fast-growing multibillion dollar industry, it’s increasingly challenging to discern truth from the carefully crafted narratives propagated by ad solution providers. In this episode, industry thought leader and AdProfs founder Ratko Vidakovic joins host Noor Naseer to discuss how to find and distinguish adtech truths from not-so-hidden agendas.

After a dip in ad spend in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns, digital out-of-home is back in a big way, with programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) projected to be a billion dollar category by the end of next year.   In this episode, Ian Dallimore, VP of Digital Growth and GM of Programmatic at Lamar Advertising, joins host Noor Naseer to discuss what digital and programmatic buyers should know about this channel, from misconceptions to big opportunities.

While many players in the advertising industry have reprioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion in the past few years, underrepresentation of historically marginalized communities in programmatic media inventory is an ongoing problem.    President of Advertising at Group Black, Kerel Cooper, is working to change that by building a publisher collective that aggregates programmatic inventory focused on reaching Black audiences. In this episode, Kerel discusses what advertisers and marketers can do to support the advancement of the Black media ecosystem.

To navigate the growing complexity of digital marketing and the rising importance of first-party data, marketers are deepening their tech stacks. In particular, more brands are considering investing in a customer data platform, or CDP. In this episode, Cory Munchbach, CEO of CDP company BlueConic, breaks down the use cases for a CDP, how to identify if a brand is well-positioned to leverage one, and best practices to help marketers reap the rewards of this popular but complex tool.

This recent era of uncertainty leaves little room for marketers who inadvertently hinder lifetime customer value. In this month's episode, Vera Shafiq, VP of Digital Strategy at Location 3, explores how and why advertisers must rethink turnkey but shortsighted marketing and media tactics that curb long-term success. Her conversation with host Noor Naseer touches on strategies for generating scalable and sustainable results for agencies and brands. 

Nearly a decade after its debut, programmatic in-housing is having a moment. Many brands and agencies that buy programmatic media are expressing a renewed interest in bringing those capabilities in-house. The resurgence has organizations doing a deep evaluation on what in-housing means to them and determining what they seek to achieve by pursuing it. Host Noor Naseer chats with Raashee Gupta Erry, principal and founder of UpLevel Digital Media Consulting, about how an organization can determine if in-housing is right for them. They explore the many ways to interpret what in-housing can entail, discuss who needs to be involved when considering the possibility, and much more.

Marketers in the cannabis space face a host of unique challenges. From navigating advertising regulations, to reframing stigmas, to understanding under-researched audience segments, the opportunities presented by cannabis are accompanied by significant hurdles. Sam Hollander, Chief Digital Officer at Enlighten, joined the podcast this month to share what he's learned building an advertising framework for the largest digital retail and digital marketing company in cannabis. Listen in to learn why education should be a priority for cannabis marketers, what first steps marketers should take before launching a campaign, which consumer profiles they should pay attention to, and more.

Finding a mentor is difficult in any industry, but the adtech world poses its own unique set of challenges for those seeking guidance in an ever-evolving field. Renowned adtech sales leader, executive advisor, and AdTech Personality of the Year nominee Matt Barash has been a longtime beneficiary of mentorship and enjoys mentoring others as well. In this episode, he chats with host Noor Naseer about how to find well-suited mentors, how to make the most of the relationship, and reasons to become a mentor as you grow in your career.