In this episode of the AdTechGod pod, Elizabeth Donovan, SVP Global Head of Commerce and Retail Media Networks at Kinesso/Acxiom/IPG , shares her journey into the retail media space, discussing her experiences at Marriott Media Networks and AccuWeather.

She emphasizes the importance of first-party data, the transformation in retail media, and the challenges she faced as a woman in a predominantly male industry. Elizabeth also highlights the significance of work-life balance and her aspirations for the next generation in the advertising industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Retail Media Expertise

01:08 Elizabeth's Journey into Retail Media

04:44 Kineso's Positioning in the Market

07:07 Transformation in Retail Media

09:52 The Role of First-Party Data

14:02 Challenges and Triumphs as a Woman in Ad Tech

19:06 Balancing Work and Personal Life

22:14 Future Aspirations for the Next Generation

On Today's The Refresh News: Walmart, Google, and the Shifting Ad Market

The Refresh breaks down three of the week’s biggest stories in advertising: Walmart opening up its relationship with The Trade Desk, Google’s use of advanced AI to combat ad fraud, and a recap of Upfront ad commitments that reveal the growing dominance of streaming. The conversation touches on the challenges facing independent DSPs, how advertisers continue to chase performance-driven platforms, and why streaming continues to pull dollars away from broadcast and cable.

5 Key Highlights:

Walmart and The Trade Desk’s partnership, once exclusive, is now open—raising questions about Walmart’s long-term retail media strategy.

The Trade Desk faces pressure from big tech platforms like Amazon and Google, who offer first-party data and vertically integrated capabilities independent DSPs can’t match.

Google has been quietly using multimodal large language models to reduce invalid traffic, achieving a reported 40% drop in mobile ad fraud.

Variety reports that primetime TV ad commitments declined again in 2025, while streaming saw nearly an 18% increase in ad spend.

Advertisers are chasing targeted audiences and programmatic opportunities in streaming, while networks push premium primetime content—including live sports—onto digital platforms.

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In this conversation, Ari Stein, Senior Director of Programmatic Sales at SiriusXM Media, shares insights into the evolution of audio streaming, the growth of podcasting, and the changing landscape of audio advertising.

He discusses his journey in the audio industry, the importance of company culture, and the future of audio in relation to AI. Ari emphasizes the growing demand for audio content and the unique opportunities it presents for marketers.

00:00 The Evolution of Audio Streaming

02:48 Ari's Journey in the Audio Industry

05:19 The Growth of Podcasting and Its Impact

08:07 Understanding Audio Advertising

10:47 The Shift in Media Buying Behavior

13:41 The Power of Audio in Marketing

15:41 The Importance of Company Culture

18:02 The Future of Audio and AI

20:25 Balancing Work and Personal Life

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This week’s episode of The Refresh dives into Walmart’s evolving partnership with The Trade Desk, signaling potential changes in retail media alliances. We explore Google’s use of large language models to combat ad fraud, achieving significant reductions in invalid traffic. Finally, we break down Variety’s latest upfronts report, showing a continued decline in primetime TV ad commitments and notable growth in streaming investment.

This week we cover:

Walmart and The Trade Desk’s relationship is moving from exclusive to open, raising questions about Walmart’s retail data strategy and potential in-house platform development.

The Trade Desk faces growing competition from vertically integrated giants like Amazon, Google, and Meta, which benefit from owned inventory and rich first-party data.

Google’s traffic quality team, in collaboration with Google Research and DeepMind, deployed large language models to detect and reduce mobile invalid traffic by 40%.

Variety reports primetime TV ad commitments fell for the third consecutive year, with broadcast down 2.5% and cable down 4.3%.

Streaming ad commitments surged nearly 18% year over year, driven by advanced targeting, programmatic buying opportunities, and high-value live sports content moving to digital platforms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Rachael Savage, Senior Vice President of Ad Revenue Operations at Hearst Magazines, shares her extensive background in the publishing industry, discussing her journey from early experiences in computer camp to her current role overseeing revenue operations for various media brands.

She highlights the transition from traditional news publishing to lifestyle content, the challenges and opportunities in revenue operations across print and digital, and the impact of AI on advertising and content creation. Rachael also reflects on the importance of collaboration, personal happiness, and maintaining a sense of humor in a fast-paced industry.

00:00 Introduction to Rachael Savage and Her Background

01:02 Career Journey: From Computer Camp to Ad Operations

04:40 Transitioning from News to Lifestyle Publishing

08:51 Revenue Operations: Print vs. Digital

11:08 Opportunities in the Second Half of the Year

18:28 The Role of AI in Advertising and Content Creation23:32Personal Insights: Balancing Work and Happiness

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In this week’s episode of The Refresh, Kait breaks down one of the biggest sports media deals in years: Disney’s ESPN has struck a landmark agreement with the NFL to take full control of the NFL Network, expand access to RedZone, and launch its long-awaited direct-to-consumer app. The episode also unpacks Instagram’s latest copycat features, Meta’s shifting engagement strategy, and a series of high-impact headlines from across the advertising and tech space, including lawsuits, mergers, and AI transparency battles.

Disney’s Massive NFL Deal: ESPN will gain operational control of the NFL Network and distribution rights to RedZone, while the NFL secures a 10% stake in ESPN, valued between $2.5 and $3 billion.

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In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, host AdTechGod interviews Walt Dublin, Vice President of Enterprise Publisher Development at Raptive.

Walt shares his journey into the ad tech industry, discussing the evolution of publisher partnerships, the impact of AI on content monetization, and the importance of diversity in the tech space. He emphasizes the need to protect publishers and their content while also highlighting innovative changes within the industry. The conversation concludes with Walt expressing his passion for education and mentorship.

Takeaways

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AdTech and Walt Dublin

02:27 Walt's Journey in AdTech

05:20 The Evolution of Publisher Partnerships

08:36 Protecting Publishers in the Age of AI

11:25 Innovations and Changes in Publishing

14:21 Diversity in AdTech and Its Importance

20:59 Passions Beyond AdTech

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In this week’s episode of The Refresh from Marketecture, host Kait unpacks three major developments across measurement, streaming, and advertising. Nielsen is facing renewed industry skepticism as data irregularities emerge in its TV measurement tools. Meanwhile, the future of cable TV may hinge on how live sports migrate to streaming, with ESPN’s direct-to-consumer plans threatening traditional models. Lastly, Meta delivers a strong Q2 earnings report, signaling that its investment in AI is paying off—especially for its ad business.

5 Key Highlights:

Nielsen Faces Backlash Over Data Discrepancies: Nielsen’s panel-plus-big-data TV measurement product is under fire due to inconsistencies in key demographic groups, like adults 25–54. The issues stem from its machine-learning model HDAM, which is used to assign household demographics.

Industry Pushes for Multi-Currency Measurement: Growing distrust in Nielsen’s accuracy has reignited interest in alternative providers like iSpot, VideoAmp, and ComScore, especially as advertisers demand more reliable and accredited audience insights.

ESPN Streaming Could Reshape Cable's Last Stronghold: ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service will bring its marquee live sports content online, accelerating cord-cutting trends and further weakening cable’s grip on viewers.

Cable TV Tries to Rebrand Through Sports Bundles: Providers like DirecTV are pivoting with sports aggregation bundles to compete with streaming. However, whether that’s enough to woo non-sports viewers back remains questionable.

Meta Crushes Earnings with Ad Growth and AI Investment: Meta reported 22% revenue growth in Q2, with ad revenue reaching $46.5 billion. The company is leaning heavily into AI tools for advertisers and remains committed to evolving its ad ecosystem through advanced tech.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the AdTechGod pod, Edina Kalamperovic, SVP of Retail Growth at Epsilon, shares her unique journey from agency to ad tech, emphasizing the importance of understanding client relationships and the evolving landscape of digital advertising. She discusses the significance of data utilization, personalization, and the future of retail media, while also highlighting her personal brand loyalty to Anthropology and the impact of consumer experience.

00:00 Introduction to AdTech and Edina's Journey

08:20 The Evolution of Client Relationships and Data Utilization

15:39 Retail Media and the Future of Commerce

20:28 Personal Brand Loyalty and Consumer Experience

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In this episode of The Refresh, host Kait unpacks some of the most significant shifts in media, search, and publishing. Alphabet reported record-breaking Q2 earnings driven by cloud and search, despite concerns about AI competition. Newsweek is proactively adjusting its business model to combat AI-related traffic threats, and the Paramount–Skydance merger finally got the FCC’s green light, complete with political controversy and a timely South Park takedown.

Alphabet's Blowout Quarter: Alphabet hit $96.4 billion in Q2 revenue, driven by strong performance in cloud (up 32%) and ad sales (up 10.4%), with YouTube capturing nearly 13% of all U.S. TV screen time.

Publisher Impact from Generative AI: Google’s AI overviews and search innovations are reducing referral traffic to publishers, with its network division down $100M this quarter—an early signal of monetization shifts.

Newsweek’s Monetization Overhaul: Facing declining search-driven traffic, Newsweek aims to lower its ad revenue dependency by investing in healthcare adtech, subscriptions, and syndication deals to charge AI bots for crawling content.

Paramount–Skydance Merger Approved: The FCC approved the controversial Paramount-Skydance deal, just days after a $16M Trump settlement and CBS’ cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

South Park Weighs In: South Park’s season premiere mocked the Paramount merger and its political ties—airing hours after a $1.5B content deal was finalized between the show’s creators and Paramount.

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AdTechGod speaks with Austin Scott, the CCO and founder of Bedrock Platform. They discuss Austin's extensive career in ad tech, her transition from corporate roles to entrepreneurship, and the challenges and opportunities within the ad tech ecosystem. The conversation also delves into the evolution of connected TV (CTV) and programmatic advertising, as well as the need for a redefined marketing funnel in today's digital landscape.

Takeaways

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Austin Scott and Bedrock Platform

02:11 Austin's Career Journey in Ad Tech

11:33 Transitioning to Xander and Cultural Insights

14:45 Challenges in the Ad Tech Ecosystem

20:23 The Future of CTV and Programmatic Advertising

27:05 Redefining the Marketing Funnel

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices