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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

This week’s episode of The Refresh skips the usual industry drama to spotlight three major developments in advertising and media. Host Kait walks through The Trade Desk’s milestone entry into the S&P 500, NBCUniversal’s record-setting upfront performance, and Delta’s bold use of AI for personalized airfare pricing. From validating independent ad tech to the future of programmatic sports buys and the controversy surrounding dynamic pricing, the episode unpacks where innovation is winning, and where it’s raising eyebrows.

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

In this episode of the AdTech God Pod, Zach Lain, Director of Global Data Partnerships at PepsiCo, dives into the evolving intersection of data, creativity, and marketing outcomes. He shares his unique path from Chinese language and law studies to running global data strategy at one of the world’s biggest brands. Zach discusses the importance of clean signal infrastructure, the cultural shift away from vanity metrics, and how clean rooms are reshaping collaboration. He also highlights AI's creative potential and the persistent challenge of ad fraud.

Chapters

03:25 The Unlikely Path to AdTech

08:25 Where Data Meets Art

14:00 Clean Rooms as Infrastructure

15:54 Culture Shift: Outcomes Over Impressions

22:56 Ad Fraud Is Everyone’s Problem

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

In this July 14th edition of The Refresh, host Kait recaps a whirlwind week in advertising marked by major leadership changes, surprising earnings news, and critical shifts in the social media and AI sectors. From Linda Yaccarino's headline-making exit at X to the rise of Threads and AI-powered browsers challenging Google, this episode covers the most important updates marketers need to know. With WPP's new CEO pick and YouTube's monetization policy pivot, it's clear the industry is evolving rapidly, both in people and platforms.

After a tumultuous tenure trying to stabilize X’s advertiser relations post-Elon Musk acquisition, Yaccarino stepped down, raising fresh concerns over the platform’s future ad revenue and signaling a deeper pivot toward AI integration via XAI.

With a background at Microsoft, Virgin Media, and Disney, Rose’s appointment signals WPP’s strategic shift toward becoming a more AI- and tech-centric organization amid falling revenue forecasts and mounting competitive pressure.

In an unscheduled earnings update, WPP downgraded its 2025 outlook to a 3–5% decline, citing macroeconomic headwinds and major client losses including Coca-Cola and Paramount.

Threads hit 115 million daily mobile users in June, up 128% year-over-year, while X saw a 15% drop. The user shift, particularly in the U.S., signals growing momentum for Meta’s Twitter alternative.

Perplexity released its new Comet browser and OpenAI’s rumored offering aims to make browsing fully conversational. Both aim to reshape search and ads with real-time, assistant-driven experiences that could threaten Google’s dominance.

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

In this episode of the Ad Tech Godpod, host AdTechGod speaks with Taylor Simons, founder of TCHT and former MediaMath executive. They discuss Taylor's intentional journey into ad tech, the lessons learned from MediaMath's bankruptcy, and the current trends in the industry, including the dynamics between SSPs and DSPs, bid duplication, and the role of SPO and curation. They also explore the limitations of the open exchange and the misaligned incentives within the ad tech ecosystem, concluding with a discussion on the future of AI in advertising.

takeaways

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ad Tech and Taylor Simons

02:10 Taylor's Journey into Ad Tech

05:09 Lessons from MediaMath's Bankruptcy

06:48 Current Trends in Ad Tech

08:59 Understanding SSPs vs. DSPs

11:06 Bid Duplication and Its Impact

13:13 The Role of SPO and Curation

15:41 The Limitations of Open Exchange

18:51 Incentives in the Ad Tech Ecosystem

22:49 The Future of AI in Ad Tech

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

In this week’s episode of The Refresh (July 7, 2025), Kait breaks down the top stories reshaping advertising and media. Apple’s massive push into theatrical releases hits a milestone with F1, raising questions about the long game for Apple’s entertainment ambitions. Meanwhile, Google launches OfferWall, a monetization tool built for the post-cookie, AI-dominated internet. And on Wall Street, Barclays delivers a sobering forecast for holding companies despite their AI investments. It’s a week that highlights how media, monetization, and market pressure are colliding across the ecosystem.

5 Key Highlights:

 Apple’s F1 film makes a strong debut, grossing $144 million globally in its opening weekend, but with production and marketing costs over $375 million, profitability is still uncertain.

Apple’s aggressive marketing strategy for F1 leveraged its entire ecosystem—from WWDC tie-ins and haptic trailers to in-phone ticket discounts via Apple Wallet—sparking debate over consumer boundaries. 

Google launches OfferWall, a new feature within Google Ad Manager allowing users to unlock premium content through ads, surveys, payments, or newsletter opt-ins, aiming to help publishers recover lost revenue in the AI-search era. 

OfferWall signals a move toward an incentivized internet, where users explicitly trade data, time, or small payments for content, though infrastructure and behavioral shifts are still major hurdles. • Barclays downgrades major ad holding companies (IPG, Omnicom, WPP), citing slow growth and AI disruption to traditional business models—but notes their current AI product launches and scale could pay off long-term.  

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