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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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