Performance Marketing Unlocked

Apple’s latest adtech crackdown raises big questions for advertisers: is privacy winning, or are walled gardens simply gaining more power? We take a look at arguably the most anti-advertising giant in Big Tech.

Also in this episode, PMW’s editorial team discuss the latest launches at Advertising Week New York, including ChatGPT’s fashion try-ons.

We also have exciting news about the launch of our London show, Performance Marketing World Unlocked, entering its fifth year with a bang — including an early bird offer for listeners.

Episode breakdown

(2:30) A special announcement on Performance Marketing World Unlocked 2027

(4:01) ChatGPT’s latest ad formats and news from Advertising Week New York

(7:10) Has Apple declared war on open web advertisers?

~ Further reading ~

ChatGPT Ads gains independent measurement as IAS and DV step in

Apple’s iOS 27 is blocking The Trade Desk from serving ads on Safari

ChatGPT adds virtual try-ons as OpenAI pushes further into shopping

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI continues to double down on advertising, but are ChatGPT Ads' new 'Sponsored Agents' asking for too much unearned trust?

Also in this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's editorial team discuss the future of the UK's creator economy, assessing whether or not advertisers should be excited at the prospect of a billion dollar industry.

Finally, the team says farewell to host Joe, who is sadly leaving PMW and the podcast behind to pursue greener pastures back in his homeland of Australia – gifting everyone with his own attempt at PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge on his way out.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:52) Is OpenAI tempting fate?

(10:43) Can anything slow down the creator economy?

(22:08) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge

~ Further reading ~

‘Advertisers should be wary’: Are ChatGPT’s Sponsored Agents a risk worth taking?

ChatGPT rolls out conversational ads with ‘Sponsored Agents’

‘The growth rate tells its own story’: Should adland be excited about a billion dollar UK creator economy?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Users want personalisation, but an increasingly challenging targeting landscape – full of signal loss, third-party cookie deprecation, heightened consumer skepticism and increased regulation – is making fulfilling this wish tricky.

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Simi Gill, Head of Digital at The Kite Factory, joins host Joe to provide a roadmap for solving this problem. Together, the pair reveal how marketers can meet consumers' personalisation expectations without putting their privacy at risk.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:01) Why don't consumers want to hand over their data?

(15:46) Balancing automated targeting with human oversight

(24:24) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge

~ Further reading ~

‘Commerce is now the measurement layer’: 12 marketers on what to expect at DMEXCO 2026

UK Government urged to end cookie banners for ‘low-risk uses’

Stop buying channels in isolation: Why omnichannel is changing programmatic for the better

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attribution appears doomed to a future of fragmentation and guesswork, suffering from a "perfect storm" of disaster... but things might not quite be so dire.

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford and Jaye Cowle, CEO of Launch, join host Joe to talk the future of attribution. Together, the trio create a road-map for how marketers can plug future measurement gaps and ensure everyone gets a fair slice of the attribution pie. 

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:24) Where is attribution headed?

(16:44) How can you keep clients on side?

(28:24) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge

~ Further reading ~

3 tough questions on... attribution

Should affiliate marketing move away from last-click altogether?

Are attribution models leaving content creators out in the cold?

If ChatGPT recommends a product, who should get paid?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Governments, regulators and competitors are doing what they can to stifle Big Tech's dominance across adland. Yet, key players such as Google, Meta and Amazon continue to reign supreme despite a myriad of legal troubles. Can the open web survive?

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, host Joe is joined by PMW's Senior News Reporter to analyse if Big Tech has become indestructible, and whether or not this spells disaster for the future of the open internet and its supporters like The Trade Desk.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:14) Big Tech's legal troubles

(10:47) The moral dilemma of Meta

(19:16) Where to next?

~ Further reading ~

‘Wrist-slaps for anti-competitive conduct’: Does adland agree with the DOJ’s Google AdX verdict?

‘Brands are stuck in a moral dilemma’: Is Meta’s $18bn settlement a sign to cut adspend on social?

The Trade Desk to cut 15% of global workforce in restructuring

Amazon slams FTC's ad auction lawsuit as 'misguided'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI answers, social search, and evolving consumer intent have completely rewritten the rules of discovery. So, what is actually happening to purchase decisions – and how do you measure success when the click vanishes?

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, host Joe is joined by Lottie Namakando, SVP of the Total Search Practice at WPP Media UK, to explore how advertisers can traverse AI Overviews, fragmented discovery, and the growing search trust gap.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:10) How are AI answers changing consumers' buying behaviours?

(11:11) Do sponsored AI search results risk eroding user trust?

(20:31) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge

~ Further reading ~

80% of Google searches with AI-generated summaries end without a click

Consumers now trust AI for shopping decisions more than social media – report

‘OpenAI is about to monetise conversation itself’: Adland reacts to ChatGPT Ads reaching the UK

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

YouTube just changed the rules regarding its view metric, counting views the second a video or Short begins as opposed to after a certain amount of engagement, likely causing a dramatic spike in viewership without an increase in watch hours. On the surface, it feels like a step away from modern measurement metrics – which focus more on engagement rather than impressions – but it might point to a deeper repositioning of the platform.

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford joins host Joe to discuss whether or not YouTube is pivoting away from being a streamer towards re-focusing on its bread and butter, social video.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:39) Why did YouTube just change its view threshold?

(8:22) Should creators be concerned?

(12:52) Are TV Home Screen ads as effective as advertisers hope?

~ Further reading ~

YouTube changes view count metric and doubles monetisation threshold

Did YouTube just ruin the view?

Teads and Hisense OS V partner on 10-day Black Friday TV home screen takeover

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Standard digital dashboards tell you where the click happened, but they miss where the purchase was born. Fortunately, returning to an older medium with a modern twist can help fill this critical measurement gap.

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Charmaine Tavassoly Moss, Programmatic Business Development Manager, UK, Bauer Media Outdoor, explains how programmatic digital-out-of-home (DOOH) and marketing mix modelling (MMM) are working together to fix your attribution crisis.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(2:32) Why is OOH making a comeback?

(12:35) How can we ensure pDOOH is incremental?

(17:39) Overrated/underrated

~ Further reading ~

‘A refreshingly upbeat set of numbers to see’: Industry thoughts on latest AA/WARC report

AA/WARC: UK adspend grows 9.3% to open 2026

IPA Bellwether: ‘We must move beyond isolated channel performance’

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does Andy Burnham's subscriptions crackdown impact advertisers? Does Nielsen's acquisition of DoubleVerify put independent measurement under more pressure? And should your brand have a podcast?

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Senior News Reporter Bethany Lee joins host Joe for a quick-fire news round-up. The pair discuss all the big headlines from across the marketing landscape you can't afford to miss, from our new Prime Minister's "everyday fixes" to another big adtech acquisition.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(1:26) Andy Burnham is changing the subscription game

(7:37) Nielsen purchases DoubleVerify – what happens to measurement now?

(14:00) How podcasts are helping brands win over consumers

~ Further reading ~

Andy Burnham vows to end ‘subscription traps’

Nielsen to buy DoubleVerify in $2.15bn media measurement deal

‘Could be exactly what advertisers and publishers need’: How does Nielsen’s DoubleVerify acquisition impact adland?

Should every brand have a podcast?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the FIFA World Cup, how can performance marketers better turn streaming TV into a high-impact, programmatic ad format?

On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Julie Selman, SVP Head of EMEA at Magnite, joins host Joe to outline the future of connected TV (CTV). Together, the pair dissect how live events like the FIFA World Cup have changed the game, the impact of second screening on attribution, and whether or not TV has truly become a performance marketing channel.

This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

~ Episode breakdown ~

(4:23) What did the World Cup teach us?

(13:20) Filling CTV's measurement gaps

(19:15) Overrated/Underrated

(22:25) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge

~ Further reading ~

How live sport puts advertisers in a position to score

IPA Bellwhether: ‘A strong golden quarter will hopefully lie ahead’

Cannes Lions predictions 2026: ‘Specificity will win – less narrative, more proof’

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.