The Marketing Rapport

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan sits down with John Slater, Chief Brand Officer at The TARA Group and a creative leader whose career includes stints at Meta, Airbnb, Twitter, and Firefox. The conversation traces John's philosophy of brand-building: one grounded in authenticity, self-awareness, and the discipline of knowing who a brand really is before trying to tell the world about it. Drawing on his experience across some of the most recognizable companies in tech, John explains how great brands act like great people: they know themselves, project the best version of that identity, and stay consistent across every touchpoint.

The discussion moves from high-level brand philosophy into the tactical realities of running creative teams: how to balance data with instinct, when to test and when to trust judgment, and how to build environments where people feel safe enough to take creative risks. John and Tim also dig into the growing tension between AI-generated content and the enduring value of human taste, with John arguing that as automation floods the market with generic output, the premium on thoughtful, human-crafted work only increases.

The episode closes with a look at John's current work at The TARA Group and its flagship company TargetSmart, which partners with InfutorData to enrich voter data with layered consumer insights. It's a fitting bookend to a conversation that consistently returns to the same theme: data and creativity aren't opposites; they're partners, and the best marketers know when to lean on each.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Lucas Thelosen, Founder & CEO of Orion by Gravity, and former Head of Product for Data & AI at Google Cloud to unpack what actually separates data-driven companies from the ones that only claim to be. 

Drawing on his experience working alongside Uber, Walmart, Amazon, Warby Parker, and On Running, Lucas explains why the most competitive markets consistently produce the most sophisticated data practices, and how a compounding 2% edge translates into billion-dollar valuation gaps over time.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport podcast, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Andrew Filar, Co-Founder and CEO of Next Call Club, to unpack what's really happening inside the insurance lead economy — and why the old "buy more leads" mindset is quietly costing agencies their profitability. Andrew traces his journey from cold-calling commercial auto prospects at a State Farm office to running one of the largest Allstate scratch agencies in the country, and finally to building Next Call Club, an aggregator-plus-consultative-partner model designed to help agents hit real cost-per-acquisition targets.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Rob Tate, Chief Operating Officer at PossibleNOW, to explore how marketing compliance has evolved from a legal checkbox into a core driver of growth, trust, and customer experience. 

Drawing on more than two decades of experience in the space, Rob explains why the risk profile facing enterprise marketers has shifted dramatically over the last few years — with TCPA litigation on pace to nearly double year-over-year, SMS complicating traditional call-based frameworks, and AI creating both extraordinary opportunity and extraordinary exposure.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport podcast, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Steve Rafferty, CEO and Founder of ActiveProspect, for a candid conversation about one of the most significant moves in the lead generation industry in years: ActiveProspect's acquisition of InfutorData (formerly Verisk Marketing Solutions). 

Steve walks through the origin story of ActiveProspect, the unexpected evolution of TrustedForm from a lead verification tool into the industry's most widely used TCPA compliance solution, and how a 15-year competitive rivalry with Jornaya transformed overnight into a single unified team.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Amie Owen, Chief Client Officer at Flywheel. They explore how brands can connect with consumers through a stronger commerce strategy. Amie says marketers need to treat commerce as more than a media buy.

She maps that idea across four pillars: media, creative, technology, and retail readiness. The conversation shows how those parts work together to shape the full purchase journey, from the first message to the product page and store shelf. She also explains why teams need shared goals, strong measurement, and better coordination.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Lÿden Foust, CEO of Spatial.ai, a company that has spent 10 years building behavioral segmentation that goes far beyond demographics. The central argument of the episode is simple and disruptive: the assumptions brands make about their customers based on age, income, and zip code are the things everyone already knows. 

Competitive advantage comes from understanding what people actually do, where they spend, what they follow, where their phones go, and that requires a fundamentally different approach to segmentation.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this special edition of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan records live from the POSSIBLE Conference in South Beach, Miami (poolside, no less) sitting down with five guests who are shaping the future of marketing technology and data strategy. 

The episode features Gregg Johnson, CEO of Invoca; Jason Ford, VP of Alliances at InfutorData; Michelle Walker, POSSIBLE Conference ambassador; and Nola Solomon, Co-founder of Culture Hive Media Group, plus Jeff Schlitt of Arity. The single biggest idea running through every conversation: marketers who combine clean data with genuine human understanding, not just volume or automation, will win.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

AI is changing everything about how consumers interact with brands, and not always for the better.

In this episode, Tim Finnigan speaks with Professor Quentin André from the University of Colorado Boulder. André researches how consumers and marketing managers make decisions, with a growing focus on AI's role in both. The conversation revisits a paper André co-authored in 2018 and examines how much, and how fast, the landscape has shifted since then.

They dig into the rising distrust consumers feel toward AI-driven advertising, including how AI makes it easier for bad actors to produce polished content that doesn't match the actual product. André also explains the "zero-click problem," where consumers get brand information through large language models without ever visiting a company's website. The episode closes with a look at a future where AI agents negotiate on behalf of consumers and what that could mean for how brands build relationships at scale.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of The Marketing Rapport, host Tim Finnigan sits down with Jeff Piotrowski, Chief Customer Officer at Customer Solutions Group. They explore how insurance marketers are moving past mass marketing and toward data-led outreach. Jeff explains why better segmentation, shared metrics, and stronger data quality matter more than bigger lead volumes, especially as teams try to personalize the first consumer interaction.

Jeff then brings that shift into the real world. He outlines how outreach programs improve when brands test cadence, channel mix, and message style instead of treating every lead the same. He also shares how voice, SMS, and AI can work together to create more useful follow-up and conversion.
The conversation closes on trust, compliance, and what comes next.

Note: This episode was recorded prior to LeadsCon.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of ActiveProspect. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

This podcast is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice. The Lead Intelligence, Inc. (dba InfutorData) and ActiveProspect LLC names and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

ACTIVEPROSPECT DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.