Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast.

Hosted by Ari Paparo

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406

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Aug 2026

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About the show

The Marketecture Podcast is hosted by industry experts Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi. Every Friday they publish an interview with an important thinker in the advertising and marketing industries, and cover that week's most important news. Every Monday there's an in-depth vendor interview where you learn about interesting companies. https://www.marketecture.tv

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60 recent

August 21, 202654 min

Episode 187: Jack Raines Trolls LinkedIn and Ends Up with a Book Deal

Ari Paparo and guest co-host Paul Knegten sit down with Jack Raines, author of Young Money, to discuss how viral LinkedIn posts, humor, and attention-driven marketing helped him build a 61,000-subscriber newsletter, land a book deal, and create a personal brand. The episode also covers OpenAI, WPP, Walmart Connect, Taboola, Google’s AI advertising strategy, LiveRamp, and Higgsfield. Takeaways: Jack Raines turned provocative LinkedIn posts into a subscriber acquisition engine for his newsletter. Authentic personality and calculated controversy can generate attention, but the product still needs to deliver. Free content can create indirect value through book sales, consulting opportunities, and deal flow. Making a product or brand easy and fun to share can create an organic marketing flywheel. The episode also explores major developments across AI, retail media, ad tech, and the open web. Chapters:00:00 Introduction with Ari Paparo and Paul Knegten02:20 Meet Jack Raines, Author of Young Money04:02 Turning LinkedIn Trolling Into a Growth Strategy07:23 The Viral Hotel Breakfast Post10:32 Is Shitposting a Real Marketing Strategy?13:16 Knowing Where to Draw the Line14:38 From Viral Posts to Newsletter, VC, and a Book Deal18:00 Writing and Marketing Young Money24:23 Building Buzz Around a Book Launch27:03 The Marketing Lessons Behind Jack’s Strategy29:17 What Brands Can Learn From Internet Personalities31:47 OpenAI Leadership Shakeup33:55 WPP Rebate Fraud Allegations37:31 Walmart Connect’s Advertising Growth40:55 Teads, Taboola, and NBCUniversal44:56 Are Ad Networks Making a Comeback?45:01 Google’s AI-Powered Advertising Strategy47:44 LiveRamp Deal and Executive Pay51:47 Higgsfield and the Future of AI Video Advertising54:04 Closing Guests: Ari Paparo, Jack Raines, Paul Knegten Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 14, 202658 min

Episode 186: Matt Drengler on Why Ari is Wrong About Podcasting

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi sit down with Matthew Drengler, Head of Partnerships at Podscribe, to unpack the messy reality of podcast measurement. They explore attribution, incrementality, the shift from audio to video, social clips, HLS, and why advertisers still need reliable performance data.The conversation then turns to the changing ad tech landscape, including the open web, Nielsen’s acquisition of DoubleVerify, measurement industry pressure, The Trade Desk’s earnings, PubMatic, Viant, and advertising to AI agents. Takeaways: Video is expanding podcast audiences, but it is also creating new measurement silos across YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms. Podcast attribution can use RSS prefixes, pixels, and listener-level signals, but those approaches become harder as consumption spreads beyond traditional RSS. Promo codes and vanity URLs capture only part of podcast-driven conversions, making more sophisticated attribution important for performance advertisers. Measurement can unlock more advertiser investment, while independent measurement and trust remain major industry concerns. Ad tech is shifting toward CTV, retail media, apps, creator channels, and AI while traditional open-web and measurement businesses face increasing pressure. Chapters:00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction02:04 Marketecture Live Chicago03:08 Meet Matthew Drengler, Head of Partnerships at Podscribe04:43 What Podscribe Does05:45 Why Podcasts Are Moving to Video07:56 The Growing Podcast Platform Problem08:32 Apple HLS and the Future of Video Podcast Measurement09:58 What Actually Counts as a Podcast?11:41 Should Social Clips Be Part of Podcast Ad Packages?13:15 Why Social Podcast Clips Are Hard to Measure15:07 How Podcast Attribution and Incrementality Work18:02 Should Podcasts Be Treated Like Influencer Marketing?20:27 Why Better Measurement Unlocks Advertising Budgets20:47 Networks, Independent Podcasts and Performance22:17 AI-Powered Podcast Ad Verification23:55 Spotify's Podcast Ad Skip Discussion26:07 Ad Tech News Begins26:51 Is the Open Web Dying?34:38 Phia and the Cookie-Stuffing Controversy37:36 Nielsen Acquires DoubleVerify40:19 Independence and Trust in Measurement43:40 Comscore and the Measurement Market Shakeup45:45 Viant's Measurement Layoffs and AI Push46:33 The Trade Desk Earnings Breakdown50:03 PubMatic's Growth and Agentic Opportunity51:26 Viant, CTV and the MySpace Question54:00 Perplexity, Mobian and Ads Targeted to AI Agents55:47 Closing With Matthew Drengler Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Matt Drengler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 7, 202650 min

Episode 185: Nikhil Lai of Forrester on the State of AEO and Performance Marketing

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi are joined by Nikhil Lai, Principal Analyst at Forrester, to discuss the evolution of performance marketing, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), connected TV, incrementality, AI-powered advertising, and the future of marketing measurement. They also examine the latest ad tech news, including ChatGPT advertising, Walmart's acquisition of Vibe, AppLovin, retail media, and Q2 earnings across the digital advertising industry. Takeaways Why Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is fundamentally different from SEO and how brands should prepare. How marketers are redefining performance measurement with blended ROAS and incrementality. The opportunities and challenges of Performance TV, connected TV, and AI-driven advertising. What ChatGPT, AI agents, and creative automation mean for the future of marketing. Key insights from the latest ad tech acquisitions, earnings, and industry trends. Chapters00:00 Introduction and Summer Catch-Up01:24 Phishing Scam Warning for Advertising Professionals03:42 Introducing Guest Nikhil Lai, Principal Analyst at Forrester04:01 Nikhil Lai's Career Journey05:22 Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) vs SEO09:01 The Evolution of Performance Marketing11:09 Measuring Brand Advertising Effectiveness12:57 Incrementality and Modern Attribution14:28 AppLovin and Performance Advertising15:46 Performance TV and Connected TV18:38 Walmart Acquires Vibe and Pinterest's TV Strategy21:26 Is There an AppLovin for the Open Web?22:17 The Future of Marketing Automation and Creative23:59 Weekly Ad Tech News Begins24:38 BMW, Spider-Man, and In-Car Advertising30:31 Agentic Advertising and AI Search34:32 ChatGPT Advertising and Brand Agents40:02 Ad Tech Earnings Highlights45:18 Is MySpace Making a Comeback?46:50 Meta and LiveRamp Partnership47:58 Closing Remarks Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Nikhil Lai Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 31, 202649 min

Episode 184: Ben Edelman Will Send You to Affiliate Jail

Ben Edelman, independent consultant and longtime ad fraud investigator, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss the Phia affiliate controversy, the evolution of ad fraud, AppLovin's install practices, and what marketers should know about trust and attribution. They also cover Meta and Microsoft earnings, Google's Buyer Direct, creator marketing trends, FreeWheel's latest CTV update, and more. Takeaways: - Ben Edelman explains how affiliate fraud has evolved and why it remains a major issue. - A deep dive into the Phia browser extension controversy and affiliate attribution. - Lessons from the Blinkx adware scandal and AppLovin's forced install investigation. - Ari and Eric discuss Meta and Microsoft earnings, Google's Buyer Direct, and the future of creator marketing. - The latest updates from FreeWheel, Amazon, X, and the broader ad tech industry. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:12 Podcast updates and industry news preview 02:19 Meet Ben Edelman 03:20 The Blinkx adware investigation 10:04 How Ben investigates ad fraud 13:28 The Phia affiliate controversy explained 19:02 Can affiliate marketing be trusted? 23:50 AppLovin's install practices 27:37 Where to follow Ben Edelman 27:51 Meta and Microsoft earnings 33:37 Amazon becomes the largest Fortune 500 company 36:06 Google's Buyer Direct and antitrust concerns 40:14 The rise of micro and nano creators 42:44 AI-generated content in programmatic advertising 43:59 FreeWheel's new CTV reporting capabilities 45:08 X and the WFA legal settlement 46:25 Final thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 24, 202652 min

Episode 183: Ask Olivia Kory Whether AppLovin Ads Work & She Explains Attribution vs Incrementality

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi welcome Olivia Kory, Chief Marketing Strategy Officer at Haus, to unpack one of advertising's biggest questions: do ads actually work? Olivia explains the critical difference between attribution and incrementality, shares why AppLovin has become a standout performance channel. She discusses the future of media measurement, AI-driven optimization, and agentic media buying. The episode also covers Google's latest earnings, AI search trends, OpenAI's advertising ambitions, and the challenges of measuring podcast advertising. Takeaways: Olivia explains why incrementality measures causation while attribution measures correlation. AppLovin delivers strong short-term performance, particularly for lower-cost, impulse purchases. Incrementality testing is becoming essential for validating ad platform performance. AI is reshaping media measurement, budget allocation, and campaign optimization. The hosts discuss Google's AI investments, OpenAI's potential ad network, and why podcast measurement still needs major improvements. Chapters:00:00 Introduction & Olivia Kory Returns05:47 Attribution vs. Incrementality Explained07:48 Do AppLovin Ads Really Work?10:53 Which Products Perform Best on AppLovin?12:30 Affiliate Marketing & Incrementality Challenges16:04 CAPI vs. Pixels: The Future of Measurement20:13 AppsFlyer, Attribution & Daily Optimization23:30 AI-Powered Budget Allocation & Agentic Media Buying28:48 Google's Earnings & AI Growth32:36 AI Search and Google's Changing SERP34:30 Is OpenAI Building an Ad Network?41:51 Business Insider's FAST Channel Launch43:50 Why Podcast Measurement Is Still Broken49:16 Should Olivia Start Her Own Podcast?50:19 Closing Remarks Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Olivia Kory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 17, 202644 min

Episode 182: Brian Quinn from AppsFlyer on the Billion Dollar Investment from Google and Meta

AppsFlyer President and General Manager Brian Quinn joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss the company’s $1 billion funding round backed by Google, Meta, Unity, and Moloco. They explore independent measurement, mobile commerce, CTV attribution, and the future of AI advertising. Takeaways: - AppsFlyer’s strategic investors hold minority, non-controlling stakes, allowing the company to remain independent. - Google, Meta, Unity, and Moloco rely on independent measurement signals to improve advertising optimization. - E-commerce and retail are among AppsFlyer’s fastest-growing categories. - Connecting CTV, web, and app activity is essential for measuring the complete customer journey. - Last-click attribution remains vulnerable to manipulation and affiliate fraud. - AI advertising growth will depend on proving incremental returns for marketers. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction with Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi 01:09 Marketecture’s new MADDB MCP server 04:14 Brian Quinn joins the conversation 04:45 What is AppsFlyer? 05:39 Inside AppsFlyer’s $1 billion funding round 06:41 Why AppsFlyer selected strategic investors 07:19 Protecting independent measurement 08:34 Why Google and Meta invested 09:49 AppsFlyer as an optimization signal 11:28 How the unusual funding round came together 12:31 Strategic investors versus private equity 13:20 Competing with Adjust while partnering with AppLovin 15:56 Mobile advertising beyond gaming 17:35 Growth in retail and e-commerce apps 19:25 Connecting CTV, web, and mobile measurement 23:52 Ad tech news of the week 25:19 Fia and the affiliate attribution controversy 27:35 The problems with last-click attribution 31:13 Can AI advertising meet its revenue forecasts? 35:01 Questions around IP-based CTV targeting 37:03 Open-web ad supply falls sharply 38:35 The Trade Desk expands its leadership team 40:20 PubMatic exits the wrapper-management business 41:28 Closing thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 15, 202617 min

How InMobi Is Reinventing Advertising with AI Agents

What happens when AI agents become media buyers and shopping assistants? Ari Paparo sits down with Abhay Singhal, Co-Founder and CEO of InMobi Advertising, to discuss the future of agentic advertising, AI-powered commerce, and conversational ad experiences, and how InMobi is preparing for a world where AI makes purchasing decisions. They also explore Glance's expansion to Samsung TVs, InMobi's acquisition of MobileAction, and how traditional ad tech workflows are being reimagined through AI. Takeaways: - Why AI agents will fundamentally change digital advertising - How InMobi's Agentic Selling Platform works - The future of conversational advertising - Glance's expansion to Samsung TVs and AI-powered shopping - How AI is reshaping the customer journey - Why advertisers need to move closer to the point of transaction - What the MobileAction acquisition means for app marketers - How conversational CTV ads are improving engagement Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:07 InMobi's Agentic Advertising vision 01:58 Inside the Agentic Selling Platform 03:01 Why advertising is moving closer to conversion 04:27 AI agents, DSPs & the future of media buying 06:34 Glance explained 08:13 Samsung TV partnership 09:38 Measuring AI-powered commerce 11:07 Why InMobi acquired MobileAction 12:58 Conversational AI ads on Connected TV 15:36 Lightning Round 16:01 Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 10, 202648 min

Episode 181: Alex Kantrowitz on OpenAI and Big Tech's Latest Approach to Advertising

Alex Kantrowitz, Founder of Big Technology, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss how OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic, Amazon, and other tech leaders are transforming digital advertising. They also dive into AI-powered media buying, agentic commerce, Criteo acquisition rumors, Cloudflare's monetization strategy, and the future of ad tech. Takeaways:- Why OpenAI is rapidly building an advertising business.- How Meta, Google, and Anthropic are approaching AI differently.- The future of AI-powered advertising and agentic commerce.- Why Criteo could become an attractive acquisition target.- How Cloudflare is changing publisher monetization with AI payments. Chapters:00:00 Introduction & Marketecture Live Chicago01:55 Meet Alex Kantrowitz05:20 OpenAI's Advertising Strategy12:07 Why Anthropic Is Avoiding Ads14:45 Meta's AI and Advertising Future17:45 Snap's Business Challenges18:55 Pinterest's Advertising Opportunity21:54 Amazon's Sports & AI Strategy24:15 AppLovin's Rise in Mobile Advertising25:15 Criteo Acquisition Rumors30:57 AI Negotiating Media Deals (ADCP)33:05 Cloudflare's AI Monetization Gateway36:40 Warner Bros. Discovery's AI Ad Tech38:40 WPP's AI Consulting Expansion42:25 Leadership Changes at IAS44:20 Final Thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Alex Kantrowitz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 7, 202613 min

How CMO at Locala, Grant Gudgel, Uses AI and Location Intelligence to Power Adaptive Advertising

Ari Paparo speaks with Grant Gudgel, Chief Marketing Officer at Locala, about adaptive advertising, AI-powered planning, location intelligence, omnichannel marketing, privacy, and how brands can improve campaign performance through localized insights. Takeaways Locala helps brands optimize campaigns using market-level insights instead of national averages. AI agents analyze local data to improve campaign planning and performance. The platform supports omnichannel activation across CTV, DOOH, mobile, audio, and more. Adaptive advertising enables brands to adjust budgets, messaging, and channels by market. Privacy and location intelligence remain central to Locala's long-term strategy. Chapters00:00 Introduction00:21 Grant Gudgel joins Locala as CMO00:37 What Locala does and its evolution01:30 Planning platform vs. traditional DSPs02:15 How brands optimize campaigns market by market03:37 Measuring campaign performance and learnings03:52 AI's role in campaign planning05:42 Solving complex retail and QSR marketing challenges07:08 What adaptive advertising means08:07 Location intelligence beyond retail09:30 Competitive analysis with location data09:58 Omnichannel planning with DOOH and CTV10:22 Privacy and location data11:05 Locala's goals at Cannes11:35 Competitive advantages and growth challenges12:21 Lightning round: Why Locala is a narwhal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 6, 202620 min

How Criteo's Todd Parsons Is Reinventing Performance Marketing with AI

Ari Paparo sits down with Todd Parsons, President of Performance Media and Chief Product Officer at Criteo, to discuss the launch of Criteo GO, an AI-powered performance platform that unifies cross-channel advertising across the open web, Meta, TikTok, and OpenAI. They explore AI-driven campaign automation, commerce data, retail media, agentic AI, GEO, and what the future of digital advertising looks like. Takeaways Criteo GO simplifies cross-channel performance marketing with AI. Commerce intelligence powers better campaign optimization and outcomes. AI reduces onboarding from weeks to just hours. Agentic AI is beginning to automate media planning and execution. GEO could reshape how brands compete for AI-driven discovery. Chapters00:00 Introduction to Todd Parsons and Criteo00:50 What is Criteo GO?02:05 Who is Criteo GO built for?03:12 Cross-channel performance marketing explained04:00 Commerce data and retail media strategy06:00 Measuring real performance outcomes09:20 How AI powers Criteo GO11:45 Agentic AI and the future of media buying13:05 Self-service advertising and SMB growth15:38 Lightning round: competition, roadmap, and GEO18:08 Closing thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Todd Parsons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices