Performance Marketing Unlocked

Hosted by Performance Marketing World

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151

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The podcast that gets beneath the surface of the biggest issues in performance marketing – from TikTok and ChatGPT, to the metaverse and PPC. From the Haymarket editorial team behind the daily publication <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Performance Marketing World (PMW)</a> and its annual PMW Unlocked event, this podcast combines expert advice with community contributions to help practitioners and managers alike get the most out of the latest techniques and technology in this fast moving industry.  In each episode, the PMW editorial team interviews top marketers from brands, agencies, trade bodies and platforms to reveal their secrets to success, what good looks like and how to get it right. We discuss what they think is overrated and underrated in the industry, they give us their best practice and attempt the renowned PMW Re-sell Me A Pen challenge. This podcast gives you all the insights, expertise and world-class speakers from the Unlocked event, but available in your pocket all year round, keeping you up to date with the latest and greatest in performance marketing. Listeners can interact with the podcast guests via the bespoke LinkedIn community, PMW Unlocked, where they can send questions, take part in polls and get exclusive insights from previous and future speakers at the Unlocked event.  This is performance marketing, unlocked. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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60 recent

June 16, 202631 min

Digital Disruptors: Where data meets creative

Are marketers still stuck in a binary of data and creative? In the second episode of this year’s Digital Disruptors miniseries, host Bethany speaks with Molly Peake, Head of Customer Success and Partnerships at AUDIENCES and Eraj Lodhi, Founder of marketing agency Plot Out Loud and Creator of Plotcast.  They dive into what metrics still matter, whether a false divide between data and creative is holding back results, and whether brands truly know what to do with their data, even if they have it.  This podcast episode was hosted by PMW's Senior News Reporter, Bethany Lee. New episodes of this four-part miniseries will be released weekly alongside our main show, Performance Marketing Unlocked. <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1948613/pmw-30-30-awards-2026-winners-announced" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click this link </a>to view the winners from this year’s 30 under 30 awards. ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1951716/30-winners-30-days-eraj-lodhi-plot-loud" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 Winners in 30 Days: Eraj Lodhi, Plot Out Loud</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1949548/30-winners-30-days-molly-peake-audiences" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 Winners in 30 Days: Molly Peake, AUDIENCES</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 11, 202629 min

How brands can best capture attention during the FIFA World Cup

As the World Cup gets underway, how can performance marketers best leverage the opportunity before them? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Alex Maude, Head of Insight & Research at Ozone, joins host Joe to assess the best ways for brands to win a share of attention during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Are traditional ad placements the way to go, or is the real attention battle taking place on second screens? Also, where does the premium web come into this? Listen on to uncover the answers to these burning questions and many more. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (3:30) Bigger tournament, bigger advertising opportunity?(10:46) Ensuring social media is an asset, not a burden(21:35) Making the World Cup count beyond June and July(24:05) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1960508/everything-advertisers-need-focus-ahead-2026-fifa-world-cup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Everything advertisers need to focus on ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1959089/ads-scoring-biggest-ahead-world-cup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The ads scoring biggest ahead of the World Cup</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1957454/half-world-cup-audience-doesnt-watch-weekly-football-planning-them" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Half of the World Cup audience doesn’t watch weekly football. Are you planning for them?</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 9, 202631 min

Digital Disruptors: The converging performance stack

Can marketers afford to still be siloed by channel? In the first episode of this year’s Digital Disruptors miniseries, host Bethany speaks with Chanelle Urquico, International DSP Engagement Lead at TripleLift, Jack Murray, Senior Paid Social Search Account Manager at Incubeta, and Michael Holloway, SEO manager at Hookflash.  Together, they discuss how the performance stack is converging and where each of their specialisms sit in a strategy, touching on the biggest changes they’ve seen since the beginning of their careers and the challenges they are anticipating facing in the years to come. This podcast episode was hosted by PMW's Senior News Reporter, Bethany Lee. New episodes of this four-part miniseries will be released weekly alongside our main show, Performance Marketing Unlocked. <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1948613/pmw-30-30-awards-2026-winners-announced" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click this link </a>to view the winners from this year’s 30 under 30 awards. ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1952678/30-winners-30-days-jack-murray-incubeta" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 Winners in 30 Days: Jack Murray, Incubeta</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1949029/30-winners-30-days-chanelle-urquico-triplelift" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 Winners in 30 Days: Chanelle Urquico, TripleLift</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1954210/30-winners-30-days-michael-holloway-seo-manager-hookflash" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 Winners in 30 Days: Michael Holloway, SEO Manager, Hookflash</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 4, 202626 min

Why do so many marketers wants to quit?

Performance marketing is officially at an impasse. Employers are squeezing budgets and reconsidering headcount, while employees are ready to walk away entirely. How has adland found itself trapped in a state of mutual unrest? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford joins host Joe to break down the core findings of PMW’s 2026 Workforce Report. The pair explore the stand-off between junior talent and AI, how the economy is killing salary growth, and why a market that was supposed to stabilise is feeling more volatile – and less diverse – than ever. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (4:30) How under threat is your role from AI?(10:35) The rise of fractional jobs (19:12) Have we seen the death of the generalist? ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1959340/state-hiring-restless-workforce-risk-losing-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The State of Hiring: Is a restless workforce at risk of losing out to AI?</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1959618/state-diversity-why-so-adlands-diverse-talent-abandoning-industry" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The State of Diversity: Why is so much of adland's diverse talent abandoning the industry?</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1959770/state-pay-stable-salaries-masking-real-change-heart-adland" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The State of Pay: Stable salaries are masking the real change at the heart of adland</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 28, 202637 min

How to end the war between performance and brand

Performance marketers are desperately trying to master ever-changing algorithms in the pursuit of securing attention in an attention-poor economy – but where are they going wrong? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Orlando Wood, Chief Creative Officer of System1, joins host Joe to discuss how shifting from 'salesmanship' to 'showmanship' can build a brand that performs in the both the short and long-term. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (3:26) How do the left and right brain impact advertising?(8:05) Are we focusing too much on salesmanship and not enough on showmanship?(23:34) Who is getting the 'brandformance' balance right?(28:47) Overrated or underrated(31:24) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1954880/top-6-adtech-tools-week-system1-airship-globaldata-ampd-talonone-daivid" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top 6 adtech tools this week: System1, Airship, GlobalData, Ampd, Talon.One and DAIVID</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1953445/top-10-easter-ads-brands-navigating-junk-food-ban" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top 10 Easter ads: How are brands navigating the junk food ban?</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1949037/top-10-winter-olympics-ads-michelob-peacock-corona-podium" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top 10 Winter Olympics ads: Michelob, Peacock and Corona take the podium</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 26, 202623 min

The brands winning with AI are changing the rules, not the tools

The marketers seeing real results with AI aren’t worrying about implementing the right tech – they’re rethinking how decisions get made, who makes them and what role human instinct should play. This Performance Marketing World podcast episode, produced in partnership with Upp.ai, unpacks why so many AI-led media strategies stall before they scale – and what it actually takes to close the gap with the brands pulling ahead. We’ll share practical advice on where performance is really being lost, and how to realign teams, governance and ways of working to get the most out of AI. The industry is having plenty of AI conversations, generative AI, agency AI washing, in-housing, measurement, productivity savings. All real, all familiar to the people listening. But the conversation that actually determines whether AI-led media performs is the one nobody is having.  This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 21, 202631 min

Rebuilding the agency for the algorithmic era

The agency model is facing a perfect storm: in-housing is gutting the middle, independent agencies are winning on agility, and AI is automating the ‘making’ part of marketing. So how is the big six responding? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Jessica Tamsedge, UK CEO of Dentsu Creative, joins host Joe to outline how Dentsu is blowing up traditional silos to prepare for a world where a brand’s survival depends on being ‘machine-readable’ and ‘human-referenceable’.  This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:58) What does it mean to be ‘machine-readable’?(12:23) How does Dentsu keep itself agile?(19:51) Overrated or underrated?(25:00) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1957336/chatgpt-ads-hit-uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ChatGPT Ads to hit the UK</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1955004/ipa-bellwether-where-confidence-coming-from" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IPA Bellwether: ‘Where is the confidence coming from?’</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1952884/top-6-adtech-tools-week-reddit-smg-merkle-lifesight-adform-dentsu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top 6 adtech tools this week: Reddit, SMG, Merkle, Lifesight, Adform and Dentsu</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 14, 202626 min

Is Google bringing back the click?

Zero party has search killed the click. At least, that's the narrative marketers have been sold – but is it true? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford and Senior News Reporter Bethany Lee join host Joe to talk about the future of the click, and why Google might be trying to bring it back for the sake of publishers and advertisers. Also on this episode, the trio discuss some standout winners from the 2026 PMW Powerlist, which is available in its entirety <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1957104/pmw-powerlist-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:30) The click is dead... right?(14:55) PMW Powerlist 2026 highlights(22:00) What makes a good Powerlist winner? ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1957320/google-expands-ai-search-features-boost-website-community-discovery" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google expands AI Search features to boost website and community discovery</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1957104/pmw-powerlist-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The PMW Powerlist 2026</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 7, 202633 min

Will AI be the death of creators?

We’ve entered the ‘synthetic era’ of social media. AI can now try to generate a viral video, clone a creator’s voice, and optimise a hook for the algorithm in seconds. But there's a catch, consumers want more authentic content, not less. On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Chris Parnell, co-founder and CCO of social-first creator agency NewGen, joins host Joe to discuss how advertisers can use AI to enhance their social media marketing and creator partnerships, without removing the 'human in the loop' and jeopardising consumer trust. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:18) How is AI impacting social media marketing and the creator economy?(18:05) Does AI help or hinder brand safety on social media?(27:52) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1881576/ipa-bellwether-reaction-13-experts-ais-tipping-point-live-events-comeback-beating-cookie-free-rush" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IPA Bellwether reaction: 13 experts on AI’s tipping point, live events comeback and beating the cookie-free rush</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1955671/unilevers-influencer-first-strategy-means-marketers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What Unilever's influencer-first strategy means for marketers</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1953018/its-land-grab-talent-meta-youtube-goalhanger-bet-big-creators" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘It's a land grab for talent’: Meta, YouTube and Goalhanger bet big on creators</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

April 30, 202628 min

Will POSSIBLE outshine Cannes and is retail media in trouble?

POSSIBLE Miami is the pretty new thing in the world of advertising events, but is it already becoming a mini-Cannes? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford and Senior News Reporter Bethany Lee join host Joe to discuss whether there is scope for POSSIBLE to carve out a necessary niche in an already oversaturated roster of annual advertising events. Also, retail media's growth is quietly beginning to sputter and the top brass among some key UK players have been let go as a result – what does this mean for the channel's future? This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur. ~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:54) The 2026 PMW International Powerlist 100 is here(10:59) Why has POSSIBLE made such an impression?(19:10) PMW puts retail media under the microscope ~ Further reading ~ <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1956402/exclusive-retail-media-running-road-surviving-crunch-requires-rapid-pivot" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Exclusive: Is retail media running out of road? ‘Surviving this crunch requires a rapid pivot’</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1955479/pmw-international-powerlist-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The PMW International Powerlist 2026</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1956360/pmw-host-powerlist-watch-party-live-cannes-lions-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PMW to host Powerlist Watch Party live at Cannes Lions 2026</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1956084/its-landing-strange-time-possible-shed-light-adlands-black-boxes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘It’s landing at a strange time’: Can POSSIBLE shed light on adland’s black boxes?</a> <a href="https://www.performancemarketingworld.com/article/1956024/five-things-adtech-will-debating-possible-week" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Five things adtech will be debating at POSSIBLE this week</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.