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...
Jul 28, 2025•9 min
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 Austin Scott has a rich background in ad tech, having w...
Jul 22, 2025•31 min•Ep. 91
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...
Jul 21, 2025•8 min
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 creat...
Jul 15, 2025•27 min•Ep. 88
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 ra...
Jul 14, 2025•9 min
In this episode of the Ad Tech Godpod, host AdTechGod speaks with Taylor Simons, founder of TCHT and former MediaMath executive. They discuss Taylor's intentional journey into ad tech, the lessons learned from MediaMath's bankruptcy, and the current trends in the industry, including the dynamics between SSPs and DSPs, bid duplication, and the role of SPO and curation. They also explore the limitations of the open exchange and the misaligned incentives within the ad tech ecosystem, concluding wit...
Jul 08, 2025•28 min•Ep. 87
In this week’s episode of The Refresh (July 7, 2025), Kait breaks down the top stories reshaping advertising and media. Apple’s massive push into theatrical releases hits a milestone with F1, raising questions about the long game for Apple’s entertainment ambitions. Meanwhile, Google launches OfferWall, a monetization tool built for the post-cookie, AI-dominated internet. And on Wall Street, Barclays delivers a sobering forecast for holding companies despite their AI investments. It’s a week tha...
Jul 07, 2025•9 min
In this episode of the AdTech Godpod, host AdTech God speaks with Fariba Zamaniyan, Global Vice President of Data Monetization at TiVo. Fariba shares her journey from her immigrant roots to becoming a leader in the AdTech industry, discussing her experiences at Nielsen and the evolution of TiVo from a DVR company to a data powerhouse. The conversation explores the importance of metadata in advertising, the shift to streaming, and the exciting trends shaping the future of AdTech. Takeaways Fariba...
Jul 01, 2025•30 min•Ep. 86
In this week’s episode of The Refresh, Kait unpacks a surprisingly calm post-Cannes news cycle, headlined by the FTC's conditional green light of the $13.5 billion Omnicom-IPG merger. She also breaks down the continuing slide in CTV CPMs despite a booming supply of inventory, and confronts the ongoing issue of harassment at the Cannes Lions festival, spotlighting industry efforts, shortcomings, and calls for real accountability. 5 Key Highlights: Omnicom-IPG Merger Approved (with Conditions): Th...
Jun 30, 2025•10 min
In this episode of the AdTechGod pod, host AdTech God engages in a deep conversation with Matthew Black, exploring his unique journey in the advertising industry. Matt shares insights into his diverse background, the evolution of ad tech, and the impact of AI on advertising. He discusses his career aspirations, the importance of gut instinct in ad operations, and the need for a supportive work environment. The conversation highlights the significance of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the...
Jun 27, 2025•21 min•Ep. 85
In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, I’m joined by Tom Goodwin for a no-holds-barred conversation about the gap between marketing hype and real consumer experiences. We dive into the current state of advertising from the pitfalls of performance obsession to the urgent need for brand building and creative reinvestment. Tom shares his take on AI’s growing role, why consumer sentiment around ads matters more than we admit, and how over-reliance on metrics can misguide strategy. His message is clea...
Jun 24, 2025•37 min•Ep. 84
In this week’s episode of The Refresh , Kait dives into the wave of major announcements that dominated Cannes Lions 2025 highlighting a shift inadvertising where TV and streaming platforms stole attention from AI. From exclusive inventory deals to AI-powered product placement, the episode unpacks how players like Amazon, Disney, Netflix, and Comcast are racing to transform TV into a full-funnel, performance-driven channel. As advertisers demand better data, measurement, and real-time capabilitie...
Jun 23, 2025•7 min
In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, Giuseppe La Rocca, VP Global Enterprise at StackAdapt, shares his journey from a blue-collar background to becoming a leader in ad tech. He discusses his experiences at Yahoo, the transition to StackAdapt, and the importance of understanding the differences between mid-market and enterprise clients. Giuseppe emphasizes the significance of customer outcomes and the evolving landscape of digital advertising, particularly in relation to live sports and the inte...
Jun 17, 2025•27 min•Ep. 83
In this episode of The Refresh News , host Kait unpacks a headline-heavy week across the advertising industry, setting the stage for big Cannes conversations. From Warner Bros. Discovery’s strategic split to Mark Read’s departure from WPP, and a flurry of pre-Cannes product rollouts, this episode highlights how the future of media, agency relevance, and AI-powered innovation are all colliding in real time. - Warner Bros. Discovery will divide into two focused businesses—Streaming & Studios v...
Jun 16, 2025•10 min
Heather Carver, Chief Revenue Officer at Freestar, shares her journey in the ad tech industry, discussing her experiences from working at various companies to her current role. She highlights the evolution of publisher monetization, the impact of AI on the industry, and her optimistic view on the future of advertising technology. Heather emphasizes the importance of curation in enhancing publisher success and the potential for innovation driven by AI advancements. Takeaways Heather Carver has a ...
Jun 10, 2025•26 min•Ep. 82
In this episode of The Refresh , Kait walks us through an overlooked but impactful week in advertising. From explosive revelations about brand ads on explicit platforms, to Meta’s push for fully automated AI-driven ad creation, and a new FTC investigation into media watchdogs, this week’s headlines raise deeper questions about trust, transparency, and control in digital advertising. We cover: or brands like Verizon and Amazon running ads on a teen-rated app rife with explicit and offensive conte...
Jun 09, 2025•9 min
AdTechGod is joined by Bari Bucci, Senior Director of Programmatic Partnerships at Warner Brothers Discovery. She shares her journey from the buy side to the sell side of advertising. She discusses the importance of relationships in her career, the value of asking questions, and how her experiences shape her insights into the streaming and CTV landscape. Bari emphasizes the growth potential in the industry and the need for continuous advancements in technology and inventory discoverability. Take...
Jun 03, 2025•25 min•Ep. 81
In this episode, AdTechGod interviews James Rosewell, co-founder of Movement for an Open Web, discussing the evolution of the open web, the implications of the Privacy Sandbox, the importance of web browsers, and the future of regulation in the digital advertising landscape. They explore the impact of political changes on antitrust initiatives and the need for market certainty, while also providing resources for listeners to stay informed about these developments. Takeaways James Rosewell founde...
Jun 02, 2025•27 min
In this episode, Shawn Lim, founder of Human Algorithm, shares his journey from journalism to creating a purpose-driven media platform focused on personal branding and representation. He discusses the impact of his personal experiences and on his content creation and the importance of authenticity in personal branding. Sean emphasizes the challenges of sharing personal stories publicly while maintaining a focus on helping others through his message. He also explores the future of the creator eco...
May 27, 2025•20 min•Ep. 80
Live from MAU Las Vegas and sponsored by InMobi, this episode features a dynamic conversation about mobile performance marketing. Hosted by Kunal Nagpal, the discussion includes insights from Zach Gryphon (WaveMaker) and Maulana Moore (AppsFlyer). Together, they explore measurement frameworks, attribution challenges, AI in marketing, fraud detection, and the strategic importance of mobile apps as a growth channel and not just a companion tool. They stress the need for collaboration across brands...
May 23, 2025•32 min
In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, Ria Madrid, Vice President of Advertising at WURL, shares her unique journey into the advertising technology space, discussing her experiences at XUMO and the transition to WURL. She emphasizes the importance of performance marketing in connected TV (CTV) and how her background has equipped her to build effective advertising strategies. Ria also highlights the role of innovation and AI in the industry, the challenges and opportunities for female leaders in a...
May 20, 2025•28 min•Ep. 79
In this episode of The Refresh News, Kait from Marketecture breaks down the top stories shaking up the advertising world. The focus is on the evolving nature of the TV upfronts, with a spotlight on how platforms are embracing ad tech to meet buyer demands. The Trade Desk makes headlines with the launch of OpenSincera, and Microsoft officially closes Xandr to make way for a more conversational future in media buying. We Cover TV upfronts are shifting focus from showbiz glitz to tech-driven capabi...
May 19, 2025•9 min
In this episode of the AdTechGod pod, host AdTechGod interviews Bill Condon, former VP of Enterprise Sales and Partnerships at Xumo. They discuss Bill's extensive career in the advertising and media industry, the rise of FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television), and the evolution of content distribution. Bill shares insights on the future of streaming, the impact of digital advertising, and the innovations that are shaping the industry. The conversation highlights the importance of accessib...
May 13, 2025•36 min•Ep. 78
In this episode, AdTechGod sits down with Christian Muche, CEO of Beyond Ordinary, to unpack the Possible event in Miami one of the most talked-about gatherings in advertising this year. Christian shares what made it click, how AI reshaped the conversation, and what’s next for Possible. Key Takeaways from the Interview: Possible was built to go beyond the traditional conference model, blending inspiration with intimacy. 66% of attendees were VP level or higher, reinforcing a focus on senior deci...
May 12, 2025•23 min
AdTech God interviews Bob Regular, CEO and founder of InfoLinks. Bob reflects on his 30 years of experience, discussing the constant changes in the ad tech industry, the evolution of ad networks, and the importance of direct relationships with publishers. He emphasizes the need for transparency in advertising and the impact of emerging technologies like AI and CTV on the future of the industry. Bob also shares insights on building InfoLinks and the challenges faced by publishers in today's marke...
May 06, 2025•35 min•Ep. 77
AI and earnings took center stage this week. Perplexity’s building a browser, OpenAI wants to be your shopping assistant, and Big Tech dropped their Q1 numbers. We cover: Perplexity builds a browser – CEO Aravind Srinivas explains how Comet aims to work at the operating system level, enabling actions like scraping pages, taking actions on your behalf, and improving ad targeting with granular user data. Hardware partnerships fuel expansion – Perplexity will be pre-installed on new Motorola Razrs ...
May 05, 2025•7 min
In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, Yen Nguyen, the SVP Head of Curation at Consumable, shares her journey on focusing in on curation. She discusses the evolution of curation in the ad tech space, particularly in audio advertising, and highlights the untapped potential of digital audio. Yen emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between traditional audio and programmatic buying, and how curation plays a crucial role in enhancing targeting and effectiveness in advertising. She also touch...
Apr 29, 2025•25 min
When the going gets tough, Big Tech finds a way to shift the blame. This week’s news? Google quietly backs out of cookie deprecation, fights for control in court, and Apple slowly makes its ad empire move. In todays news we cover: Google waves the white flag on cookies — After five years of chaos, Google scraps its opt-out prompt. The Privacy Sandbox isn’t officially dead, but it's definitely on life support. What we learned — We gave Google too much power. We waited too long to call BS. But it ...
Apr 28, 2025•8 min
In this episode of the AdTechGod pod, Danilo Tauro, Managing Partner at Aperium Ventures, shares his journey from engineering to the ad tech industry. He discusses his experiences at Procter & Gamble, Amazon Ads, and Uber Eats Advertising, highlighting the evolution of ad tech and the importance of networking and technology. Danilo also delves into the future of the industry, including trends in CTV, retail media, and AI, and explains Apparium's shift towards advisory services and the criter...
Apr 22, 2025•27 min•Ep. 75
They say everyone gets their day in court. For Big Tech, it’s looking more like a reckoning. Kait from the Refresh reports on this weeks news. This Week’s Breakdown: Meta on trial — Zuck, Sandberg, and Mosseri take the stand as the FTC argues Meta bought Instagram to “neutralize” a competitor. Old emails. Big receipts. Google found guilty — A federal judge rules Google’s ad tech stack (DFP + AdX) violated antitrust laws. Remedy phase is next… and yes, Chrome’s on the table. The stakes? Massive. ...
Apr 21, 2025•7 min
