How One Simple AT&T Ad Changed Internet History Forever
Apr 04, 2025•15 min
Episode description
From the first banner ad in 1994 to programmatic mobile ads, the internet as we know it was built on one thing: advertising. In this explosive episode of Secret Leaders, we break down the untold story of how ads didn’t just fund the web—they engineered it.
You will learn:
The birth of banner ads with AT&T’s legendary 44% CTR
Google AdWords’ rise and the search ad revolution
How Facebook’s targeting reshaped elections
Mobile & programmatic ads that track your every move
The next frontier: Ad-powered payments
Watch our full interview with Philip Belamant on our feed now. He runs Zilch - the fintech redefining payments and ad performance. With a model that's 26.5x more efficient than Google Ads, Zilch is pioneering the future of attention-based commerce.
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