Episode 191: Corey Ferengul on the Newest Start-Up Category -- UMPs

Corey Ferengul, Managing Partner at Aperiam, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to explore the rise of Unified Media Platforms (UMPs), a new category of AI-powered tools designed to manage media buying, optimization, creative, and budgets across multiple advertising platforms. Plus, Ari and Eric break down Google’s latest ad tech remedies, AI-driven ad spend growth, Mediaocean’s new AI venture initiative, and other major industry moves. Takeaways Unified Media Platforms use AI to manage campaigns across multiple advertising platforms from one interface. UMPs can continuously adjust budgets, analyze performance, and adapt creative with less manual work. Vendors are differentiating through customer segments and capabilities such as creative, data, and optimization. Google’s remedies could give publishers more flexibility to move away from Google Ad Manager while retaining access to AdX demand. AI-powered advertising tools are contributing to increased ad spend, particularly across major platforms. Chapters01:11 Welcome to Marketecture Podcast02:18 Marketecture Live Chicago and Madjobs.ai05:23 Corey Ferengul Joins the Podcast05:49 The Rise of Unified Media Platforms07:46 What Makes UMPs Different?08:58 Companies Building Unified Media Platforms11:33 Who Are UMPs Built For?13:34 How Major Platforms Could Respond15:56 Can UMPs Become Sustainable Businesses?17:59 How UMPs Could Reshape Agencies and Ad Tech20:38 Where to Find Aperiam’s UMP Market Map22:18 The Refresh23:01 Google’s Ad Tech Remedies Explained29:56 Ad Tech M&A and DoubleVerify32:02 AI Is Driving Ad Spend Growth34:20 Mediaocean Launches AI Ventures37:31 Adam Soroka Becomes CEO of PebblePost40:31 33Across Becomes Wealthstage42:49 FLAM and Profound Raise New Funding45:17 OpenAI and Sponsored Agents46:10 Closing Thoughts and Marketecture Live Chicago Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Corey Ferengul Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life360 CMO Mike Zeman joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to unpack what CMOs really want from advertising partners, why relationships and business outcomes matter more than buzzwords, and how Life360 balances brand building, performance marketing, and incrementality. Then, Ari and Eric break down the latest ad tech news, including The Trade Desk’s layoffs, Amazon and OpenAI’s ChatGPT ads partnership, emerging privacy concerns, AI personal assistants, and advertising auction lawsuits. Takeaways: Sell business outcomes, not buzzwords: CMOs want solutions tied to revenue, profitability, and company value. Start small and prove value: Mike recommends pilots that demonstrate measurable results before scaling. Incrementality matters: Life360 uses marketing mix modeling and long-term customer value to evaluate marketing effectiveness. Creative needs to break through: Life360 embraces bold advertising designed to make audiences laugh or cry rather than blend in. Ad tech keeps shifting: Ari and Eric discuss The Trade Desk, ChatGPT ads, privacy risks, AI assistants, and auction practices. Chapters:01:24 Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi Open the Show03:39 Meet Mike Zeman, CMO of Life36004:06 Lessons From Both Sides of Marketing04:57 Why Relationships Still Matter06:06 What CMOs Really Want From Vendors07:13 How Ad Tech Vendors Can Differentiate07:53 Start With a Pilot, Then Scale08:11 Inside Life360’s Marketing Strategy09:21 CTV as a Performance Channel09:41 Measuring Long-Term Customer Value10:15 Why Incrementality Matters10:52 Building Life360’s Advertising Business11:09 Life360’s Location Data Advantage11:30 The Nativo Acquisition12:07 Proving Footfall and Winning New Business14:46 Building Life360 as an Advertising Brand16:40 Why Life360 Embraces Bold Creative19:19 The Refresh: Ad Tech News19:31 The Trade Desk Layoffs24:17 The Trade Desk and the S&P 50027:09 Amazon, OpenAI and ChatGPT Ads30:08 The Future of ChatGPT Advertising31:20 LG and Smart TV Privacy Concerns33:53 U.S. Military Disables Mobile Ad Trackers35:20 AI Personal Assistants and Privacy37:07 AI Bots Meet Restaurant Reservations38:39 Meta and Second-Price Auction Lawsuit40:25 Closing Thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Mike Zeman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi sit down with Jeremy Hobson, host of The Middle with Jeremy Hobson, to explore the shift from traditional radio to digital podcasting, audience growth, monetization, and the changing media landscape. Plus, Ari and Eric break down Google’s ad-tech remedies, OpenAI’s advertising growth, and Amazon’s alleged ad auction practices. Takeaways: Radio meets digital: Jeremy Hobson shares how The Middle combines live call-in radio, podcasts, video, and social media. Building a sustainable media business: Station fees, grants, crowdfunding, and advertising all contribute to The Middle’s revenue model. Google avoids an ad-tech breakup: Ari explains why behavioral remedies could still create meaningful changes for competition. AI advertising is evolving: Ari and Eric examine OpenAI’s advertising growth and why AI ads may develop differently from traditional search advertising. Amazon faces scrutiny: The FTC and 22 states accuse Amazon of using soft floors in its ad auctions, raising questions about auction transparency. Chapters:01:04 Welcome to the Marketecture Podcast04:18 Introducing Jeremy Hobson07:03 Jeremy Hobson Joins the Show08:01 Building The Middle11:23 Radio vs. Podcast Advertising13:25 YouTube Shorts & Podcast Growth16:16 From Public Radio to Entrepreneurship17:21 Building a Sustainable Revenue Model21:43 Politics, Podcasts & the Influencer Era25:10 The Future of Political Media & AI28:29 This Week’s Ad-Tech News30:01 Google Avoids an Ad-Tech Breakup30:28 Ari’s Three Takes on Google’s Remedies38:21 OpenAI’s Advertising Growth41:01 How AI Ads Differ From Search Ads45:21 Amazon’s Ad Auction Controversy50:06 Closing Thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Jeremy Hobson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Paparo sits down with Nick Troiano, CEO of Cadent, to discuss how Cadent is evolving from its linear TV roots into a unified advertising platform spanning CTV, digital, YouTube, and more. They explore audience-first advertising, measurement, AI-powered optimization, walled gardens, and why marketers should prioritize business outcomes over individual channels. Takeaways: Unified advertising is about intelligence, not a single vendor. Troiano explains why unification should connect audience planning, activation, and measurement while preserving data throughout the workflow. Audience and ROI should come before channel. Instead of starting with separate TV or YouTube budgets, marketers should begin with their audience and business objectives. AI is only as powerful as the data behind it. Fragmented data and disconnected AI tools can limit the technology's ability to improve advertising performance. Walled gardens are creating new silos. Independent platforms can play an important role in connecting advertising strategies across multiple closed ecosystems and the open web. Chapters:00:00 Introduction: Ari Paparo and Nick Troiano00:35 What Cadent Looks Like Today01:14 From Linear TV to a Unified Advertising Platform02:06 Building Cadent's Identity and Audience Capabilities03:13 Expanding Into Performance, Digital, and YouTube04:06 Why Marketers Are Moving Beyond Point Solutions05:37 What Advertising Unification Really Means06:35 Connecting Audiences Across DSPs, SSPs, and YouTube08:18 Why Advertising Should Be Audience and ROI First09:40 Cadent's Approach to AI11:29 Where AI Still Falls Short13:14 Walled Gardens, the Open Web, and Advertising's Future14:59 Lightning Round with Nick Troiano Guests: Ari Paparo, Nick Troiano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich Greenfield, Co-Founder of LightShed Partners, joins Ari Paparo and Paul Knegten, CMO of Large, to break down the biggest shifts across media and ad tech, from Meta’s social media settlement and AppLovin’s next move to Fox’s Roku strategy and the growing pressure on The Trade Desk. Takeaways: Meta’s social media restrictions could reduce ad inventory and make younger audiences harder to reach. AppLovin’s biggest challenge is expanding its advertising technology beyond gaming into areas like e-commerce and CTV. Fox’s Roku acquisition could give it a powerful digital gateway into the streaming and CTV ecosystem. Rich argues that The Trade Desk’s reluctance to own first-party data is a major strategic weakness. AI-driven media buying could put DSPs under increasing pressure while creating new opportunities for SSPs. Chapters:00:00 Intro and Corgi’s viral marketing strategy05:49 Can higher ad prices offset declining web traffic?07:17 Marketecture Live Chicago preview08:28 Introducing Rich Greenfield, Co-Founder of LightShed Partners09:48 Meta’s $17.1B settlement and the impact on advertisers15:03 Ad scarcity, pricing and social media regulation20:02 AppLovin’s next growth opportunity24:44 Why Fox and Roku make sense together30:48 AI’s potential impact on the future of television32:33 What’s wrong with The Trade Desk’s strategy?36:58 Walmart’s growing advertising ambitions40:37 Meta restrictions and the news of the week43:45 Scope3 teases its next product move46:30 Netflix advertising leadership changes48:09 The Taboola and NBC deal50:57 AI-driven ad buying and the threat to DSPs55:03 Reddit’s changing role in AI and AEO56:54 Closing though Guests: Ari Paparo, Richard Greenfield Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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