Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast.

Rob Emrich, Founder and Executive Chairman of Infillion, joins to talk about the Catalina acquisition, why retail data matters, and how his company is building a full-stack ad tech platform through acquisitions and integration. The conversation touches on DSP strategy, data advantages, and how the industry is shifting toward outcomes-driven advertising. Takeaways Catalina evolved from coupon printing into a powerful retail data asset SKU-level purchase data is a key differentiator in advertising Infillion’s strategy is to integrate data, media, and tech into one platform DSPs are increasingly defined by proprietary data and a unique supply Acquisition strategy matters more than just collecting assets Retail media is a continuation of older data-driven advertising models Financial vs strategic ownership can shape how companies evolve Chapters 00:00 Intro & Guest Tease 01:20 April Fool’s Day Banter 04:15 Guest Introduction Rob Emrich 05:36 Catalina Acquisition Explained 07:09 Evolution from Coupons to Data Business 09:06 SKU Level Data & Its Value 11:14 How the Deal Happened 13:46 Infilion Strategy DSP and Data 15:35 Rob’s Background & Company Origins 19:46 Acquisition Strategy 22:18 The Factory Model of Ad Tech 26:05 Customer Profile & Verticals 31:07 Amazon Ads Tops Forrester Wave 38:47 New DSP Tools & Market Expansion 44:27 OpenAI Massive Fundraise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Marketecture Live, Ari Paparo from Marketecture Media joins Philip Inghelbrecht, Co-Founder & CEO at Tatari, Bill Murray, Head of Growth and Performance at Warner Bros Discovery, and Michael Reidy, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales at NBCUniversal. They unpack how streaming inventory is bought and sold, the balance between programmatic and direct deals, and why premium inventory often sits outside traditional programmatic pipes. The discussion also explores live events, automation, and how new solutions like Tatari’s Upstream aim to reshape access to high-quality CTV inventory. Takeaways The U.S. TV ad market is ~$90B, with $60B still in linear and $30B in streaming Only about half of streaming inventory is programmatic, and much of the premium supply is sold directly Direct buying offers advantages like guaranteed inventory, brand safety, and fewer intermediary fees Programmatic excels in targeting, flexibility, and discovery of new audience opportunities Publishers view direct and programmatic as complementary, not competing channels Live events and moment-driven content create spikes that favor guaranteed direct deals Automation is reshaping direct buying, making premium inventory more accessible to smaller advertisers Tatari’s Upstream aims to automate direct deals and bypass traditional programmatic layers The future of CTV will likely be hybrid, combining automation, data, and direct relationships Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Marketecture Live discussion 00:21 Breaking down the $90B TV and CTV market 02:04 Overlap between direct and programmatic inventory 02:30 Publisher perspective on inventory strategy 04:03 Advertiser value targeting vs premium placement 05:03 Why direct and programmatic are complementary 06:07 Benefits of direct buying for brands 07:30 Brand safety, fraud, and cost efficiencies 08:40 The importance of publisher relationships 09:30 Live events and operational challenges 10:08 Peacock strategy and nowness content 11:35 Dynamic ad insertion vs linear pass-through 12:34 Audience behavior and shared viewing moments 13:14 Managing unpredictable live inventory 14:08 Introducing Tatari’s Upstream platform 15:40 Automation of direct deals 16:00 Concentration of CTV supply among top publishers 17:04 Lowering barriers for new advertisers 18:15 How Upstream benefits publishers and buyers 19:45 Future roadmap and machine learning optimization 22:07 Performance vs brand programmatic vs direct debate 22:33 Growth of CTV and advertiser adoption 23:12 The future coexistence of direct and programmatic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alicia Richardson, co-founder and managing partner of CrowdAxis and winner of the Markecture Live Startup Showcase, joins the pod to break down how brands approach experiential marketing, how to measure its impact, and whether major events like Cannes are actually worth the investment. Takeaways Experiential marketing connects brands directly with consumers in physical settings. Marketers often rely on gut and repeat past event choices. Measurement is inconsistent and still focused on basic metrics. The industry lacks a standardized way to evaluate performance. ROI depends on both the event and the brand’s execution. Delayed data limits post-event conversion opportunities. Chapters 00:09 Intro & Guest Introduction 03:33 What is Experiential Marketing 04:20 The Measurement Problem 07:11 CrowdAxis Solution 08:05 Experiential Power Index 10:08 Marketer Perspective 13:35 Data Sources 21:19 Founding Story of CrowdAxis 25:11 Paid Marketing Debate 43:22 Shopify Agentic Storefronts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terence Kawaja, founder and CEO of LUMA Partners, took the stage live at Marketecture Live to break down the collision of AI and advertising with his signature mix of candor and sharp analysis. While acknowledging the uncertainty ahead, he made one thing clear: the industry is moving fast from AI hype to real, measurable impact, and the winners will be the ones who prove it in their numbers. Takeaways Show me the money for AI in 2026 Advertising will fuel LLMs Shift from CPM to performance-based models Intent data is the most valuable signal Rise of the LLM ad ecosystem AI-driven transparency in media buying Creative as a performance driver Ad tech consolidation Agility is the key skill set New entrants reshaping the industry Chapters 00:00 Introduction from Marketecture Live 00:48 Why “No One Knows” What Happens Next in AI + Ads 02:11 Prediction #1: AI Hype vs. Real Financial Results 05:06 Prediction #2: Ads as the Core LLM Business Model 06:32 Prediction #3: The Shift to Performance & Intent Based Ads 09:46 Prediction #4: The LLM Ecosystem Opportunity 11:45 Prediction #5: Transparency vs. Agency Economics 13:23 Prediction #6: The Push for AI Standards 14:28 Prediction #7: Creative as the New Performance Lever 16:04 Prediction #8: Ad Tech Consolidation & Evolution 17:39 Prediction #9: Agility as the Ultimate Advantage 19:11 Prediction #10: New Entrants & M&A Wave 20:14 Bonus Prediction & Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa Burdick of Pacvue breaks down how commerce media is evolving beyond retail, why fragmentation is still the biggest challenge for brands, and how AI is reshaping product discovery across platforms. The conversation covers the rise of agentic commerce, Amazon’s dominance, and what the future of buying, measurement, and optimization looks like in a rapidly changing ecosystem. Takeaways Commerce media goes beyond retail and includes discovery, AI driven experiences, and new buying environments. Fragmentation across retailers remains a major challenge for brands managing multiple platforms. Amazon still dominates commerce media with the majority of market share. AI is shifting search from keywords to prompts and changing how products are discovered. Agentic commerce is early but expected to evolve significantly in the coming years. Incrementality in retail media is complex and difficult to measure accurately. Chapters 00:00 Intro + Marketecture Live recap 03:22 Startup showcase + guest intro (Pacvue) 06:58 Retail media vs. commerce media 10:42 Fragmentation + Amazon dominance 14:17 AI shopping, Rufus, and agentic commerce 20:11 In-store media + incrementality debate 25:11 AI in commerce and discovery shifts 30:00 AI campaign tools (Trade Desk, PubMatic, MiQ) 36:40 Publicis vs. TTD + transparency issues 45:34 Walmart, OpenAI, Meta, and future outlook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Paparo sits down with Jeff Green, CEO of The Trade Desk, at Marketecture Live for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of advertising. Jeff discusses his massive insider stock purchase, the evolving role of AI in programmatic advertising, and potential new ad opportunities inside AI chat platforms and retail media. The discussion also covers the future of Amazon’s DSP, open vs. closed advertising ecosystems, OpenPath supply chain efficiency, CTV strategy through Ventura, and why programmatic advertising may be one of the industries best suited for agentic AI. Takeaways AI chat platforms could become a major new advertising channel Programmatic advertising is highly suited for AI and automation Retail media and sponsored listings remain powerful ad formats Amazon’s DSP future may be limited by broader business risks The industry debate is shifting from transparency to open vs. closed systems “Practical transparency” matters more than excessive reporting OpenPath aims to improve supply chain efficiency AI will increasingly automate campaign management Ventura aims to power the streaming ad ecosystem on connected TVs Premium content remains central to ad value Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Marketecture Live recap 01:27 Jeff Green’s insider stock purchase and market signals 02:45 The potential for ads inside AI chat platforms 05:11 Retail media and product listing ads 08:02 Why Amazon’s DSP may not exist in five years 12:00 Transparency versus outcomes in digital advertising 16:17 OpenPath and supply chain efficiency 20:31 The Trade Desk’s AI strategy 25:00 AI tools for campaign creation 25:40 The rise of CTV and Ventura’s strategy 29:14 Hedge gardens like Reddit and Spotify 31:30 Closing remarks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Wieser, founder of Madison and Wall, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss why the digital ad market is stronger than expected and what recent earnings reveal about platforms and ad tech companies. The conversation covers retail media growth, DSP competition, and how companies like Amazon, OpenAI, and The Trade Desk are approaching the next phase of advertising, along with Brian’s view on AI’s impact on agencies, CTV, and the broader ad ecosystem. Takeaways The digital ad market is strong, growing about 15 percent despite economic uncertainty. Ad growth is driven more by competition and new categories than by GDP. Retail media is expanding as retailers increase competition between brands. Agencies may benefit from AI, as marketers still need human guidance. AI platforms are starting to explore new advertising models. Chapters 00:00 Intro and Marketecture Live preview 03:10 The state of the digital advertising market 07:00 What drives ad market growth today 10:30 DSP competition and The Trade Desk’s market share 15:00 Retail media growth and Walmart’s momentum 20:30 AI disruption, SaaS concerns, and agencies 27:00 Streaming consolidation and CTV economics 33:40 OpenAI partnerships and the future of AI advertising 39:30 Amazon expanding its advertising ecosystem 45:00 AI marketing tools and Jeff Green’s $150M Trade Desk stock purchase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Seufert (Mobile Dev Memo) joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of apps, AI agents, walled gardens, and the shifting power dynamics in digital advertising. They dive into the so-called “SaaS-pocalypse” and discuss whether AI agents could replace apps entirely. They also discuss Apple’s emerging AI gatekeeping strategy (and what it means for developers), Meta’s acquisition of Manus and the automation of advertising, and AppLovin’s reported ambitions to build a social network from scratch. Along the way, they explore whether independent ad tech can survive in a world dominated by Meta and Google, how AI is reshaping landing pages and commerce journeys, and why fully autonomous “agentic commerce” may be more mirage than inevitability. Takeaways AI agents may change how people use apps, but apps will not disappear. Owning the user surface area matters because it protects monetization and customer relationships. Agentic commerce sounds compelling, but platform incentives make full disintermediation unlikely. Apple is tightening rules around sending personal data to third-party AI services, and enforcement is increasing through app rejections. Apple keeps definitions vague to preserve latitude, which can create uncertainty for developers. Apple may use Private Cloud Compute partnerships to control AI distribution and take a share of revenue. Running meaningful AI inference on a device is limited by memory, so cloud processing remains central. Meta’s Manus acquisition reinforces the push toward end-to-end campaign automation in Ads Manager. The next step is AI that improves the post-click journey, not just the ad setup. Meta’s business AI vision could move optimization from landing pages into conversational purchase guidance. Some startups should look beyond Meta’s core strengths and build in channels that Meta is less focused on. Building a new social network requires massive spending, but AppLovin has the cash flow and distribution to attempt it. Chapters 00:00 Intro & Eric Seufert Returns 02:26 Marketecture Live Announcements 06:11 The SaaS-pocalypse 10:14 Why Apps Won’t Die 11:54 Why Super Apps Failed in the West 13:27 Private Markets & AI Valuations 14:10 Apple’s AI Tracking Transparency 17:08 Apple’s Gatekeeping Strategy 21:15 App Store Delays & Vibe Coding 22:24 Meta’s Manus Acquisition 24:12 Meta’s Business AI Vision 29:44 Can Anyone Compete With Meta? 30:45 AppLovin’s Social Network Ambitions 36:04 Infillion Acquires Catalina 41:26 The Trade Desk Earnings Breakdown 46:23 Executive Turnover & Competitive Landscape 50:38 Profound’s $1B Valuation 54:14 AdSense for AI & LLM Monetization 58:00 Walmart Connect Growth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nate Elliott, Principal Analyst at eMarketer, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to talk through what’s actually happening with AI adoption in marketing and commerce. He shares a practical view on how many consumers actively use AI tools, why usage stats are often misleading, and why most AI influence on shopping still happens outside chatbots. The group also digs into GEO and AEO, agency and CMO priorities, and the growing debate over content licensing and the health of the open web. Takeaways Only about 15–20% of US online consumers use AI tools weekly, despite AI touching nearly every digital experience. Most AI-influenced commerce happens through research and discovery, not direct purchases inside chatbots. GEO feels like SEO in 1998, full of experimentation, aggressive tactics, and unclear measurement. CMOs are focused more on internal AI productivity gains than flashy external AI activations. Agencies may reach near-universal AI usage internally, but that does not mean AI replaces 95% of marketing output. The health of the open web is critical to AI platforms, making content licensing a long-term strategic issue. Chapters 00:00 Nate Elliott’s background and role leading AI research at eMarketer 07:30 How many consumers are actually active AI users 11:50 AI and commerce: direct transactions vs influence 14:40 GEO and the Wild West phase of AI search optimization 18:30 What CMOs are prioritizing in their AI strategy 23:20 Agencies, AI adoption, and the 95% marketing debate 26:00 AI disclosure, creative production, and labeling concerns 32:00 Content marketplaces and whether Google will pay publishers 38:00 Reddit, AI optimization, and measurement challenges 44:00 Agency rebates and media transparency 47:30 Amazon becomes Fortune’s number one company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Egol, Founder & CEO of JourneySpark Consulting, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to break down agentic advertising and what AdCP means for the industry, from AI’s Super Bowl moment to standards governance, Prebid collaboration, IAB alignment, and how AI agents are reshaping planning, creative, and measurement across marketing. Takeaways AI took over the Super Bowl, with roughly a quarter of ads tied to AI. Agentic advertising expands from buying to planning, discovery, and measurement. AgenticAdvertising.org focuses on standards, governance, and certification. Prebid runs the sell-side AdCP code while AAO drives the protocol and adoption. AdCP is still mostly in pilot mode, not scaled revenue. AI creative testing is beating traditional DCO in performance. LLM ads could reshape search, retail media, and content economics. Chapters 00:00 Opening & Guest Introduction 01:29 Marketecture Live & Super Bowl Banter 03:58 Matt Egol Joins from CES 06:49 What Is AgenticAdvertising.org? 08:16 Certification & Trust 11:11 Why Another Organization? 13:43 Prebid Partnership Explained 16:08 Expanding Beyond Programmatic 18:23 Relationship with the IAB 22:30 Adoption Update: February 2026 24:08 Governance & Board Structure 26:16 The AI Super Bowl 33:47 ChatGPT Launches Ads 44:20 Amazon Content Marketplace Rumors 52:19 Closing & Sign-Off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices