Next in Media

Next in Marketing spoke with Adrienne Lahens, Global Head of Operations, TikTok Creator Marketing Solutions about how working with creators on the platform is markedly different than YouTube, and how brands are seeking ways to execute influencer campaigns much faster, while also figuring out the best way to track their impact. Guest: Adrienne LahensHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing talked to Zefr co-founder and CEO Rich Raddon about how his company became and accidentally leader in brand safety technology, and what lead Zefr - which was born as a YouTube ad buying firm, to purchase an Israeli startup that was looking to fight disinformation after the 2016 elections. Guest: Rich RaddonHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing talked to Brian Albert, who leads YouTube media partnerships & creative services teams, about how he's trying to convince TV brands that creators are investing in high production content just like some of the bigger streaming platforms - yet the resulting viewership and impact is even larger. Yet Albert acknowledged that he's fighting a perspective battle among traditional marketers about what constitutes 'quality' and 'premium.' - Albert also gave his take on what's driving the ongoing ad slowdown. Guest: Brian AlbertHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing Vinny Rinaldi, Head of Media & Analytics at Hershey, the kind of marketer that has traditionally used TV advertising to reach - everybody. Over the the past few years the company has shifted a large majority of its spending to digital channels in search of more accountability. Yet the industry keeps throwing up more walled gardens - making this transition much more challenging. Guest: Vinny RinaldiHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Erica Patrick SVP, Director of Paid Social Media at Mediahub Worldwide about why platforms like Meta and Snap are suddenly struggling, thanks to Apple's new ID rules, and TikTok stealing everyone's thunder. Patrick also talked about the state of brand safety on social media, and whether marketers will ever be able to fully have control over where their ads run. Guest: Erica PatrickHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Adam Gerber, Executive Director, US Investment Strategy · GroupM and Mike Fisher, VP, Advanced TV & Audio at Essence about how they discovered that many streaming services were running tons of ads even after people's TV sets are turned off. It turns out that brands could be wasting millions of dollars sending ads to devices that no one is watching, even as the CTV ad market explodes. It's a fascinating problem and one without a simple fix. Guests: Adam Gerber and Mike FisherHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to Ryan Pauley Chief Revenue Officer at Vox Media on the contradictions he's seeing in the current ad market, and why some publishers might be struggling. Ryan also talked about why he thinks brands still haven't made a decision on a cookie alternative, and why the company is leaning in on some social platforms while potentially pulling back on others. Guest: Ryan PauleyHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Ed Davis President, Product & Operations at OpenAP about how the media venture - jointly owned by NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Discovery and others - has rolled out a series of news products, including a centralized data hub, an identity framework and a measurement tool - all aimed at helping marketers better target consumers, while reducing waste in their media spending (so people stop seeing the same ads again and again). Guest: Ed DavisHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Radha Subramanyam, President and Chief Research and Analytics Officer, CBS about the importance of data fidelity in TV research, and why neither census-based or panel based solutions have all the answers. For example, Subramanyam talked about how existing methodologies may be undercounting HIspanic American audiences and other demographics that still access TV over the air - while overstating just how many households are streaming first. Guest: Radha SubramanyamHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with two of the TV ad industry's leading advocates for change, Kelly Abcarian EVP, Measurement & Impact at NBCUniversal Media and Travis Scoles SVP, Advanced Advertising at Paramount. Both Abcarian and Scoles talked about how urgently brands need to shift their thinking when it comes to how they measure TV campaigns, and why legacy planning and modeling tools will soon be obsolete. Each executive also had a different take on whether marketers will ultimately be able to purchase TV ads based on guaranteed brand outcomes. Guests: Kelly Abcarian and Travis ScolesHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Brad Feinberg, NA VP of Media and Consumer Engagement at Molson Coors about how the beverage giant is grappling with trying to reach younger (21+) drinkers who are turning away from not just traditional TV but even live sports. Feinberg urged the biggest players in TV to make it easier to reach more targeting audiences across streaming platforms by working together- rather than leaning on proprietary data solutions. Guest: Brad FeinbergHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing chatted with Doug Rozen CEO of dentsu Media in the Americas, about the notion that some of the major ad holding companies may need to come to agreement on new standards and definitions in order to move advanced TV advertising forward. Specifically, Rozen theorized that the buy side may need to match the efforts of OpenAP, a joint venture between NBCUniversal, Paramount and others - or even join them. In addition, Rozen talked about why he believes that once TV figures out currency, measuring attention will become the next battleground. Guest: Doug RozenHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Meg Ciarallo VP of Brand and Consumer Marketing at Bolt about how the well-funded retail tech startup is taking a DTC strategy to television advertising, and why she has little interest in discussions over upfront rates, GRPs and currency wars. Guest: Meg CiaralloHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Amy Ginsberg Chief Investment Officer at Havas Media Group about the state of the video ad market, and the ongoing challenges stemming from fragmentation. Ginsberg is hoping that measurement and buying become much simpler and less siloed - but has doubts about how quickly that will become a reality. In the meantime Ginsberg talked about why she remains a somewhat reluctant upfront participant. Guest: Amy GinsbergHost: Mike Shields

Ben Winkler, SVP of Agency Strategy at TripleLift, talked to Next in Marketing about how media buying agencies have been able to shake off seemingly lethal threats such as in-housing and procurement scrutiny while reasserting their relevance. The challenge now is pulling together enough talent to service brands, while also investing enough in differentiating technology. Guest: Ben WinklerHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Luke Kigel, who is both VP, Walgreens Media & Head of Walgreens Advertising Group, which means he oversees Walgreens' push into selling ads, while also overseeing its spending as a big advertiser. Luke said that the company's new role as a seller is dramatically changing how it operates as a marketer, as it looks to treat TV far more like digital media. That's because, in his view, many of the traditional ways of planning and buying TV have be become "antithetical to the way people live their lives". Guest: Luke KigelHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing talked to Krystal Olivieri Global Chief Innovation Officer at GroupM & Choreograph, about her worry that the ad industry has created a 'panic' among brands angling for more first party data in a post-cookie future. And while she has high hopes for the metaverse if and when it arrives, she warns against marketers using new identifiers such as crypto wallets to target consumers. In the meantime, Olivieri is bullish on marketers employing different signals, including contextual and retail data, to better service consumers. Guest: Krystal OlivieriHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to IAB CEO David Cohen about the state of ad-supported streaming, and why he's pushing traditional TV advertisers to shift their mindsets when it comes to pricing strategy, measurement and what role the medium will play over time. Cohen also spoke about how many brands have been dragging their feet when it comes to preparing for massive changes in ad targeting, and what he thinks the prospects are for a national data privacy law. Guest: David CohenHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to Donna Speciale President Sales and Marketing at TelevisaUnivision about what's happening in the TV ad market as Nielsen faces a number of new challengers. Not only does Speciale question whether any one company will be able to claim the measurement mantle - she believes that TelevisaUnivision's Hispanic American audience is being severely undercounted - which is why the company is going it alone in building a proprietary Hispanic audience graph. Guest: Donna SpecialeHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Sarah Iooss Head of Sales, Americas at Twitch about how the Amazon-owned property is helping brands like Pringles connect with fans of huge video games. Iooss talked about the different ways marketers can engage with popular gaming influencers, and how Twitch is also seeing huge growth in viewership of live music, fine arts and even chess competitions. The result is a company with an audience that is consistently comparable to TV. Guest: Sarah IoossHost: Mike Shields

YuJung Kim, president of the animal focused media brand, spoke to Next in Marketing about the path from starting out as a Facebook centric brand to a company that produces content for Netflix, TikTok, Animal Planet and even a series of children's books. Guest: YuJung KimHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to Aaron Debevoise, founder and CEO of Spotter, a company that is paying YouTube stars hundreds of millions for the rights to their older videos. Creators like Mr. Beast are using this funding to launch ambitious new content ventures, including an initiative to clean the ocean of pollution. Meanwhile Spotter is packaging this still popular content up for TV advertisers looking for big reach. Guest: Aaron DebevoiseHost: Mike Shields

Todd Braverman Senior Vice President, WarnerMedia Portfolio Sales & Client Partnerships, talked about his company's experience in launching HBO Max with Ads over the past year, and how consumers have responded positively to its very customized, limited approach. Todd also spoke about the ongoing debate over whether TV needs a new ad currency - or currencies - as a slew of measurement upstarts look to challenge Nielsen Guest: Todd BravermanHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing speaks with Ari Lewine, co-founder and chief strategy officer at TripleLift about how his company is trying to help publishers make more out of their first party data. Lewine is surprised that so many advertisers have yet to explore any targeting alternatives, despite all the huge changes in digital identity. Lewine also talks about why he thinks Facebook's business model is taking such a hit, and what steps the company must take to regain its attribution mojo. Guest: Ari LewineHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to David Levy, CEO of OpenAP, a joint venture between NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS Fox and Discovery, about how the company is trying to help brands target audiences consistently across networks and platforms - and why he's worried that too many media companies are discounting consumer experience with ads as Connected TV explodes. Guest: David LevyHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to Action Network CEO Patrick Keane about the furious competition on search engines, social networks and in app stores to drive more downloads of the company's sports betting informational platform. Patrick also talked about what it was like when gambling became legal in New York earlier this year, which he likened to "Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years" combined. Guest: Patrick KeaneHost: Mike Shields

Scott Schiller spent a few decades on the sales side of the media business, including a long stint at NBCUniversal. Now he's focused on helping big advertisers navigate programmatic ad buying and particularly fast emerging platforms like Connected TV. Scott talked the current upheaval in TV measurement, and why it's unlikely we'll see a perfect replacement for Nielsen emerge. Guest: Scott SchillerHost: Mike Shields

This week on Next in Marketing, we spoke with Cara Pratt SVP Kroger Precision Marketing about the grocery giant's journey over the past few years in building out an ad business from scratch. The company, which boasts of stores in 35 states, has already delivered ads for 1300 brands. And its ace in the hole is that 95% of its customers also utilize in-store loyalty cards- allowing for true online to offline media measurement. Guest: Cara PrattHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Brian Morrissey, founder of The Rebooting about why 2022 is going to be a year of level setting in the digital ad world, as marketers face inflation when it comes to paying to acquire customers and digital publishers continue to band together to ensure they can build sustainable businesses. That said, he's fully confident that brands will adapt, as evidenced by the surging valuations in ad tech. Guest: Brian MorrisseyHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Jim Keller, Executive Vice President, Digital Ad Sales and Advanced Advertising at Discovery about how measuring and evaluating TV advertising is becoming immensely complicated, and why it's not realistic to expect the ad industry will settle on a single measurement or attribution method. According to Keller, TV is becoming a bespoke business, which will be challenging for agencies and sales teams. Guest: Jim KellerHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing speaks with Ana Andjelic, one of Forbes's Most Influential CMOs and former Chief Brand Officer at Banana Republic, Rebecca Minkoff, and others. Ana talks about why she thinks NFTs may be a fad, but that doesn't mean marketers shouldn't put off laying the groundwork for figuring out how decentralized ownership, blockchain and the metaverse will completely change how they interact with customers. Andjelic also discusses the future of retail, how brands should approach influencers, and plans for a sequel to her most recent book. Guest: Ana AndjelicHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Melissa Burdick, president and co-founder of Pacvue, a technology company that specializes in buying ads on retail properties, including Amazon. Burdick discussed how differently Amazon views Madison Avenue versus other tech leaders, and how the company is systematically moving to disrupt TV advertising and measurement. Guest: Melissa BurdickHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing talked to ex ABC and Hulu ad exec Justin Fromm, who now runs research for LG Ads, about why TV makers are suddenly so well positioned to play a role in how ads get to TV screens, and how marketers connect with digital households overall. Fromm also discussed why streaming has such a problem with repetitive ads, and how TV device companies can help marketers tie TV ads to real world sales. Guest: Justin FrommHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing speaks with former GroupM North America CEO Brian Lesser about the state of digital advertising amidst increased scrutiny, and why he thinks programmatic advertising has only just begun to grapple with the ramifications. Lesser, who's now chairman and CEO of InfoSum, also explains why he doubts that Apple will push further into the ad business, and why he hopes lawmakers finally force some real change at Facebook. Guest: Brian LesserHost: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing talks with Christina Wootton Vice President, Brand Partnerships at Roblox about how brands are building full digital experiences for a generation of consumers raised in immersive gaming environments, and how that will shape the future of media and entertainment. Christina also discusses what executives should be thinking about when trying to understand the metaverse. Guest: Christina WoottonHost: Mike Shields

LiveIntent was built as an ad tech company that specialized in monetizing newsletters for publishers. CMO Kerel Cooper talks to Next in Marketing about how the company's data culled from millions of people's inboxes is now suddenly the basis of a potential solution to the elimination of cookies. Kerel also discusses why publishers are putting so much more editorial investment toward newsletter products, and why several niche direct-to-consumer brands are also having success in this medium. Guest: Kerel CooperHost: Mike Shields

Tal Chalozin, CTO of Innovid, talks about why the software company could be the heir apparent to classic third-party measurement firms such as Nielsen and comScore in the digital era. Chalozin also weighs in on why marketers are going to have to accept a certain level of fragmentation, which will make ad targeting via identity data challenging. Yet in his mind, the idea that targeting was perfect during the cookie era has "always been a pipe dream." Guest: Tal ChalozinHost: Mike Shields

David Temkin, Senior Director, Product Management, Ads Privacy & User Trust at Google explains why he thinks the broader ad industry so badly missed the mark on respecting consumer privacy online, and why the shift away from tracking users across the web is vital. He also discusses Google's rationale for delaying the elimination of cookies, and why he sees email-based alternatives as 'unnecessary workarounds.'Guest: David TemkinHost: Mike Shields

Mondelēz International’s Global Vice President, Consumer Experience, Jonathan Halvorson discussed how the company behind brands like Ritz, Oreos, and Cadbury has blown up many of its core strategies by producing thousands of pieces of creative for each campaign, moving the bulk of its spending to digital channels, and investing in software that makes ad buying smarter. Guest: Jonathan HalvorsonHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

The Trade Desk’s Chief Operating Officer, Michelle Hulst discusses the ‘real anxiety’ marketers felt upon learning of the upcoming deprecation of third-party cookies, and why she was initially frustrated when Google delayed the timeline. At the same time, Hulst believes this period of adjustment is exactly what digital marketers needed to rethink how they connect with consumers, and the need to reaffirm the 'quid pro quo' between advertising and customers. Guest: Michelle HulstHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Aimee Johnson, CMO of Zillow Group, and Anda Gansca, CEO and Founder of Knotch, discuss how marketers are trying to balance their urgent need to acquire first-party data versus actually servicing customers. Aimee and Anda also dive into how brands that may have overinvested in content, must now find ways to prove its value alongside the rest of their marketing spend. The two executives also predict that some brands may see Google's delay on cookie deprecation as an excuse to slow down, while others are racing ahead to revamp their data strategies. Guests: Aimee Johnson, Anda GanscaHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Ryan Stern and Alexa Tonner, co-founders of the influencer marketing agency Collectively, share why they think influencer marketing still carries a stigma in some circles, resulting in healthy creative tension between marketers and creators. They believe marketers need to get past treating influencer marketing as just another ad channel. Alexa and Ryan also discuss how brands are looking at influencer marketing through a paid media ROI lens, even as they aim to harness new forms of organic product placement and weigh in on whether they think Facebook has a shot at fostering a true creator community. Guests: Ryan Stern and Alexa TonnerHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Kabir Ahuja, Partner and leader of the European Marketing Practice at McKinsey & Company, says many marketers are still worried about the strength of their relationships with consumers. Based on McKinsey's research, 75% of consumers took on a new behavior or brand last year and according to Ahuja, as a result, CMOs are pushing harder than ever to prove the value of marketing to their organizations, from driving sales to deciding what businesses to enter. Guest: Kabir AhujaHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Scott Brinker, Vice President of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot and Chiefmartech.com blog Editor, believes that the eventual elimination of targeting mechanisms such as cookies and mobile IDs is forcing CMOs to focus on improving other aspects of their marketing efforts - which he says have been neglected as brands fixated on ad targeting. Brinker also discusses why he's seeing more startups and money pour into marketing technology than ever before despite all the changes within the ecosystem. Guest: Scott BrinkerHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Krishan Bhatia, President & Chief Business Officer at NBCUniversal explains how his company expects half of its video consumption to occur on digital platforms in only a few years. And while brands are ready to adjust to that reality in terms of how they buy and measure TV ads - too many agencies are clinging to the old ways of doing things. Krishan also covers the latest on Peacock and what role it played during the most recent Upfront, and why he expects dozens of new brands to find their way onto network TV by the end of the year. Guest: Krishan BhatiaHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

JP Evangelista, Senior Vice President Content, Programming & Marketing at Vevo discusses how the music video platform saw a huge jump in connected TV viewing during the pandemic, leading to longer viewing sessions and more advertising demand. Evangelista believes there’s been a fundamental shift and Vevo is now positioned squarely against prime time TV. He expects half of Vevo's US revenue to soon come from CTV, thanks in large part to the massive popularity of young artists like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. Guest: JP EvangelistaHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

After more than a decade in prominent marketing roles at Viacom, Ross Martin has spent the last year launching Known. His latest venture aspires to disrupt the traditional ad agency sector by taking advantage of what he sees as growing mistrust between brands and their partners. Ross discusses why some marketers are expected to struggle to adjust to a post-Covid, post-cookie reality, unless they significantly up their investment in true data science - and not just hiring someone “who is good at Excel". Guest: Ross MartinHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Jessica Peltz-Zatulove, Founding Partner of the venture capital firm Hannah Grey, says that marketers have no choice but to dive deeper into the creator universe, even if they find it 'terrifying." According to Jessica, if marketers don't take the leap, they may find themselves in direct competition with influencers. Jessica also highlights what she looks for as a potential investor in ad tech, and how she's working to support more female founders. Guest: Jessica Peltz-ZatuloveHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes Dedicated to the memory of our editor, Daniel Gluckman.

Lee Brown, Vice President of Global Advertising at Spotify discusses why brands that have leaned into programmatic advertising have been hesitant to move more dollars into podcasting - until recently. Brown says that thanks to recent acquisitions and product launches - such as the Spotify Audience Network and a dynamic ad serving tool - the plan is to make audio ads more scalable and data-driven - just like the rest of digital. Guest: Lee BrownHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes

Jerry Dischler, Vice President and General Manager, Ads at Google, shares why the company thinks the digital ad industry can't afford to be timid in rethinking its relationship with consumers. Dischler also discusses why Google doesn't believe any of the proposed cookie alternatives, such as the Trade Desk's UID, are fundamentally different enough or will work long term. In the case of FLoC, Jerry predicts that while the solution may not be perfect - the open web will be better because of it. Guest: Jerry DischlerHost: Mike ShieldsProducer: Kenya Hayes