Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast.

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi recap Advertising Week and break down the biggest developments shaping ad tech. From Apple's Safari tracking restrictions and Walmart's expanding retail media ambitions to agentic AI in TV buying, OpenWeb's financial troubles, Zeta's acquisitions, and the future of Paramount's ad tech strategy, they explore what these shifts mean for advertisers, publishers, and the broader programmatic ecosystem. Takeaways Advertising Week illuminates the growing influence of agentic AI, CTV, and sell-side decisioning. Apple's Safari tracking restrictions raise new challenges for identity providers and advertisers. Walmart expands its retail media and CTV ambitions through Vibe and Yahoo DSP. Dentsu, NBCUniversal, and FreeWheel explore agentic AI for TV buying optimization. OpenWeb's financial struggles highlight challenges facing the open web. Zeta's acquisitions strengthen its AI search and first-party data capabilities. Paramount's media consolidation raises questions about its future ad tech strategy. PubX expands into agentic advertising through its acquisition of Compliant. Chapters00:29 - Introduction and Advertising Week Recap02:29 - Mediaocean AI Fund and Ad Tech Industry Events04:07 - LiveRamp Demo Day and Agentic AI Innovation06:14 - Advertising Week Trends: CTV, Open Web, and Agentic Commerce07:52 - Sell-Side Decisioning and the Future of DSPs09:33 - Apple's Safari Tracking Restrictions and Identity Challenges12:28 - Walmart's Retail Media Expansion and Yahoo DSP Partnership16:04 - Dentsu, NBCUniversal, and Agentic AI TV Buying20:16 - OpenWeb's Financial Troubles and Publisher Monetization24:01 - Zeta's Acquisitions of Senso and Digital Audience26:23 - Paramount, WBD, and the Future of Ad Tech Infrastructure30:36 - PubX's Agentic Advertising Strategy and Compliant Acquisition32:07 - Final Thoughts and Closing Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Epstein, CEO of Gigi, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to explore the rise of agentic commerce and what AI agents like Meta’s Muse could mean for shopping, advertising, and consumer behavior. They discuss Amazon’s decision to restrict third-party AI agents, the role of advertising revenue in protecting commerce ecosystems, opportunities in travel and retail, and whether consumers will trust AI to make purchases on their behalf. Plus, Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi break down The Trade Desk’s Safari ad-serving issue, Amazon unBoxed announcements, AI assistants, and the growing battle for consumer AI adoption. Takeaways AI agents are shifting from answering questions to taking actions for consumers. Consumer trust and permissions will be critical to agentic commerce adoption. Amazon has strong incentives to protect its shopping experience and advertising revenue from third-party AI agents. Travel could become a major use case for AI-powered transactions and bookings. Meta’s ecosystem could give Muse a powerful path to adoption, particularly for commerce and small businesses. Chapters00:00 Amazon unBoxed and conference highlights03:02 Meta Muse and real-world AI agent use cases06:37 The Trade Desk blocked from serving ads on Safari11:37 Amazon’s AI-powered advertising updates12:38 Branded Conversations and conversational commerce15:14 Delta enters the travel media network space17:19 OpenAI, LiveRamp and AI advertising19:00 The battle for consumer AI assistants20:45 Meta expands Muse for SMBs and enterprise23:11 Anthropic, AI economics and the future of adtech26:15 Adam Epstein joins the podcast26:49 Amazon unBoxed and Sponsored Reviews30:00 Is agentic commerce really the future?31:00 What makes an effective AI agent?33:30 Will mainstream consumers adopt AI agents?36:06 Why AI agents still struggle with everyday tasks38:00 Why Amazon is blocking third-party AI agents42:46 Instacart, AI agents and grocery commerce44:18 Why travel could be transformed by agentic commerce45:21 How brands could compete inside AI agents48:12 Testing Muse in real-world situations51:35 Meta, Shopify and the future of agentic commerce53:39 Closing thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Adam Epstein Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Paparo sits down with Ryan Walker, Senior Director of Commerce at PMG, at Amazon unBoxed to explore how PMG helped IQBAR expand its full-funnel marketing strategy. Ryan explains how Amazon Marketing Cloud, audience segmentation, CTV, video, and AI-powered campaign tools helped the brand reach new shoppers, improve acquisition, and connect advertising performance to long-term customer value. Takeaways Full-funnel marketing goes beyond conversion: PMG builds messaging around each stage of the customer journey, from discovery to purchase. New customer acquisition required a targeting shift: Amazon Marketing Cloud helped PMG identify that IQBAR was repeatedly reaching existing audiences and needed to expand to new shoppers. CTV helped expand reach: Live sports and other CTV inventory helped IQBAR acquire new customers while measuring profitability against expected lifetime value. Closed-loop measurement connects media to sales: Amazon allowed PMG to connect upper-funnel video and display exposure with actual purchases. Chapters00:00 Introduction: Ari Paparo and Ryan Walker00:38 Full-Funnel Marketing at Amazon unBoxed01:17 How PMG and IQBAR Use Amazon Marketing Cloud02:54 Reaching Customers Across the Purchase Journey03:22 Identifying IQBAR’s Growth Plateau04:39 Shifting Targeting Toward New Customers05:34 Tailoring Creative and Messaging06:03 Performance Plus and Brand Plus06:33 Expanding Across CTV and Video07:11 Using Live Sports to Reach New Audiences08:29 Amazon’s Closed-Loop Measurement Advantage09:46 What’s Next for Full-Funnel Advertising10:51 If PMG Commerce Were an Animal Guests: Ari Paparo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi recap Marketecture Live Chicago before sharing a live conversation with Steven Galanis, Co-Founder & CEO of Cameo, and Johnny Hilbrant, Creator of PE Guy. They explore how Cameo is expanding beyond personalized videos into brand partnerships, how creators are building diversified revenue streams, and why platforms like LinkedIn are becoming valuable channels for creator content. Ari and Eric also break down Meta’s Muse AI agent, recent ad tech M&A, Scope3’s rebrand, and the rise of new commerce media networks. Takeaways: Cameo is expanding its role in brand and creator partnerships. Creators are diversifying revenue beyond traditional sponsored posts. LinkedIn is becoming a stronger distribution channel for creator content. AI agents could reshape how consumers discover and buy products. Commerce media is expanding into finance, restaurants, and other industries. Chapters:00:00 Marketecture Live Chicago Recap01:53 How LLMs Source Brand Information02:59 What Marketers Were Talking About in Chicago05:49 Steven Galanis on Cameo’s Growth07:35 Cameo for Business and Brand Endorsements12:04 The Rise of Micro-Influencers13:44 Is Everyone an Influencer Now?17:10 How Creators Diversify Their Revenue19:12 The Future of Creator Platforms20:40 Jonny Hilbrant, Creator of PE Guy, Joins22:29 How PE Guy Was Created25:15 Creator Platforms and Distribution28:06 Why PE Guy Is Working on LinkedIn30:18 Building Long-Term Brand Partnerships33:02 Do Creators Still Need Agents?35:25 Meta’s Muse AI Agent45:00 Infillion Acquires Foursquare47:33 Taboola Acquires Dianomi49:08 Scope3 Rebrands52:46 Citi Launches a Commerce Media Network55:33 McDonald’s Launches Its Media Network57:40 Closing Thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Steven Galanis, Johnny Hilbrant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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