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The Complete Feed
Explore every Signal & Noise podcast, article & video in one place from all our guests & contributors.


Ads in AI: Why Advertising Will Matter More Than Skeptics Think — But Less Than Google Needed It To
Advertising is coming to AI, but it may not reshape the industry in the way many expect. In this article, Rio Longacre examines the fierce debate between skeptics, optimists, and purists, arguing that ads will become a significant revenue stream for AI platforms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini. The key insight: unlike Google Search, these companies already generate extraordinary subscription and enterprise revenue, making advertising highly valuable—but ultimately incremen
16 hours ago


The Accuracy Crisis in Advertising: Scott McKinley on Bad Data and the Hidden Tax on CTV
In this episode of Signal & Noise, Scott McKinley joins hosts Brett House and Rio Longacre to unpack the hidden data quality crisis inside Connected TV. From identity graphs and audience targeting to authenticated users and trust in advertising, the conversation explores why bad data may be wasting billions in media spend.
1 day ago


Signal Break:The Real Take on the LiveRamp Acquisition by Publicis Groupe
The independent infrastructure era may be ending. In this "Signal Break," we unpack one of the most consequential AdTech deals in years: Publicis Groupe acquiring LiveRamp. Joined by Bob Walczak and Krish Raja, we break down what this deal really means for identity, clean rooms, publishers, UID2, systems integrators, and the future of the open internet.
6 days ago


The End of Marketing’s Age of Opinion: Greg Stuart on Measurement, Attribution, and Making Marketing More Predictable
What if marketing’s real problem isn’t data—but discipline? In this Signal & Noise episode, Greg Stuart (CEO, MMA) breaks down why marketing struggles to earn trust and how to fix it. From weak measurement and flawed attribution to AI’s limits, this conversation challenges the industry to shift from opinion to evidence—and finally prove real business impact.
7 days ago


Content Supply Chain Is Having Its AI Moment
The content supply chain is entering its AI moment—but most organizations aren’t ready. This piece breaks down how agentic systems are transforming content creation, orchestration, and activation, shifting from manual workflows to intelligent, end-to-end pipelines. The winners won’t just use AI—they’ll redesign how content flows from idea to impact.
May 20


The Sell-Side Strikes Back: Joe Root on AI, the Outcomes Era, and Rebuilding the Ad Stack from the Publisher Up
AI is shifting advertising power from buy-side to sell-side. In this episode, Joe Root (Permutive) explains how decisioning is moving closer to publisher data, enabling real-time, signal-rich optimization and outcome-based advertising. As AI reshapes targeting, trading, and agency models, publishers gain leverage and the traditional DSP-driven ecosystem faces a fundamental reset.
May 19


TV Was Never Built to Behave Like Meta
Connected TV is increasingly being sold as though it should perform like Google and Meta. But television was never designed to capture intent in the moment. Its power lies in building familiarity, emotional resonance, and mental availability over time. In this essay, David Nyurenberg argues that forcing CTV into performance marketing frameworks misunderstands what makes television uniquely valuable—and risks undermining the very qualities that make it effective.
May 17


Getting Sh*t Done: Tom Amies-Cull on Fixing Broken Agency Operating Models
Most companies don’t fail at strategy—they fail at execution. In *Signal & Noise*, Tom Amies-Cull breaks down why transformation struggles in complex organizations: poor coordination, unclear decision-making, and weak operating models. AI won’t fix broken systems—it will amplify them. Real change requires aligned incentives, strong leadership, and scalable execution.
May 14


When AI Rewrites Work: Jennifer Borchardt on Jobs, Power, and the Human Cost
What happens when AI stops being a tool and starts redefining work? In this Signal & Noise episode, Brett House and Rio Longacre speak with Jennifer Borchardt on how AI is reshaping jobs, careers, and identity. They explore the decline of specialization, the rise of “hyphenate” workers, and the risks of inequality as AI transforms the labor economy and challenges the future of purpose.
May 11


POSSIBLE 2026 Day 3: The AI Endgame, Agentic Media, and Rebuilding the Ad Stack
Final day of POSSIBLE 2026 in Miami shifts from hype to clarity. Leaders highlight AI’s move from tools to systems—driving agentic workflows, orchestration, and infrastructure. Key themes: control layers, governance, multichannel gaps, composable CDPs, and the fall of legacy AdTech. The takeaway: this isn’t future-state—AI transformation is already here, and the industry is racing to catch up.
May 11


Architecting Resilience in the Intelligence Age
We’re entering a post-labor economy where value shifts from human effort to compute ownership. As AI becomes the operating environment—not just a tool—the real work moves from creation to verification. Specialists give way to “hyphenate” orchestrators who audit, guide, and stress-test intelligent systems. In this world, resilience—not productivity—is the metric that defines winners.
May 10


POSSIBLE 2026 Day 2: Where AI Meets the Real Operating System of Marketing
Day 2 of POSSIBLE 2026 features Signal & Noise live from Miami, with top voices across adtech, martech, and AI. Topics include agentic media buying, first-party data, AI-driven measurement, identity, and infrastructure. Key themes: AI as decisioning systems, data bottlenecks, stack consolidation, and rebuilding measurement—showing how marketing is being re-architected for a data-native future.
May 6


Possible 2026 Day 1: AI, AdTech, CTV & the Future of Media | Signal & Noise Compilation
Recorded live at POSSIBLE 2026 in Miami, this Signal & Noise episode features top leaders in advertising, media, data, and AI. Through rapid interviews, experts explore AI monetization, CTV, ad quality, creator ecosystems, and brand trust. Key takeaway: innovation isn’t the problem—execution is. Watch full interviews on YouTube.
May 5


Beyond the Stack with Lucas Longacre & Viktor Williamson
What does “full stack” mean in the age of AI? In *Signal & Noise*, Lucas Longacre and Viktor Williamson explore modern software engineering—from frameworks like Next.js to agentic coding and AI-assisted development. They unpack evolving roles, performance, security, and human-centered design, plus why engineers are shifting from builders to orchestrators in a rapidly changing, AI-driven landscape.
May 4


The Activation Gap: Rob McLaughlin on Why First-Party Data Still Isn’t Moving the Needle
First-party data is widely valued—but rarely used in media. In Signal & Noise, Rob McLaughlin (explains why less than 3% of spend leverages it. The issue isn’t tools—it’s a broken model. Learn how brands can activate data directly from their cloud, reduce costs, improve speed, and shift from moving data to moving signals for better performance.
Apr 27


The IRL Rebellion: Why Real People and Real Experiences Are Rewriting the B2B Playbook
After years of digital overload and AI-generated noise, B2B is snapping back to what actually builds trust: real human interaction. This piece explores the rise of the “IRL Era,” where influence flows through communities, practitioners, and in-person experiences—not funnels, forms, or automation—and why companies that show up will win.
Apr 23


From Strategy to Scale: George Musi on What Actually Drives Growth Inside Agencies
Everyone says they want growth. Few organizations are actually built to deliver it.
In this episode of Signal & Noise, former agency exec George Musi — across Publicis, WPP, IPG, and Horizon — breaks down why growth keeps breaking inside large organizations.
Strategy isn't the problem. Execution systems are. And AI doesn't fix broken systems — it amplifies them.
Apr 22


The GTM Slop Problem: Marc Sabatini on the Six Dimensions of GTM. Partner Buying, and Winning the US Market
Most B2B companies don't fail because the product is bad — they fail because the system around it is broken. In this episode of Signal & Noise, Marc Sabatini (Co-Founder & CCO at HighSignals) breaks down the GTM Slop Problem: why launches stall, teams misalign, and great products still lose. 30+ years of GTM experience. No theory. Just how it actually works — or doesn't.
Apr 20


Ad Fraud, Part 2: Dr. Augustine Fou on Hidden Fees, Phantom Outcomes, and the Agentic Al Trap
In Part 2 of our ad fraud series, Brett and Rio go deeper with Dr. Augustine Fou — and it gets uncomfortable.
This isn't just about bots. It's about the system that profits from them: hidden take rates, spoofed supply, and "performance" that's often fabricated.
Then: agentic AI. Because broken inputs don't get fixed by automation — they scale. Who's getting paid? And how much are they taking?
Apr 15


From Publishers to Platforms: Evgeny Popov on CTV, Career Exits, and the Future of Television
Careers in AdTech follow the market—not a straight path. In this Signal & Noise episode, Evgeny Popov shares a full-stack view across publishers, agencies, DSPs, and CTV. From acquisitions to ACR data and measurement challenges, we explore how TV is becoming a data-driven channel—and why those who understand the entire ecosystem are best positioned to win.
Apr 13


Agentic Aftermath: Who Wins (and Loses) When Media Becomes Negotiated
Who wins and who loses when media buying goes agentic? AdCP isn’t just a new protocol—it’s a shift in where media decisions happen. As allocation moves upstream from auctions to agent-driven negotiation, DSPs, SSPs, publishers, and agencies all face structural disruption. This isn’t about better automation. It’s about control—and a fundamental reshaping of how the market operates.
Apr 13


The GTM Slop Problem, Part 3: WTF is GTM, Anyway?
The current market is full of adjacent providers and short on anyone willing to own the full chain between product value and commercial execution. What fills that gap is not just strategy and not just execution. It is GTM Intelligence.
By GTM Intelligence, I don't mean RevOps dashboards, sales intelligence, or pipeline inspection tools.
I mean the decisioning layer that determines what matters, what deserves focus, what the market needs to hear, and where the commercial
Apr 9


The Old MarTech Stack Is Breaking, Part I: Semantic Layers Are the New Keeper of Data and Advertising Coherence with Leighton Welch & Sarah Martinez from Tracer
In this episode of Signal & Noise, Tracer’s Leighton Welch and Sarah Martinez explore how enterprise stacks are shifting to data-first, with the semantic layer at the core. We unpack five key trends—from warehouse-native architecture to AI readiness—and why success depends on shared, trusted data. Key takeaway: AI doesn’t fix bad data—it exposes it.
Apr 8


The CDP Redux: Category Creation to AI Fragmentation, with Dale Renner, CEO of Redpoint Global
The CDP isn’t dead—it’s just evolved. In this episode, Dale Renner breaks down how the category fragmented, why most CDPs failed to unify data, and how “everyone became a CDP.” The takeaway: without strong data and identity, personalization falls flat. The future isn’t platforms—it’s clean data, composable systems, and owned AI layers.
Apr 6
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