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Open Market is a podcast about building companies in the advertising industry. This is not another news podcast. Rather, hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa dive into the stories of successful companies to help listeners understand how to replicate that success. Guests such as Brian O'Kelley, Jonah Goodhart, and the Vanderhooks join to share their advice.
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Adam Epstein, CEO of Gigi, joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss what it really means to build and sell a verticalized AI agent for advertising. Adam breaks down why Gigi focused on Amazon DSP, how selling agents differs from selling SaaS, why agents should be framed as jobs, how to price and pilot AI, and what it takes to prove value and onboard customers for agentic software.
Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa discuss takeaways from tvScientific-Pinterest with a focus on B2B marketing and investing: why tvScientific's narrative struck the right notes, how they implemented the CEO evangelism playbook, and what their success signals for investors.
Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa discuss four ideas for how adtech CEOs can crush it in 2026: overcommunicate direction until you’re sick of yourself; tell a story about the industry, not just your company; design the company for AI; and center outcomes in your storytelling. Plus, Joe talks about getting punched in the face, physically and metaphorically.
Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa commune 1:1 for a discussion of the role luck plays in entrepreneurship and how you can create your own luck, the unparalleled value of a charismatic, provocative chief evangelist (Alex Karp case study), and the three conditions required to create a category. Also, Eric offers a based take on us humans hurtling through space on a rock.
Transmit co-founder and CPO Scott Young joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to weigh in on the current state of streaming, why live sports are the crown jewel of CTV, how the YouTube TV-Disney controversy unfolded, and the role AI will play in the future of the channel. Plus, Scott makes Eric's day by de-aging him.
OpenAds CEO and co-founder Steven Liss joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to share which AI plays are likely to endure, how SMBs, brands, and agencies are reacting to the company's AI-native ad platform pitch, what brilliant questions VCs are asking adtech founders these days, and how OpenAds is using AI to run a more efficient startup. Plus, Steven tells the guys what the adtech equivalents of fracking and Tinder are.
Eric Franchi blesses Joe Zappa with his insights on the key dos and don’ts of fundraising, including how to get a warm intro, what makes a great pitch deck, which questions to ask VCs, and why manufacturing FOMO or including an exit slide can backfire. Plus, Eric says not to be mad at him if he's rejected you.
Agency exec Jay Friedman stops by the pod after extensive research on AI in advertising to update Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa on what really matters. Jay covers the different parts of the AI city, the questions CMOs should be asking agencies and adtech companies, and how overtechnical programmatic nerds tend to get about their products. Plus, Eric stunts on not one but two bald, bespectacled counterparts.
Eric walks Joe and the listeners through Customer Advisory Boards, or CABs: What they are, why you need one, and how to build them. The guys discuss common mistakes and how to maximize the value of CABs from a marketing perspective.
Bryan joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss the content-to-commerce phenomenon Shopsense is pioneering, the startup's partnership with The Trade Desk, and leadership lessons from Amazon. Shopsense is an Aperiam portco and Sharp Pen client.
In part 2 of "Common Marketing Misconceptions of Adtech CEOs," Joe Zappa and Eric Franchi discuss a viral post by Scope3's Brian O'Kelley and what other adtech founders and CEOs can learn from his approach to CEO evangelism. Then they bat back and forth other common mistakes, such as worrying about overexposure and over-indexing on events as a marketing tactic. Plus, Joe provides concrete tactical advice for CEOs who don't know what to post about.
Anne joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss why the Ad Context Protocol matters, what it will take for agentic advertising to achieve widespread adoption, how agents will drive better outcomes for open internet advertising, and the evolution of Scope3. Plus, Joe gives Anne a chance to dunk on the company's haters.
Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa discuss the acquisition of IAS and the company's potential future directions, how an open internet adtech company could crack the SMB market and which companies are most likely to do it, and the surge of optimism around AI — from GEO to OpenAI to Silicon Valley's return to adtech investing.
U of Digital CEO and co-founder Shiv Gupta joins the pod to educate Joe and Eric on AI's transformation of adtech, the three legs of the modern sales stool, and how sales and marketing are blurring. Plus, Joe finds out about "jeans parties," an ancient practice handed down to Gen Xers from the Mesopotamians.
On the Friday before Labor Day, Joe and Eric got loose (or Joe got loose and Eric tolerated his shenanigans). Joe debriefs a recent hire that went wrong, Eric discusses Q4 adtech prep, and the guys debate who can do more pull-ups.
Joe goes solo to rattle off 10 common misconceptions adtech CEOs have about marketing. No way to grow a business like calling out your customer. Topics include how to find great marketers, how often to communicate, and how to measure the impact of adtech marketing.
Magnite CPO Adam Soroca and Streamr CEO and co-founder Jonathan Moffie join the pod to discuss the leading SSP buying the CTV creative automation platform. Adam and Jonathan break down the thinking behind the deal, how it came together, and what other startup founders can learn from Streamr's example. Joe posits that performance TV is the big thesis in adtech and asks the guys what Magnite needs to do to deliver on its promise.
Traditional PR is dead! But don't take our word for it. Ask an actual journalist, former Wall Street Journal and AdWeek reporter Mike Shields. Mike tells Joe and Eric why Joe's shtick about throwing out the 2005 marketing playbook resonates with him, how to actually succeed at traditional PR or media relations, and what adtech companies can do instead to get the word out.
Serial entrepreneur and investor Auren Hoffman joins Eric and Joe to discuss why he shouldn’t have sold LiveRamp and how he’d push the company forward today, what he’s excited about in adtech, how to spot great talent, and things most people he respects believe that he disagrees with. Tune in to find out whether EQ is overrated and why Auren might start another adtech company.
Universal Ads' James Borow joins Eric and Joe to discuss the key components of the performance TV category, Universal Ads' unique approach, how big an impact performance TV will have on the open web as a whole, and what he's learned from selling multiple companies. Hijinks about corporations ensue.
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