Performance Marketing Unlocked

With OpenAI officially seeking a 'Growth Paid Marketing Platform Engineer', it appears that ChatGPT becoming an advertising platform is finally upon us.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's editorial team dissect industry leaders' hot takes on the rumours, outlining how the innovation may impact marketers, whether or not competing large-language-models will follow suit, and how regulators can catch-up with generative AI's ever-growing expansion.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ What does adland make of ChatGPT's advertising potential? (1:26)Are we about to see the formation of yet another monopoly? (13:39)~ Further reading ~ ChatGPT ad plans revealed? OpenAI seeks ‘paid marketing’ engineer‘A seismic shift’: How ChatGPT becoming an ad platform would impact adland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The final quarter of the year is often a tense time for marketers. Despite the festive atmosphere, many get swept up in quarterly KPIs and a need to please the CFO with a short-term sales boost – but is this best way to make the most of peak season? On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Suzanna Chaplin, founder and CEO of esbconnect, argues that a long-term approach focused on customer retention and first-party data collection is the best way to utilise Q4's annual spending surge. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ How can marketers and advertisers best deal with Q4's sales expectations? (2:14)Which metrics matter most during peak season? (15:30)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (25:35)~ Further reading ~ PMW Retail Playbook 2025: Dreaming of an AI Christmas?Where marketers should spend (and save) this Christmas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amazon and Netflix have joined forces with a deal that will soon see Amazon DSP granted access to Netflix’s premium ad inventory, expanding the pool of audiences available to Amazon Ads's clients.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, host Joe is joined my PMW's Editor, Robin Langford, and News Reporter, Reem Makari, to unpack exactly what this partnership means for the industry. From how it impacts competing DSPs and the broader open web, to what changes it will prompt among advertisers and consumers.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Who wins and loses from Netflix and Amazon's partnership? (0:59)How will this partnership impact consumers? (14:16)~ Further reading ~ ‘A win-win for advertisers, Netflix and Amazon’: Industry reacts to Amazon Ads’ partnership with NetflixAmazon Ads and Netflix team up for programmatic buying on ad-tier audience Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Modern marketing is full of challenges, so much so, that leaders in the space often feel as if they are being set up to fail. On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Paul Evans, founder and Chief Positioning Officer at V2RSION – a seasoned marketing specialist across brand, agency and client-side – offers marketing leaders a path through all of the industry muck. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ How can marketing leaders can succeed in the face of so much pressure? (0:48)What channels do marketers young and old need to be leveraging? (14:50)~ Further reading ~ Havas Market’s Alex Walker on navigating adland in a time of ‘information overload’How to demonstrate and increase advertising’s impactCMOs losing customers due to martech failures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The future of advertising is always uncertain, but with AI innovating at breakneck speed, forecasting what the industry will look like in five years time is more challenging than ever... which is why PMW has done it for you.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's News Reporter Reem Makari joins host Joe to unpack AI's impending impact on marketing jobs, campaign targeting, and measurement. Also, the pair touch on Google's mounting legal battles and whether or not it really holds monopolies over both search and adtech.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Answering AI's biggest marketing questions (1:12)Is Google feeling the pressure from its ongoing legal battles? (15:32)~ Further reading ~ 3 tough questions on... AIPubmatic sues Google over adtech monopolyEU fines Google nearly €3bn for abusing adtech dominance‘A relative slap on the wrist’: Industry reacts to Google’s search monopoly remedies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Savvy shoppers recently realised that Amazon's AI shopping assistant Rufus now uses memory signals, signalling the e-commerce giants' continued ambitions to innovate with automation.On this episode of the Performance Marketing podcast, host Joe is joined by Sue Azari, e-commerce Industry Consultant at Appsflyer, to discuss AI's influence on e-commerce, and whether the technology is helping or hindering competition with industry giants such as Walmart and Amazon.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Is AI further affirming Amazon's e-commerce dominance? (1:00)What opportunities and threats is the e-commerce industry facing? (17:22)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (25:20)~ Further reading ~ Amazon Rufus’ memory upgrade signals ‘massive shift’ for e-commerceTech giants dominate list of world’s most valuable brandsWhy Amazon will not devour advertising Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meta is the latest tech giant facing allegations of foul-play with regard to its reporting of advertising performance, specifically that it inflated the ROAS of its Shops ads' tool by 17 to 19%, as alleged by a former employee.On this episode of the Performance Marketing podcast, host Joe is joined by PMW's News Reporter Reem Makari and Premium Content Editor Jyoti Rambhai to break down exactly why advertisers' blind faith in big tech black-boxes can't go on.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Did Meta inflate Shops ads' performance? (1:26)How can brands compete with big tech? (15:56)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (26:03)~ Further reading ~ ‘There are a lot of elephants in the room’: Industry reacts to claim Meta inflated Shops ads’ performanceAdvertising without AI? That era’s overBig tech Q2 earnings: Amazon, Alphabet, Netflix, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI has already changed most aspects marketing immensely, but perhaps no more than in search. With SEO now GEO, traffic, clicks and CTRs all falling off a cliff, what are we to do?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, host Joe is joined by Sarah Aird-Mash, CMO of Future Group (), who breaks down exactly what has happened to search, where it's headed in the future, and what marketers can do to respond.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Which big tech platform had the best Q2? (1:19)What drove growth in Q2? (18:38)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (26:45)~ Further reading ~ How do you judge creative campaign success in a zero click world?1% click-through rate: How Google AI Overviews is killing publishersDon’t fear the scraper: AI needn’t be a threat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The AI arms race is here and big tech platforms such as Meta are prepared to invest billions of dollars into the personnel engineering the technology.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, host Joe is joined by PMW's Editor Robin Langford and News Reporter Reem Makari to discuss Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon releasing their Q2 2025 earnings reports.In terms of each platforms respective investment plans, one thing is clear, AI is the future – and with all the money being put towards it, an automated future might be upon us sooner than we think.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Which big tech platform had the best Q2? (1:06)What drove growth in Q2? (15:06)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (24:43)~ Further reading ~ Big tech Q2 earnings: Amazon, Alphabet, Netflix, Meta, Apple, and MicrosoftPlatform watch: Reddit introduces automated bidding as X incentivises ‘beautiful ads’Meta to stop all political ads in the EU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Amazon the sleeping giant of the advertising world? Surely that's impossible... right?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's editorial team bands together to analyse some of the biggest news from the past fortnight, namely Amazon's sudden departure from Google Shopping ads and the latest respective AA/WARC and IPA Bellwether reports for the opening of 2025.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Why did Amazon disappear from Google Shopping ads? (1:16)What do the latest AA/WARC and IPA Bellwether figures mean for adland? (12:51)Is retail media part of search? (24:21)~ Further reading ~ Amazon disappears from Google Shopping adsStrategy shift or test?: Marketers react to Amazon's shock Google Ads exit ‘Reacting fast isn't the whole story’: UK ad industry on the latest AA/WARC reportAA/WARC: UK adspend increases 8% to open 2025IPA Bellwether: Increase in 'short-term' marketing budgets reverses decline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Return on adspend (ROAS) has long been touted as the holy grail of metrics for advertising campaigns, but is it still a true barometer for a brand's success?Jake Higgins, Partner at MNC, joins host Joe to dissect his latest essay 'The ROAS Illusion'. Together, they discuss why ROAS is no longer representative of the full story and in some cases, high ROAS campaigns are actually hindering brands' incremental growth.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ What is the ROAS illusion? (1:03)How should brands approach their media planning in light of this issue? (15:45)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (21:58)~ Further reading ~ Platform watch: YouTube and Meta crackdown on unoriginal content as OpenAI integrates in-chat checkoutMeta unveils a host of new tools to help partners leverage its AI ads systemWhatsApp monetisation is overdue, but will users tolerate it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attention has quickly gone from an immeasurable advertising pipe-dream to a leading metric compatible with emerging channels such as connected TV, digital out-of-home, and most recently, retail media.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Mike Follett, CEO and co-founder of Lumen Research (16:38), reveals how his company became an "overnight success", moving from a problem-identifier to a problem-solver for brands, advertisers and agencies alike.Preceding that discussion, is a catch-up with PMW's intrepid News Reporter Reem Makari (1:21), who joins host Joe to talk Mad//FEST London, Prime Day 2025, and review a turbulent H1 ahead of a potentially even more turbulent H2.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ A review of H1 and a look ahead to H2 (1:21)Marrying attention and retail media (16:38)What is the true value of attention? (35:58)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (45:20)~ Further reading ~ Co-op plugs in-store attention data into major agency planning toolsSocial media is becoming a vanity metricMike FollettAI’s ‘Sputnik moment’: What the arrival of DeepSeek means for marketers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marketing can be a polarising resource among the C-suite and with budgets dwindling, it appears that more often than not, CEOs are convinced the practice is a cost centre rather than an investment opportunity.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Kathryn Rathje, Partner at McKinsey (17:18), reveals that the general quality of CMO and CEO relationships is worsening, according to research from McKinsey. While CMOs are somewhat to blame, it isn't all their fault and Kathryn dives into the factors exacerbating this issue. Fortunately however, she also reveals a roadmap for how CMOs can win over CEOs are begin to earn the C-suite's trust, even in trying times.Also on this episode, PMW's Editor Robin Langford (1:51) joins host Joe to recap Cannes Lions 2025, detailings the week's highs and lows.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Recapping Cannes Lions 2025 (1:51)Why don't CEOs trust CMOs? (17:18)How can CMOs future-proof themselves? (32:52)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (38:37)~ Further reading ~ A tough economy means it’s time to rationalise the marketing suiteMarketers might be over last click attribution – but what if your CFO isn’t?The real growth strategy for CMOs: Connecting brand and performance marketingROI Romance: why it’s time for CMOs and CFOs to rekindle their relationship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Expectations often run high for marketers at Cannes Lions, with big budget dealmaking top of mind. But what really drives success at the Festival of Creativity?On this Cannes Lions special edition of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford (2:28) joins host Joe to analyse the hottest talking points from the week. The pair make reference to conversations they've had along the Croisette with many of the industy's best and brightest, such as Spotify's Head of Global Advertising Sales & Partnerships Brian Burner, Alice Beecroft, Senior Director of Global Strategy and Partnerships at Yahoo, Unilever's Global Marketing Director Mario Draghi, Kate Bird, EMEA Senior Marketing Director at Snap, and many more – including some returning guests.Also included are several snippets recorded directly from the PMW team's conversations with industry experts – look forward to those interwoven throughout the episode!This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ Cannesdemonium with Robin and Joe! (2:28)Spotify's Brian Berner talks industry growth and innovation (26:43)The Trade Desk's Phil Duffield reflects on his 11th Cannes Lions (35:05)Yahoo's Alice Beecroft reveals the recipe for success along the Croisette (43:42)~ Further reading ~ When will we stop talking about AI?Cannes Lions Live Day 3: Creativity is back on the menu Cannes Lions 2025: Havas and TikTok double down on AI while Dentsu rolls out new offerings What is most interesting about Cannes Lions 2025? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is social media a safe space for brands? Despite some recent news coverage, the data suggests that it may well be – especially if you invest in the right platform.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Steve Riad, VP of Global Mid-Market and SMB sales at Reddit (16:19), outlines how the news aggregation and social forum platform has managed to remain a useful resource for advertisers for over two decades, and why now is the best time to get in on the action.Also, PMW's Editor Robin Langford (1:25) joins at the beginning of the episode to discuss what makes the perfect performance marketer, and how to best convey this to make the famous PMW 100 Powerlist.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ The perfect performance marketer (1:25)Is social media a safe space for advertisers? (16:19)The future of Reddit's ads business (35:28)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (40:34)~ Further reading ~ Reddit enhances Ads Manager to give smaller businesses a boostSocial media is becoming a vanity metricReddit launches own version of AI Overviews using discussions on its platformPMW 100 Powerlist 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With some marketers pressing pause on their plans to move beyond third-party cookies, others are ramping up plans for a cookieless, ID-less and perhaps Google-less future.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, we scale the walled gardens and look at emerging advertising channels operating beyond the web. PMW's Premium Content Editor Jyoti Rambhai (2:40), joins host Joe at the top of the pod to discuss the state of CTV, before Jess McGrogan, GM of Business Development for Brand at The Trade Desk (19:13), delivers insight into why brands and advertisers slowing down first-party data investment could be making huge a mistake.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ The future of streaming, CTV and linear broadcasters (2:40)Talking the open internet and a cookieless world (19:13)How advertisers can win through CTV (35:28)PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge (41:28)~ Further reading ~ Google reveals third-party cookies are here to stay‘Stop thinking about what Google is going to do next’: Adland reacts to third-party cookie plans being scrappedThe Trade Desk to introduce Sincera’s data to entire ad industry3 tough questions on... CTV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month, Google announced it is no longer planning to roll-out a ‘user-choice’ feature allowing users to opt out of being tracked by third-party cookies on Chrome. Notably, Anthony Chavez, VP Privacy Sandbox at Google, said in a blogpost that this decision comes off the back of industry feedback.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Jyoti Rambhai, PMW's Premium Content Editor (1:44), joins host Joe to put this news under the magnifying glass and analyse exactly what this means for the industry at large.Together, the pair attempt to answer some key question, such as: are third-party cookies here to stay? Is first-party data still an industry priority? And does Google feat the DOJ will really force it to sell Chrome?This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (1:44) Google is not deprecating third-party cookies on Chrome – why?(13:41) Is user privacy really an industry priority?~ Further reading ~ Google reveals third-party cookies are here to stay‘Stop thinking about what Google is going to do next’: Adland reacts to third-party cookie plans being scrappedThe future lies in first-party data: Lessons learnt from Google’s 'flip-flopping' decisions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK digital adspend is set to surpass £30bn in 2025 and the creator economy is now worth over £18bn globally, however, brands are failing to get the most out of their influencer partnerships, according to an expert.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Caspar Lee, co-founder of Influencer and former YouTube mega-star (15:53), outlines the challenges facing creators today, and why brands need to do better to ensure their investments in influencer marketing pay-off. Fortunately, Caspar provides a road-map for future success.Preceding that discussion however, host Joe is joined by PMW's News Reporter Reem Makari (2:19) to dissect the latest IPA Bellwether report, covering Q1 of 2025. Marred by resoundingly negative sentiment from those surveyed, the pair discuss the future of the UK's advertising industry and whether or not things will trend upwards in the future or continue to decline.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:19) Dissecting the latest IPA Bellwether report(15:53) Caspar Lee talks about the inception of his influencer marketing business(27:48) How brands and creators can foster partnerships that last(38:28) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ IPA Bellwether: UK adspend declines for the first time in four yearsCreators and brands are misaligned on what they want partnerships to achieve‘The traditional consumer is dead’: Industry responds to Unilever CEO’s bold influencer marketing plans Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Retail media is one of the fastest growing channels in adland, with industries such as finance and travel among the latest joining the party – but will the retail media bubble eventually burst?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Katrina Smart, VP of Digital Commerce at Mars United Commerce (15:14), uses her decade of experience in digital commerce to inform her take on the future of the channel. Katrina answers questions including 'is retail media on a collision course with socials commerce?', 'how can advertisers measure retail media outcomes accurately?', and more.Preceding that discussion, is a catch-up with PMW's Editor Robin Langford (2:20), who is back in the studio alongside host Joe to figure out whether or not news publishers are going to see an increase or decrease in future advertising investment. The pair analyse two recent headlines with conflicting contentions and talk about the 'Trump effect' currently engulfing the news landscape. Robin also reveals the much anticipated theme of this year's PMW 100 Powerlist – with entries open now!This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:20) Should news publishers prepare for an adspend boom or bust?(15:14) Breaking down a decade of retail media(32:56) Can social commerce and retail media co-exist?(41:18) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ Google claims European news content has ‘no measurable impact’ on its ad revenueStagwell to increase adspend on news media by 22%‘Marketers will need to be flexible’: What Trump’s tariff war means to the advertising industryWPP acquires data firm InfoSumRetail media marketers can’t ignore social commerce Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Connected TV (CTV), steaming, digital and online are some of the most commonly heard terms across adland... but what do they actually mean? According to two industry veterans, nothing.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Wayne Butler, Head of Media Effectiveness at Sky Media and Nigel Walley, CEO at Decipher (20:18), argue that many of the terms and phrases often thrown around in the industry today do nothing but create confusion and mislead clients – and when it comes to measurement and data, the ramifications of relying on these "buzzwords" can be detrimental to brands.Preceding that discussion however, PMW's Premium Content Editor, Jyoti Rambhai (2:36), joins host Joe to review the many mergers and acquisitions that have enveloped agencies, adtechs, and more over the past six months. This chat sets the scene for the launch of PMW's new investigative series, '3 Tough Questions', the first edition of which is all about mega agencies and holding companies – live on the website now.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Multimedia Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:36) Why has the mergers and acquisitions landscape gone into overdrive in 2025?(20:18) The buzzwords hurting marketers and brands(42:14) What can advertisers do to resolve these issues?(52:56) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ Shareholders vote in favour of Omnicom–IPG merger Scope3 reimagines media buying with launch of agentic AI platform Nearly 90% of TV ad impressions are only reaching half of households Almost 70% of ‘parents’ targeted by ads don’t have kids Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.