Your AI-Built Marketing Mix Model Is Fast. But How Do You Know It's Right?
AI can build a marketing mix model in days, not months. But can you trust what it tells you?
In this episode of AdExchanger's Inside the Stack, Madan Bharadwaj, founder and CEO of M-Squared, explains why faster modeling makes human judgment more important. With 20 years in the attribution space, Bharadwaj walks through why no single method is the truth and why causal attribution means triangulating MMM and incrementality testing. He also argues that a go-to-market thesis tells you whether a model is credible, and that a marketing accounting framework gives marketing and finance a shared language for outcomes like contribution margin.
And then there's the story of how a beauty brand's AI-built model recommended cutting $30 million from its Amazon ad spend, and how SKU-level modeling led to a very different investment thesis and 5–7% top-line growth. Plus: why he thinks the future of measurement is super cognition.
30 Sept 2026
Locality's Tom Wolfe On Why Top-Down National TV Strategies Fail In Local Markets
Supply path optimization (SPO) has become industry shorthand for aggressive fee-cutting and stripping out intermediaries, but according to Tom Wolfe, Senior Vice President of Programmatic Strategy and Partnerships at Locality, that's only half the equation .
In this episode of AdExchanger's Inside the Stack, Wolfe explains why a shorter path is better—and even better when premium inventory sits on the other side. While reducing the tech tax matters, a hyper-focus on cutting hops often ignores signal degradation and data loss across fragmented systems . Wolfe argues that buyers need to pair SPO with "data path optimization" to ensure rich signals survive the trip and actually reach a destination worth going .
Key topics covered in this episode include:
Why local advertising requires a bottom-up strategy, and how consumer behavior varies drastically between the dense, brick-lined streets of Philadelphia and the dirt roads of Dothan, Alabama .
The hidden costs of fragmented supply, including data loss and signal degradation as information moves through multiple systems .
Why AI's true competitive advantage lies in the quality of data feeding the models, comparing today's AI hype to everyone suddenly gaining access to Microsoft Excel in the 90s .
Why Wolfe says the current state of the converging TV ecosystem is about maturing, recovering, and collaboration.
7 Aug 2026
ChatGPT Ads Are Here. Now Comes the Hard Part.
ChatGPT has officially entered the advertising business. But launching ads is the easy part. In this episode of Inside the Stack, Mary Gabrielyan, Chief Strategy Officer at AI Digital, explains why measurement, attribution and transparency remain the biggest challenge for determining whether ChatGPT becomes a meaningful media channel. She also shares why ChatGPT ads are likely to be contextual, intent-based, and performance-driven. The episode also dives into what the rise of another walled garden means for marketers, the Open Garden approach, why Google may still have the edge and why AI still needs human judgment.
22 Jun 2026
Tatari CRO Andy Schonfeld Says Programmatic Is a Tool, Not a TV Strategy
Tatari CRO Andy Schonfeld argues that programmatic isn't a TV strategy. It's simply one tool in a much bigger stack. He talks about why DSP-only buying misses a huge chunk of the TV marketplace, including live sports and linear. Schonfeld also explains Tatari's Upstream technology for automating direct IO buying with major networks and shares how AI is used within the platform — from media planning to creative compliance. Plus, we talk about why he thinks the future of TV comes down to three words: direct, automation, and convergence.
24 Dec 2025
TV Ad Measurement Is Broken. Tatari Wants to Fix It.
On this episode of Inside the Stack, Cynopsis' Lynn Leahey sits down with Benjamin Heaton, Senior Director of Product Management at Tatari, to talk about why TV ad measurement is breaking down, and what it will take to fix it.
They dig into signal loss, why traditional identifiers no longer work, and why most clean rooms weren't built for TV workflows in the first place. Heaton explains how Tatari's Vault was designed to support privacy-first infrastructure that works across publishers and advertisers. No double-counting or black boxes.
If you're trying to measure TV performance in an ad tech world with fewer signals and higher expectations, this conversation is for you.
19 Dec 2025
Beyond Keywords: Seedtag's Neuro-Contextual Play
On this episode of Inside the Stack, we sit down with Brian Gleason, CEO of Seedtag, to talk about the future of contextual advertising.
We dig into neuro-contextual advertising, how Seedtag's AI understands tone, emotion, and environment across web and CTV, and why the industry needs to move from relevance to resonance.
We also unpack what this shift means for brands chasing impact, agencies planning in a privacy-first world, and publishers seeking to have their quality content rewarded again.
The future of contextual is less about targeting people and more about what content surrounds an ad and how it makes people feel.
3 Dec 2025
Unlocking the Power of In-Store Retail Media with Grocery TV's Marlow Nickell
Most marketers obsess over online conversions — but 85–90% of transactions still happen in physical retail. So why isn't in-store media getting the same attention?
On this episode of Inside the Stack, Grocery TV CEO Marlow Nickell tells us why in-store retail media is "inevitable" and what brands miss when they overlook the influence happening at the shelf.
We get into:
• Why in-store screens are becoming a core part of retail media
• How context and placement shape shopper behavior
• What brands can realistically expect when it comes to measurement
• Why attribution doesn't need to mirror digital to prove value
• The shift toward true omnichannel planning
As Nickell asks:
"Do you really need that level of granularity — or do you just want to understand how your campaign performed?"
Here's a fresh look at the channel hiding in plain sight.
3 Oct 2025
Yieldmo's Mike Yavonditte on Building a Transparent Future for Programmatic
On this episode of Inside the Stack, AdExchanger's Lynne d Johnson sits down with Yieldmo founder and CEO Mike Yavonditte to talk about why programmatic isn't broken—it just needs new plumbing. From radical transparency to the comeback of contextual targeting, Yavonditte outlines why creative still matters, how buyers can regain control, and what it takes to move beyond the "race to the bottom." His three words for the future of programmatic? Contextual. Safe. Performant.
25 Sept 2025
The Future of TV Advertising: Philip Inghelbrecht on Convergent TV and AI Innovation
In this episode of AdExchanger's Inside the Stack podcast, Tatari CEO Philip Inghelbrecht sits down with AdExchanger's Lynne d Johnson to discuss the future of convergent TV advertising.
Learn how Tatari doubled revenue with the same team size using AI, why the 60% linear/40% streaming budget split doesn't match viewership patterns, and how direct publisher deals can eliminate the 106% programmatic tax. Discover why convergent TV campaigns deliver 13% efficiency gains and what publishers should focus on to better monetize their inventory in the streaming era.
9 Jul 2025
Creative Strategies for Holiday Retail Success with TripleLift's CMO Meredith Brace
In this episode of AdExchanger's Inside the Stack podcast. Meredith Brace, CMO of TripleLift, sits down with our Head of Communities Lynne d Johnson to discuss strategic planning for the holiday season, informed by TripleLift's Retail Media Guide. Learn about tips for early holiday prep, the importance of creative execution, and effective measurement approaches. Discover how brands can use key periods like Amazon Prime Day to test strategies that will maximize holiday campaign success.
11 Jun 2025
What's Next In Retail Media, with TripleLift CRO Ed Dinichert
TripleLift Chief Revenue Officer Ed Dinichert shares his take on the evolution of retail media with AdExchanger head of communities Lynne D Johnson. Listen in to hear how AI, creative and video fit into the retail media equation in our inaugural episode of this new podcast, sponsored by TripleLift.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Contact Inside the Stack
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Inside the Stack?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
