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Explore every episode of the podcast Making Sense of Martech

Dive into the complete episode list for Making Sense of Martech. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Is Your Inbox Insured? Deliverability is The Ultimate Insurance Policy with Matt McFee, CEO of Inbox Monster26 Nov 202500:34:14

"If you're not treating deliverability as revenue insurance, you're already losing money." — Matt

 

This Hot Seat episode puts Matt McFee, an email veteran and founder of Inbox Monster, under the microscope. Jacqueline digs into how he went from Wall Street and Yahoo to co-founding BriteVerify, acquired by Validity, and why he thinks most brands are still wildly underestimating deliverability. He unpacks why inbox placement is really a revenue insurance program, not just a technical hygiene task, and why the real customer "moment of value" usually happens months after the contract is signed.

 

Brought to you by Hightouch - the leading composable CDP and decisioning platform trusted by brands like Domino's, Chime, and Aritzia. 90% of customers have a real use case live within their first week, delivering world-class personalization at scale. Learn more at www.hightouch.com/msom.



Timestamps

01:03 – What would make Martech better? 

05:22 – What 25 years in email have taught him about the inbox

07:32 – Lightbulb moment that led to found BriteVerify and Inbox Monster 

11:58 – AI previews, creative rendering, and why annotations actually matter

15:48 – What marketers should be paying more attention to in deliverability 

19:55 – Quantifying deliverability as a revenue insurance program for stakeholders

25:02 – Opinions on industry innovation and consolidation 

28:23 – What vendors can do to better help marketers 

 

Connect & Subscribe

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Engage with the community on Reddit and follow us on LinkedIn, and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube.

Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions. We may feature you in an upcoming episode!

 

Questions: https://themartechweekly.com/podcast/question/

Confessions: https://www.themartechweekly.com/podcast/confession-corner/

Reddit:  https://www.reddit.com/r/MSoMPodcast/comments/1morng8/office_hours_questions/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/making-sense-of-martech 

 

Privacy by Design & Ethical AI with David Joosten, Cofounder of GrowthLoop19 Nov 202500:40:09

"Zero party data reflects what customers say they want; first party data reveals what they actually do." – David

In this Hot Seat episode, Jacqueline sits down with David Joosten, co-founder of GrowthLoop and coauthor of First-Party Data Activation, to unpack why so many brands are "doing" first-party data yet still serving generic experiences. They dig into the tension between what customers say versus how they behave, and why marketers need to reconcile that gap with experimentation, empathy, and better use of their own data. Discover why embracing AI decisioning and continuous experimentation are crucial, and learn how to navigate the ethical red lines of using first-party data and AI responsibly in marketing. A must-listen for marketers looking to future-proof their data strategy.

 

David goes deep on why composable should be the default (not a buzzword), how to think about clean rooms without creeping out your customers, and what AI decisioning actually changes about the marketer's job. From compound growth engines and agentic workflows to team structures and org politics, this is a roadmap for leaders who want first-party data to drive real, measurable growth — not just prettier dashboards.

 

This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our sponsor Hightouch. Looking for a smarter way to activate your customer data? Hightouch is the leading composable CDP and decisioning platform trusted by brands like Domino's, Chime, and Aritzia. 90% of customers have a real use case live within their first week, delivering world-class personalization at scale. Learn more at www.hightouch.com/msom.

 

Timestamps

 

01:03 - Rapid Fire: AI generated content (Yay or Nay) and the marketing buzzword that needs to go.

 

02:30 - Is there ever a time to use third-party data ethically?.

 

03:54 - The most underrated skill for marketers today.

 

07:06 - Reconciling the gap between zero-party data (aspiration) and first-party data (behavior).

 

09:16 - The evolving role of first-party data in the next 3-5 years.

 

11:50 - Can clean rooms truly scale without compromising trust, and what's the next evolution of ethical data collaboration?

 

17:18 - What a "future-ready" Martech stack looks like in practice.

 

21:30 - Ethical red lines for AI: ensuring innovation respects privacy.

 

33:53 - The three-part advice for CMOs looking to future-proof their data strategy.

 

Connect & Subscribe

 

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Engage with the community on Reddit and follow Making Sense of Martech on LinkedIn, and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube.

 

Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions.

 

We may feature you in an upcoming episode!

 

From Fashion to AI: Fabletics' Marketing Edge with Adrian Rohr, VP of Marketing CRM17 Sep 202500:46:42

"If you empower your team to make their own decisions, they're just more motivated—and that drives great outcomes." - Adrian Rohr

In this episode of Making Sense of Martech, we sit down with Adrian Rohr, VP of Marketing CRM at Fabletics, to uncover how one of the world's leading activewear brands is redefining customer engagement in-house with AI-powered CRM and omnichannel personalization.

This conversation is a must-listen for marketing leaders curious about AI orchestration, CRM transformation, and building high-performing in-house teams.

Highlights

Discover how Fabletics built a proprietary tech stack that powers everything from supply chain to marketing execution.

Learn why Adrian believes AI content generation — not send-time optimization — is the real performance driver.

Understand the competitive advantage of running your team entirely in-house with speed, flexibility, and institutional knowledge.

Discover how the team leverages 250+ data points daily to drive personalization at scale.

Hear Adrian's take on the future of lifecycle marketing and why marketers will soon become "AI shepherds."

 

Episode Breakdown

04:54 — How "Silicon Valley meets Fashion Avenue" defines Fabletics' tech-first DNA

07:00 — Replacing fragmented CRM tools with a unified, AI-powered orchestration platform

10:20 — Inside Fabletics' team structure and culture of empowerment

17:00 — Why Fabletics keeps everything in-house: speed, control, and deep domain knowledge

25:30 — The future of AI in CRM: 1:1 personalization, omnichannel orchestration, and enterprise-scale platforms

31:50 — Optimizing subject lines with AI—plus where human oversight still matters

36:50 — Clean data, empowered teams, and advice for brands struggling to scale

39:50 — Looking ahead: AI shepherds, org chart shifts, and the need for a true "connecting platform"

 

Key Takeaways

AI is transforming content generation more than send-time optimization, driving significant gains for triggers and transactional messaging. Fabletics' speed, ownership, and flexibility allow campaigns to pivot instantly. Data hygiene and a centralized tech stack eliminate silos, creating an actual omnichannel experience. Over the next 1-3 years, marketers will transition from being manual executors to AI shepherds.

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions. We may feature you in an upcoming episode!

Living Interfaces, OpenAI Collabs, & Enterprise AI with Josh Payne, CEO of Coframe10 Sep 202500:30:56

"We see the future of digital experiences as living — personalized and self-improving 24/7." - Josh Payne

In this episode, Jacqueline Freedman puts Josh Payne in The Hot Seat to unpack "living interfaces," AI-driven experimentation, and what agentic marketing really looks like in practice. 

Josh shares lessons from collaborating with OpenAI, why most CRO tests fail, and where generative engine optimization (GEO) is headed next. 

We delve into enterprise realities, including privacy and governance, avoiding spaghetti code, and what a "living interface" entails.

Highlights

  • Discover how "living interfaces" adapt websites in real time to lift conversion and usability.
  • Learn a practical framework for automating ~90% of the CRO workflow with agents.
  • Understand when to start with global experiments vs. personalization to reduce data-privacy friction.
  • Explore the rise of generative engine optimization (GEO) and why it will rival SEO in influence.
  • Adopt guardrails: define measurable evals, keep specs specific, and stay model-agnostic for compliance.
  • Hear what enterprises actually need from vendors: context, integration, and disciplined measurement.

Timestamps

03:50 - What "living interfaces" are and how they create real-time, self-improving digital experiences

04:57 - Partnering with OpenAI: visual grounding, UI generation, and early access to models

11:25 - Why most CRO tests fail—and how AI agents flip the economics of experimentation

14:50 - What "agent marketing" means: automating workflows and scaling high-leverage loops

17:45 - Common AI pitfalls and why clear goals, specs, and evals matter

24:20 - Navigating privacy concerns and model choices in enterprise AI

27:30 - How Josh filters the AI noise and stays sharp

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions. We may feature you in an upcoming episode.

Trapped by Tech? Data as an Asset, and Smarter CDP Investments03 Sep 202500:42:53

In this episode of Office Hours, Jacqueline Freedman and Juan Mendoza unpack the overwhelming success of their podcast launch, share details about the upcoming Martech World Forum London 2025, and dive into AI adoption, vendor dependency, and the evolving world of customer data platforms (CDPs).

Highlights

Podcast launch success & what's next: global reach, sponsorship buzz, and better audio quality coming January 2025

Martech World Forum London 2025: key speakers, VIP dinner, and how to network with enterprise leaders

  • Vendor partnerships: the dark side of over-reliance
  • Generative AI's harsh reality check (only 5% of deployments succeed)
  • The future of CDP pricing models
  • Hot takes: Pepsi's $57M AI ad vs Wendy's viral comeback
  • Lessons from the field: failed CDPs, misfired campaigns, and confessions


Key Takeaways

  • AI hype vs reality: start with small, measurable pilots.
  • Vendor partnerships should empower, not entrap.
  • Treat customer data like a valuable asset: maintain, enrich, and activate.
  • CDP pricing is shifting toward enriched profiles and behaviour triggers.
  • Fast, authentic engagement often outperforms big-budget AI campaigns

 

Timestamps & Highlights

00:00 - Podcast Launch Success

02:11 - MarTech World Forum London 2025

03:32 - Vendor partnerships: necessary evil or obstacle?

14:46 - Generative AI reality check

24:29 - CDP pricing evolution

32:03 - Hot take: Pepsi's $57M AI campaign vs Wendy's $9 clapback

35:17 - Pawan Verma on customer decisioning 

38:03 - Question of the Week

40:51 - Confession Corner 

 

Why You Should Listen

  • If you're an enterprise marketing leader or Martech practitioner, this episode will give you:
  • Insider knowledge on 2025 Martech strategies
  • Real-world AI lessons with measurable ROI
  • Advice on avoiding vendor lock-in
  • A sneak peek at the Martech World Forum 2025

 

Ways to Connect

 

Submit your confession or question for the next episode: Submit Here

Is SMS Dead? Welcoming the RCS Revolution with Eric Miao, CSO of Attentive27 Aug 202500:41:48

"Design thinking isn't just about aesthetics - it's about solving the right problems with empathy." - Eric Miao

In this episode of Making Sense of Martech, Jacqueline Freedman sits down with Eric Miao, Chief Strategy Officer at Attentive, to unpack the future of messaging with the rollout of RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the U.S. Together, they explore how RCS is poised to transform mobile messaging into an interactive, commerce-driven channel that merges personalization, AI, and trust at scale. If you're a marketing leader, mobile strategist, or just curious whether SMS is really dead, this episode will reshape how you think about messaging.

Highlights

  • Discover why RCS is being called the "next generation of messaging" and what makes it fundamentally different from SMS.

  • Learn how brands like Spanx are utilizing RCS to achieve substantial increases in engagement and revenue.

  • Understand the role of AI in enabling true one-to-one personalization at scale through messaging.

  • Explore how RCS could disrupt customer service, identity management, and even AdTech as we know it.

  • Hear predictions on adoption hurdles, carrier dynamics, and how marketers can avoid making RCS "the next noisy channel.

Timestamps

  • 2:16 – What RCS is and why it matters for marketers

  • 3:22 – Game-changing features: rich media, carousels, and interactive replies

  • 5:39 – How AI and personalization elevate RCS campaigns

  • 7:42 – Case study: Spanx's 200% revenue lift with RCS

  • 10:34 – Which industries are best positioned for RCS adoption

  • 14:06 – Adoption hurdles: carriers, Google, Apple, and rollout challenges

  • 19:18 – Preventing RCS from becoming "the next noisy channel"

  • 23:22 – Global adoption and identity: privacy, phone numbers, and what endures

  • 28:15 – Navigating privacy regulations, personalization, and zero-party data

  • 38:04 – The future of SMS: fallback, governance, and avoiding bad actors

 

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions, we may feature you in an upcoming episode.

Will AI Replace Your Marketing Department? Former CMO of OfferFit, Jessica Vogol, Weighs In20 Aug 202500:26:13

"The most important conversations about your career are happening when you're not in the room." - Jessica Vogol

In this episode of Making Sense of Martech, host Jacqueline Freedman speaks with Jessica Vogol, former CMO of OfferFit, acquired by Braze, and marketing leader at Movable Ink. Jessica brings a practical lens to hot-button topics in marketing like AI, personalization, and vendor hype.

They dive into what real personalization means today, why marketers should be skeptical of vague AI claims, and how to build high-impact teams without chasing every new tool.

Whether you're in marketing ops, ABM, or leading a team through Martech transformation, this conversation delivers insight without the fluff.

  Highlights
  • Why intent data and "agentic AI" may be overhyped

  • How to define personalization in a way that actually matters

  • What it takes to evolve testing beyond A/B

  • How to lead teams that are AI-fluent, not just tool-obsessed

  • Where the Martech landscape is headed next

  Timestamps
  • 00:00 – Intro: Who is Jessica Vogol?

  • 00:46 – Rapid Fire: First marketing tool, overrated tech, and ABM

  • 02:50 – What "real personalization" looks like in 2025

  • 04:12 – AI in marketing: Red flags and realities

  • 05:39 – The risk of generic AI-driven content

  • 09:52 – Is A/B testing dead? Why decisioning wins

  • 18:29 – Hiring for AI fluency & strategic focus

  • 23:20 – Martech consolidation: What's coming

  • 25:32 – Final thoughts and guest recommendations

 

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions—we may feature you in an upcoming episode. 

 

Inside Iterable: Exclusive Interview with New CEO Sam Allen20 Aug 202500:38:50

"The secret is you don't let the old man in." - Sam Allen, quoting Clint Eastwood

In his first official interview as CEO of Iterable, Sam Allen joins host Jacqueline Freedman for an unfiltered conversation on leadership, AI, and the future of marketing technology. 

Drawing on lessons from the Marine Corps and Salesforce, Sam shares his philosophy of servant leadership, why AI should act as a marketer's co-pilot, and how companies can move beyond "vendor" status to become trusted advisors. He also reveals his strategic vision for Iterable's future and what CMOs must do to stay relevant in today's fast-changing Martech landscape. 

If you're a marketing leader navigating AI disruption, growth, or organizational change, this episode is for you.

 

Highlights

  • How servant leadership and radical transparency build resilient teams.

  • Why AI should empower marketers as a co-pilot, not a replacement.

  • The strategic vision behind Sam Allen's move to Iterable.

  • How to win the AI talent war by prioritizing culture.

  • Practical steps to strengthen marketing and sales alignment.

  • Why Martech stack consolidation is key for long-term growth.

 

Timestamps

  • 00:00 – Introduction & Guest Welcome

  • 00:43 – Rapid Fire Questions

  • 03:42 – Leadership & Personal Insights from the Marine Corps

  • 05:33 – Transition to CEO of Iterable

  • 09:24 – AI & Innovation at Iterable (Nova)

  • 14:11 – Ethics & the AI Talent War

  • 18:04 – Moving Beyond Vendor Status with Customer Relationships

  • 20:02 – Navigating Budget Constraints

  • 21:07 – Standing Out in a Competitive Market

  • 22:33 – Personal Insights & Martial Arts

  • 23:04 – The Future of Marketing Technology

  • 25:13 – Ethical Considerations in AI

  • 32:31 – Advice for CMOs & Marketing Leaders

  • 37:23 – Podcast Recommendations & Closing Remarks

 

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions, we may feature you in an upcoming episode.

 

Trouble at Yotpo & Litmus, AI is a Drug, and Analyst Firms' Future20 Aug 202500:36:10

Martech is in upheaval: welcome to your must-listen podcast to understand the current state of the Martech industry. 

In this Office Hours episode, hosts Jacqueline Freedman and Juan Mendoza dig into the corporate shakeups, shifting power dynamics, and AI debates that are reshaping the industry. 

From Yotpo abruptly shutting down its email arm before the holidays, to Litmus layoffs after acquisition, to Amplitude dethroning Adobe in the latest Forrester Wave, no corner of Martech feels stable. The duo also questions whether analyst firms like Gartner still matter and get "spicy" debating if AI is a powerful copilot or dangerous crutch for marketers. If you're a Martech leader, marketing ops pro, or exec marketing technology bets, this episode gives you the no-BS insights you need to stay ahead. 

Highlights

  • Why Yotpo's exit and Litmus layoffs signal deeper risks in Martech.
  • How to spot an "overripe Avocado" company and avoid relying on one.
  • What Amplitudes's rise means for Adobe and the future of Analytics. 
  • Why analyst firms may be losing relevance in an age of distributed authority. 
  • The risks and rewards of AI: augmentation vs. outsourcing your thinking.

Timestamps

  • 01:19 - Trouble in Email Land: Yotpo shuts down its email business and Litmus faces layoffs after acquisition. 
  • 07:15 - The overripe Avocado Theory: How to spot when tech companies are past their prime.
  • 09:36 - Analytics Shake-Up: Amplitude rises in Forrester's Wave, Adobe loses ground, and the future of analytics suites. 
  • 15:11 - Analyst Firms in Question: Gartner's origins, warning influence, and whether traditional authority still matters.
  • 23:50 - The AI Debate: Is GenAI a helpful copilot or a "drug dealer" strategy that erodes critical thinking?
  • 30:21 - Subscriber Q&A: Ben from Teachable asks about AI's impact on future marketing leadership. 

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions - we may feature them in an upcoming episode. 

The Resurrection06 Aug 202500:00:37

Are you overwhelmed by the ever-changing world of marketing technology? Searching for clarity, insight, and insider knowledge?

Welcome to Making Sense of Martech, the official podcast from The Martech Weekly, hosted by Juan Mendoza and Jacqueline Freedman.

Each week, we break down the tools, strategies, and trends shaping the future of marketing. You'll hear candid conversations with top industry leaders in The Hot Seat, and get practical answers to real-world challenges in our Office Hours format. 

What to expect every Wednesday:

  • The Hot Seat: Jacqueline interviews leaders at the forefront of Martech, surfacing unfiltered insights and deep analysis on the biggest shifts in the space.
  • Office Hours: Juan and Jacqueline tackle the latest news in our industry and questions from our subscribers.

This show delivers the same trusted research and clarity you've come to expect from The Martech Weekly. It's designed to cut through the noise, save you time, and help you lead with confidence.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve—and don't be shy. We'd love your feedback or ideas for what to cover next.

Links & Resources:

  • The Martech Weekly Website: https://themartechweekly.com/
  • The Martech Weekly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-martech-weekly/
TMW Case Study #004 | Building a better data foundation by HP19 Nov 202400:38:15

From third-party to first-party: Building a better data foundation


What do you think of when I say "tech start-up?" Those words probably conjure up thoughts of a small team working out of the founder's garage somewhere in Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, or Cupertino. The reason that image springs to mind is because that is how a bunch of the biggest and most influential tech companies started out over the years. But who started this trend?

Well, it's not a plucky start-up anymore, but the answer is Hewlett Packard. Way back in 1939, Bill Hewlett and David Packard founded HP in a one-car garage at 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, which is now adorned with a plaque reading: The Birthplace of Silicon Valley. A lot has changed since then: Far from their fledgling days when they produced audio oscillators (which Disney used to test the sound equipment for the movie 'Fantasia'!), HP is now a multinational IT mainstay.

The original HP split into two companies in 2015: Hewlett Packard Enterprise for enterprise products and services, and HP Inc for its personal computer and printer business. The split between its B2B and B2C customers was reflected in its data architecture. Like many legacy businesses, HP found itself in a situation where it had separate platforms and data stores for commercial and consumer data managed by a plethora of different stakeholders, leading to a severely siloed data landscape.

Over the last few years, HP has overcome these challenges by bringing together its fractured data landscape into a modern, composable data architecture befitting its history as the origin of the Silicon Valley mythology. To understand how HP went about this transformation, The Martech Weekly sat down with Kumar Ram, Global Head of Marketing Data Sciences, and Luis Alonzo, Head of Customer Data Strategy and Engineering. 

Kumar and Luis's responses have been edited for clarity and congruency.

TMW Case Study #001 | Scaling Martech QA with computer vision and robots29 Mar 202401:26:15

Welcome to our very first TMW case study! Kicking off this series, we're featuring Rappi, the Latin American super-app that connects consumers with merchants that sell a wide variety of products, and drivers that can bring those products to their doorstep. The three-sided business is not only a logistical challenge, but also a Martech challenge.


Rappi's array of marketing campaigns and offers, driven by a sophisticated deep-linking strategy, is crucial to its success. It did, however, lead to the need for an impossibly large amount of QA to ensure the successful delivery of customer experience workflows, ensuring that would-be customers don't fall off their buying journey at any point, from clicking on an ad through to landing in the app and making a purchase.


Leading the Martech and Adtech practice at Rappi is Satya Ramachandran, who brings over 12 years of Martech experience to the table, having previously worked as a data engineer building distributed databases. 


In this case study, we'll walk through how Satya not only scaled the Martech QA process using computer vision and robots, but turned QA into a profit-driving initiative with champions throughout the business, rather than just a cost center.


Satya's responses have been edited for clarity and congruency.


Listen on⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠

AI's Report Card, The BFCM Machine, & Why Attribution Sucks12 Nov 202500:52:36

"92% of enterprises say AI is a priority, and 78% also say they can't integrate it." — Juan

 

In this Office Hours episode, Jacqueline Freedman and Juan Mendoza unpack the biggest Martech realities of the season: record-breaking BFCM performance and the widening "AI hype gap." From $10.8 billion in U.S. online spending (69% on mobile) to reports revealing that 95% of marketers want AI personalization but only 2% have delivered it, the duo exposes where Martech optimism meets operational reality. 

 

The episode wraps with a philosophical debate on attribution, why it's not a model but a mindset, and how every marketer needs a "margin for mystery" to keep creativity alive. 

 

Don't miss the webinar "Has Martech Failed Marketers?" on November 13, featuring Scott Brinker and Adam Greco. Hightouch's latest survey found that nearly 75% of Martech struggles are rooted in data, not tools or strategy. Learn how to fix your data to unlock cleaner reporting and true personalization at scale.



RSVP at hightouch.com/has-martech-failed

 

Timestamps


00:15 — Martech World Forum NYC next week and the launch of Melbourne 2026


04:51 — Black Friday & Cyber Monday: "The Super Bowl of Martech" and the $74B global spend moment


09:30 — From stores to platforms: the mobile commerce shift and why eCommerce needs enterprise-level investment


16:11 — The AI Report Card: 92% say AI is a priority, 78% can't integrate it — reality check from Zapier, G2, Hightouch, and Wharton


20:39 — Hightouch findings: 95% want AI-driven personalization, but only 2% deliver — the hype gap exposed


41:30 — AI decisioning vs. contextual bandits: semantics, strategy, and the need for real discipline


46:32 — Why attribution sucks: brand, politics, and the "margin for mystery" behind measurement

 

Connect & Subscribe

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Engage with the community on Reddit and follow Making Sense of Martech on LinkedIn, and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube.

 

Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions. We may feature you in an upcoming episode!

Making Sense of Martech Special Announcement06 Feb 202400:03:47

Making Sense of Martech's very own Juan Mendoza on looking ahead to the rest of 2024

#66 | Tim Mason & Sarah Jarvis on the case for Omnichannel23 Jan 202401:12:41

A conversation with Tim Mason & Sarah Jarvis from Eagle Eye.

In this episode we're joined by Tim Mason and Sarah Jarvis . Tim is the CEO of Eagle Eye, a leading loyalty and personalization platform and a top 10 TMW 100 global innovator. Tim has spent more than 30 years building loyalty strategies in retail, including working as the Deputy CEO and CMO of Tesco UK PLC. Sarah Jarvis is a senior marketer, also at Eagle Eye, and a regular contributor to Forbes UK. Both are the authors of the recently released 2nd edition of Omnichannel Retail: How to Build Winning Stores in a Digital World.

In this episode, we delve into the multifaceted concept of Omnichannel, exploring its definition, and we hear Tim and Sarah's case for its importance. We also discuss the ethical considerations businesses face in the pursuit of omniscient customer knowledge, offering insights into responsible practices amid growing data privacy concerns. Additionally, we explore successful examples of companies implementing omnichannel strategies and examine the challenges organizations encounter when introducing omnichannel to their businesses, along with strategies to overcome internal hurdles.


Listen on⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠



#65 | Rohit Maheswaran on the shifting sands of attribution02 Jan 202400:49:15

A conversation with Rohit Maheswaran.

In this episode we're joined by Rohit Maheswaran, the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Lifesight a marketing measurement platform offering a suite of attribution, MMM (Mixed Media Modelling), and incrementality tools.

We tackle the shifting sands of attribution and how marketers are using different models and tools as the ways of last click and multi-channel attribution fade away and more marketers are embracing a back-to-the-future style of measurement using experimentation and MMM.


Listen on⁠ Apple⁠,⁠ Spotify⁠,⁠ Google⁠, and ⁠everywhere else.⁠




#64 | Cory Munchbach on the life of a Martech CEO19 Dec 202301:05:48

A conversation with Cory Munchbach.


In this episode we're joined by Cory Munchbach. Cory is the CEO of BlueConic, a leading Customer Data Platform.

In this episode we talk about Cory's recent journey to becoming the CEO of the company, what it really looks like to lead the vision and strategy of a private equity backed company, growing and scaling a product right in the middle of one of the hottest categories in the Martech industry, and her outlook for the coming year in the CDP category.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.




#62 | Lauren Maffeo on designing data governance for good14 Nov 202301:03:02

A conversation with Lauren Maffeo.

In this episode we're joined by Lauren Maffeo. Lauren is an award-winning service designer working full-time at Steampunk where she serves the U.S. federal government. She is a founding editor of Springer's AI and Ethics Journal and an adjunct lecturer of Interaction Design at The George Washington University. Lauren has written for Harvard Data Science ReviewFinancial Times, and The Guardian. She has also presented her research on bias in AI at Princeton and Columbia Universities, Google DevFest DC, and Twitter's San Francisco headquarters and is the author of Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up.

In this episode we talk about the societal impact of data governance, the link between human-centered design and managing data in a company, the anti-patterns in data management, the importance of culture in breaking down data silos, balancing transparency with security, the link between data quality and misinformation and many other topics… See timestamps below.


Timestamps
Time Topic
(0:11)  Guest intro
(10:50)  Incentives to data the practice of data governance/management
(21:47) The anti-patterns in data management
(27:27) Discussion around techno optimism
(34:20) the importance of culture in breaking down data silos
(44:06) Balancing transparency with security
(50:34) The Link between data governance and misinformation
(53:33) Importance of data quality & governance on commerciality such as generative AI


#61 | Ari Paparo on the fool's errand of media24 Oct 202301:15:43

A conversation with Ari Paparo.


In this episode we're joined by Ari Paparo the famous host of the very popular Marketecture Podcast and the CEO and founder of LaunchScience, a newly launched (pardon the pun) startup in the category of process management for GTM and product teams. Prior to these two new ventures, Ari founded and exited Adtech platform Beeswax to Comcast and worked stints at Google, Nielsen, and AppNexus.
In this conversation, we speak about the overlap between the Adtech and finance industry, antipatterns in product launches, the fool's errand of software businesses doing media, the surprising second-order effects hitting Adtech in the shift to a more private web, and how Ari feels about all the negative press directed towards the Adtech industry. See timestamps below.



Timestamps

Time Topic
(0:21)  Guest intro
(10:50)  The overlap between the Adtech and finance industries
(17:59) Launch Science and anti patterns in product launches
(38:35) The fool's errand of software businesses doing media
(50:56) The surprising second-order of effects hitting Ad tech Industry in the shift to a more private web
(59:53) Ari's thoughts on the negative press towards ad tech industry

#60 | Juan Mendoza talks with Kerry Guard on The Digital Marketing Rennaissance17 Oct 202301:07:49

A collaboration with Kerry Guard.


In this episode, we've got something different for you the MSOM audience with our very own Juan Mendoza being interviewed by Kerry Guard from tea time with tech marketing leaders! 


In this episode, we cover things ranging from audience capture through to building a media company. What you do with an audience and the value of it. We also talked about latest trends in marketing technology, tracking GDPR and the ever present issue of a more private web and how markets are reacting to it. 

 

#59 | Eric Seufert: Everything is an Ad network10 Oct 202300:57:00

A conversation with Eric Seufert.


In this episode, I'm joined by Eric Seufert to talk about his thesis-slash-catch phrase "everything is an ad network." Eric is a successful entrepreneur, investor and media founder who is focused on the intersection of mobile apps and Adtech.

Eric worked a number of Adtech roles in Europe which led him to founding and exiting analytics platform for mobile developers Agamemnon. He is now investing in companies in the Adtech space with Heracles Capital and runs the deeply respected and always interesting Mobile Dev Memo.

In this episode, we talk about Adtech branching out into all kinds of new commerce, retail, and platform media channels, Europe's role in the development of mobile apps and gaming, what will happen to the web if Eric's catchphrase "everything is an ad network" becomes a reality, privacy and the threat of walled gardens, whether or not programmatic has a future, media power laws, the 1% of ad networks and many other topics…

#58 | Gareth Noonan the rise of the B2B Adtech paradigm03 Oct 202300:49:25

A conversation with Gareth Noonan.


In this episode we're joined by a leader in the world of B2B adtech and martech, someone whose expertise has truly left an indelible mark, Gareth Noonan.

Gareth Noonan is an accomplished General Manager at Demandbase, recognized for spearheading international cross-functional teams in Sales, CX, and Operations. With a track record of steering business units to generate over $150M in revenue, Gareth's proficiency extends to Programmatic Strategy, Operations, Sales, Business Development, and Product management. He's an expert in mobile app and desktop video, OTT, native, and display advertising across all screens.

Gareth has held prominent positions at leading industry players. He served as the General Manager for Americas at Smaato, driving impactful strategies in the Adtech landscape. As the SVP of Operations at AdFormics, Gareth contributed to their success for nearly three years, showcasing his strategic prowess. Currently, Gareth is the GM of Advertising at Demandbase.

In this episode, we discuss the journey of building Demandbase's demand-side platform and their pivotal shifts in Adtech thinking, the challenge of adapting B2C-centric Adtech to the intricate B2B landscape, the significance of a B2B-specific DSP for Account-Based Marketing strategies, the concept of the "dark funnel" in marketing and its impact on B2B campaigns and lastly, we explore the rise of Connected TV in the B2B realm.


#57 | Bobby Tichy & Michael Burton on hyper specializing in the stack12 Sep 202300:59:59

In this episode, we're joined by Bobby Tichy and Michael Burton, co-founders at Stitch. Both Bobby and Michael are well-respected within the martech industry, bringing a unique perspective to customer engagement, CX, tech stacks, and the martech industry overall.

Bobby Tichy is a veteran of two of the most well-respected brands in martech, Marketo and Salesforce, where he led and supported implementations for many big brands. After his time with those two companies, Bobby moved onto Lev, a Salesforce consultancy, before the company was acquired in 2022 by Cognizant. At that point, Bobby teamed up with Michael to co-found Stitch, a martech consultancy that focuses on Braze and MarTech architecture. Now in his role as Chief Solutions Officer, Bobby leads the company's solutions team, and loves to talk about martech architecture, customer engagement platforms, the customer journey, and more.

Michael Burton is also a veteran of Salesforce who has worked at several other companies, including ExactTarget, which went on to be acquired by Salesforce. After leaving Salesforce, he also made his way over to Lev, where he rose up the ranks from Senior Director to SVP to CEO, the position he held when the company was acquired. Now serving as the CEO of Stitch, Michael is continuing to focus on building and scaling professional services for marketing technology. His areas of expertise include meaningful metrics, customer engagement, CX, and the martech industry as a whole.

In this conversation, we dive into going through the process of a company acquisition, implementing the right martech stack, CX strategy, Stitch's partnership with Braze, and a look to the future of martech.

Don't Get Catfished By AI with Brian Minick, COO of ZeroBounce05 Nov 202500:46:03

"Curiosity is the number one trait I'm looking for when hiring." — Brian Minick


Jacqueline and Brian Minick, COO of ZeroBounce, get practical about AI's impact on hiring, email deliverability, and Martech operations. They unpack how AI is reshaping hiring, from candidates using copilots during interviews to the ethical implications of automation in recruitment. Brian shares how his gut helped him catch an AI-assisted candidate mid-interview, why curiosity and speed are the real differentiators in a digital-first world, and how he's balancing innovation with humanity at scale. Expect real talk on personalization trade-offs, customer data hygiene, leadership, and why curiosity still beats credentials. If you care about AI, Martech, leadership, and deliverability, this episode helps you cut noise and double down on what moves the needle.


Brought to you by Hightouch, On November 13, Hightouch is hosting Has Martech Failed Marketers? featuring Scott Brinker of chiefmartec and Adam Greco to unpack what's really behind the pain and how fixing your data unlocks cleaner reporting and true personalization at scale. RSVP at www.hightouch.com/has-martech-failed


Timestamps
00:28 — Early Martech Days: Google Ads, Analytics, and the hustle era.
03:12 — AI in Content: great for ideas, never for copy-paste.
04:07 — The New Deliverability: why engagement, not volume, wins.
06:25 — Curiosity-Driven Leadership: lessons from a selfless CEO.
09:37 — Using AI Internally: copilots, data storytelling, and guardrails.
18:35 — The Deliverability Gap: why no AI tool fully solves it—yet.
21:10 — The AI-Assisted Interview: red flags, silence tricks, and hiring truths.
38:23 — Leadership Without Ego: humility, speed, and follow-through.
43:28 — What's Next: AI-generated video and the future of short-form content.


Connect & Subscribe
Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions. We may feature you in an upcoming episode!

 

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https://themartechweekly.com/podcast/question/
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https://www.reddit.com/r/MSoMPodcast/comments/1morng8/office_hours_questions/ 

 

#56 | Michaela Aguilar on the Martech buying problem and the role of education05 Sep 202300:59:03

In this episode we have Michaela Aguilar. Michaela is the head of business partnerships and ecosystems at Acoustic, a customer engagement platform company. Most recently Michaela has been leading a new Martech course with ADMA here in Australia called the Marketing Technology Certificate. Michaela also works as a Mentor at not for profit group Women in Data, and has a long and storied career in customer experience optimisation and analytics.

In this episode, we talk about the connection between education and Martech utilization, solving some of the education problems in the Martech industry in Australia, and how marketers should be thinking about and buying tech.


#55 | Josh Manion on Data Assurance and privacy-positive tech in Martech & Adtech29 Aug 202300:41:52

A conversation with Josh Manion.


In this episode we have Josh Manion joining us. Josh is the CEO of Vault JS, and previously worked as the founder of Ensighten, and the CEO Stratigent, both successful companies in the analytics, Adtech and data management space. Vault JS offers an advanced AI solution that continually scans data collection technologies in brands and alerts teams to suspicious activity, data leaks or accidental sharing with third parties. something they call "data assurance".

In this episode we talk aboutVaultJS' approach to building privacy-positive tech in the Martech and Adtech space, what data assurance is, data leakage horror stories, and the current state of data monitoring in the Martech industry.

#53 | Alexandra Theriault on intersection of martech & adtech and the role of first-party data in a post third-party-cookie world15 Aug 202301:08:13

A conversation with Alexandra Theriault.


In this episode, we have Alexandra Theriault, the chief growth officer at Adtech company Lotame. Alexandra has been working with Lotame for more than 15 years, playing several key roles in the company as it has grown into an international Adtech player.

Lotame plays a key role in advertising and increasingly in the Martech industry through its widely used cookieless Panorama ID , data marketplace and recently announced Spherical platform, a CDP accelerator. Complementary to the CDP and accelerating that into Adtech use cases.

In this episode, we talk about why Lotame has decided to step into the Martech world with the Spherical platform, the role of first-party data in a post third-party-cookie world, how identity is changing in Adtech and if we'll start to see a divergence or paid and owned focused CDPs.

#52 | Rajan Kumar on why companies fail to get the most out of Martech08 Aug 202301:01:45

A conversation with Rajan Kumar.


In this episode, we have Rajan Kumar, CEO and cofounder of The Lumery. He's an unusual guest because not too long ago Raj was my boss! It's a pleasure to have Raj on to talk about their latest research entitled Stacks on Stacks on Stacks - The Voices of Martech. Raj has pioneered a unique approach to MarTech consulting, combining the optimization of tech stacks with the development of clients' internal capabilities, processes, and data-driven cultures, ensuring lasting outcomes can be achieved. Rajan is passionate about building high-performance teams through supportive culture and loves collaborating with forward thinkers.

In this episode we talk about the "Ferrari in the garage" problem in Martech, how leaders in enterprise brands thinking about investing into Martech, coordination problems in Martech, the path to progress, and the influence of personal ambition when buying and using Martech.


Go here for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find Rajan on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#51 | Shoshana Wodinsky on the perils of privacy in a world of ad networks01 Aug 202300:47:08

A conversation with Shoshana Wodinsky.


In this episode, I'm joined by Shoshana Wodinsky, a technology researcher and former investigative reporter doing some of the best investigative journalism in the space of Adtech, privacy and online surveillance.


Shoshana is the investigative director for consulting firm Web X Ray. Shoshana has had her work cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. She is a prolific writer, penning articles like, How Google Ruined the Internet (According to Texas), Here's How California's Prop 24 Could Better—or Break—Our Privacy for Good, Opportunism, Thy Name Is Zuckerberg to name a few.
In this episode, we talk about the problems plaguing Adtech, the challenge of consumer privacy in a world of tech giants, why Shoshana is dedicating her career to investigating tech companies from a privacy lens, and how to balance enabling free online content and services while preventing the surveillance of consumers, among many other topics.


Go here for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find Shoshana on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#50 | Roger Dunn on the rise of retail media and navigating the trade-offs between ads and experience with online commerce11 Jul 202300:57:29

A conversation with Roger Dunn.

In this episode, we are joined by Roger Dunn. Roger is a consultant in retail media space and recently worked as Head of Retail Media for Australia & New Zealand at Criteo, where he helped retailers setup & scale their own retail media networks, as well as forming partnerships and broader up-skilling of agencies.

Roger previously spent the majority of his career agency side specialising in retail and e-commerce and played a crucial role as founder of GroupM Commerce in ANZ, he was also the e-commerce lead for WPP AUNZ and more. On the Agency side, Roger has also help created the Amazon Academy & Amazon Unboxed event at GroupM, building strong relationships with key partners like Amazon, eBay & Woolworth's Cartology.

In this episode, we talk about the rise of retail media and where it sits in the broader media landscape, how it compares to other type of media, the current silos and inefficiencies, navigating the trade-offs between ads and experiences as well as channels and opportunities.


Go here for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find Roger on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#49 | Jay Sanderson on Composable CDP and DXP, AI and new interfaces for building CX, and leading edge personalisation28 Jun 202301:02:52

A conversation with Jay Sanderson.

In this episode I'm joined by Jay Sanderson. He's the senior manager of product marketing for Progress digital experience. Progress enables customers to develop the applications and experiences they need, deploy where and how they want and manage it all safely and securely. Hundreds of thousands of enterprises, including 1,700 software companies and 3.5 million developers, depend on Progress everyday to deploy customer experiences.

Jay has worked across companies such as Sitecore, AT&T and Thomson Reuters. After moving from development and technical roles into the world of digital marketing, he quickly realised the need for data-driven decision-making and new ways to leverage mar-tech platform features to achieve growth and becoming an advocate.

In this episode we talk about the changing category of digital experience platforms, how Jay approaches and defines composability in the CDP and DXP space, Generative AI and the new interfaces for building CX, and what the leading edge of personalisation looks like for the enterprise.


Go here for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find Jay on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#48 | Michelle Songy on the problem with PR, building a media marketplace and getting publicity13 Jun 202301:01:38

A conversation with Michelle Songy.


In this episode, I'm joined by Michelle Songy. Michelle is a startup founder, company executive and innovator in the space of media and technology. Michelle is the founder and CEO of Press Hook one of the first media relations platforms that connects media to brands and publicists at scale. Prior to founding Press Hook, Michelle founded Cake, a mobile payments platform for restaurants that was acquired by American Express. Michelle has also worked in finance at Coca-Cola and is an investor with a variety of funds.


In this episode, we talk about the problem of public relations, why companies want media attention, building a two-sided marketplace in media, what journalists really want and the impact of generative AI tools on the media industry.


Go here for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find Michelle on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#46 | Tom Goodwin on progress and pessimism in marketing and technology16 May 202301:10:10

A conversation with Tom Goodwin.


In this episode we have Tom Goodwin joining us. If you work in marketing, advertising or tech he probably needs no introduction. Tom is an international keynote speaker, the author of Digital Darwinism, the co-founder of consultancy ALL WE HAVE IS NOW, a TV presenter, and a regular contributor for The Guardian, TechCrunch, and Forbes, GQ, Ad Age, Wired, Ad Week, Inc, MediaPost and Digiday.


In this episode we talk about progress and pessimism, how we should critique new technologies, hype exhaustion, what limits progress, working with change, and how our history should inform our present and future.


Go here for ⁠⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠⁠

You can find Tom on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#45| Myles Younger on the convergence of Adtech and Martech02 May 202301:00:35

A conversation with Myles Younger.


In this episode, we have Myles Younger. Myles is the Head of Innovation & Insights at U of Digital, an AdTech focused education firm. Prior to joining U of Digital. Myles' nearly 20 year career in advertising has spanned every facet of the business, from his time in client-side marketing, to his experience as an ad tech founder and product leader, to his experience inside the world of agencies and consulting. Most recently Myles was VP Go-to-Market, Data at Media.Monks and prior to that he founded the Canned Banners dynamic ads platform which was acquired by Thunder in 2017. Writing and speaking frequently on digital media & advertising topics, Myles is a regular contributor to industry publications such as Adweek, AdExchanger, and AdMonsters.


In this episode Myles and I speak about… convergence of advertising and marketing tools, how third-party cookies are radically changing the industry, educational challenges in the industry and how AdTech can shake off its increasingly negative perception.


Go here for ⁠⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠.

Listen on⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Google⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠everywhere else.⁠⁠

You can find Myles on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠.

Adios Ohana, AWS Meltdown, & Overcoming Analysis Paralysis29 Oct 202500:41:23

"You're supposed to be your customer relationship management platform of the era, and you're not listening to your very own customers." — Jacqueline Freedman

 

Jacqueline and Juan dissect Salesforce's Dreamforce rebranding of all major products to Agentforce, the erosion of its once-strong Ohana culture, and Benioff's billionaire behavior. They unpack the AWS outage, explore operational resilience, and talk about how to overcome analysis paralysis. 

 

Brought to you by Hightouch

On November 13, Hightouch is hosting Has Martech Failed Marketers? featuring Scott Brinker of chiefmartec and Adam Greco to unpack what's really behind the pain and how fixing your data unlocks cleaner reporting and true personalization at scale. RSVP at www.hightouch.com/has-martech-failed

 

Timestamps

00:23 — Scott Brinker's "You Are the Change Agent" for Martech World Forum.

02:53 — Making QBRs (Quarterly Business Reviews) fun with a "meme wall".

06:41 — What happened to "Ohana" at Salesforce/Dreamforce?.

09:11 — Salesforce product renaming: The "Agent Force" trend.

19:26 — The massive AWS Outage felt by companies globally.

26:01 — Hot Take: Alan Trevor on using AI decisioning backwards.

34:49 — Office Hours Question: Overcoming analysis paralysis.

37:37 — The connection between analysis paralysis and a lack of courage/risk-taking.

40:07 — Confession Corner: Forgetting an elevator pitch in front of the CEO.

 

Connect & Subscribe

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions — we may feature you in an upcoming episode! 

 

Send them here:

#44| Ross Candido on the social stack and the evolution of social listening18 Apr 202300:59:38

A conversation with Ross Candido.


Today I'm joined by Ross Candido. Ross is the VP of ANZ and SEA at Meltwater a leading media monitoring & social analytics platform. Meltwater offers a suite of solutions that spans media, social, consumer, and sales intelligence. By analysing ~1 billion pieces of content each day and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater provides competitive intelligence and consumer insights for over 27,000 global customers across six continents. Ross has been instrumental in growing one of the longest-standing and influential media intelligence and social analytics platforms, and bringing Meltwater to new markets including South East Asia, China, UAE and South Africa, before landing his current role based out of Australia.


In this episode, we'll talk about the social stack - all the tools that make up social marketing, public relations, and media monitoring. We talk about how social listening has evolved over time, the wide varieties of data available to companies from social channels, how insights are gained from media data, and how the way we socialise has changed.


Go here for ⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠and ⁠Twitter⁠.

Listen on⁠ Apple⁠,⁠ Spotify⁠,⁠ Google⁠, and ⁠everywhere else.⁠

You can find Ross on ⁠LinkedIn.


#43| Bryan Williams on partnership strategy, platform ecosystems and the problem of monopolies11 Apr 202300:48:08

A conversation with Bryan Williams.


In this episode, I'm joined by Bryan Williams. Bryan is the founder of the newly formed firm Hockey Stick Advisory. An experienced operator in the platform ecosystem space, Bryan played a key role in building out Xero's partnerships and application ecosystems as the former director of Ecosystem and Apps. Bryan has also served as a mentor and advisor through startup accelerator programs such as Blackbird Giants program and StartUp Vic office hours programs.


In this episode, we talk about the growing role of platform ecosystems in the marketing technology landscape and how companies are building new channels of growth, customer engagement, and partnerships. We touch on the incentives of ecosystems and their role in the broader marketing and tech industry, how ecosystems form within companies, identifying how other companies serve your customer, and the different kinds of ecosystems in the market.


Go here for ⁠show notes, links, and resources.⁠

Follow Juan Mendoza on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠and ⁠Twitter⁠.

Listen on⁠ Apple⁠,⁠ Spotify⁠,⁠ Google⁠, and ⁠everywhere else.⁠

You can find Bryan on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

#42 | Juan Baron on data clean rooms, the privacy paradox, data and trust, and cryptography in advertising14 Mar 202300:52:05
A conversation with Juan Baron.


In this episode, I am joined by another Juan…. Juan Baron! Juan is the Director of Business Development and Strategy for media and advertising at Decentriq. Decentriq calls itself The "Switzerland" of data that is coincidentally also headquartered in Switzerland.....


Founded in 2018, the company is inventing novel technology to enable publishers, brands, researchers, platforms, and advertisers to collaborate data in a way that ensures privacy and security. Decentriq works with companies such as Roche, Microsoft and Intel to enable more privacy-focused data collaboration and audience matching.


In a world where privacy is becoming an increasing focus across marketing and advertising, data clean rooms play an interesting role in the growth of first-party data sharing as third-party tracking is slowly becoming a thing of the past.


In this episode, we have a fascinating discussion about the privacy paradox: balancing privacy and utility, the role of trust in data collaboration & sharing, how inventions in cryptography and ML are changing the Adtech ecosystem, and the scalability of data clean rooms in an increasingly saturated market.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Follow Juan Mendoza on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.

You can find Juan on LinkedIn and Twitter.


#040 | Amanda Natividad on the power of audience research, zero-click content, and finding yourself in content creation06 Feb 202300:51:11
A conversation with Amanda Natividad.


In this episode I am joined by Amanda Natividad, VP of marketing for SparkToro, a SaaS marketing company that helps people do audience research, or find out what content their audience is consuming and where they spend time online.


Amanda has a long and storied career in marketing recently heading up B2B content marketing at Fitbit along with a number of senior tech marketing roles and recently launching a course - Content Marketing 201 (https://maven.com/amandanat/content-marketing), that helps marketers take their content to the next level. Amanda also used to work in tech journalism and was a test kitchen cook!


In this episode we talked about Amanda's journey into content marketing and becoming the VP of marketing at SparkToro, how SparkToro works like a team of 10 with just 3 employees, and as well as their approach to Big Tech. We also discuss building a Twitter audience, using zero-click content as a part of content strategy, and whether it is good or not that some tech companies punish the use of links.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Subscribe to The Martech Weekly here.

Follow Juan Mendoza on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.

You can find Amanda on Twitter, LinkedIn, or her site.

#039 | Martech throughout culture10 Dec 202200:59:13

A conversation with AJ Rollsy.


In this episode, I'm joined by AJ Rollsy. AJ is the founder of CORE marketing method and the founder of Healthpoint Research. AJ is an entrepreneur who over the last two decades has helped multinational corporations launch and grow brands, driving multiple billions of dollars in sales across 50+ national markets. AJ recently supported TMW research for a paper on Martech in India providing valuable insights into how the technology community works in one of the largest markets in the world.


In this episode, we dive into how Martech companies are started and grown across various regions globally, particularly Asia. We talk about cultural nuances that change the course of technology development, how entrepreneurship evolves across the generations and if the world of marketing technology is shifting out of Silicon Valley from west to east.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Subscribe to The Martech Weekly here.

Follow Juan Mendoza on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.

You can find AJ on LinkedIn.

#038 | Understanding Performance Marketing03 Dec 202201:05:53

A conversation with Sabri Suby.


In this episode I am joined by Sabri Suby who calls himself the "Lord of the Internet." He's the founder of King Kong an Australian based digital advertising agency and the author of "Sell Like Crazy." King Kong has generated more than $1.3 billion in reported revenue for their clients and is one of the fastest growing agencies in Australia. I have never met anyone that hustles quite as hard as Sabri.


In this episode we talk about the grind of digital advertising, building a growth mindset, "hustle culture", Sabri's views on performance marketing, the impact that privacy changes has on the how brands grow, building a business model around big tech platforms, why Sabri has golden records in his office and his ubiquitous online presence in the digital marketing industry.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Subscribe to The Martech Weekly here.

Follow Juan Mendoza on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.

You can find Sabri on LinkedIn.

#036 | Building Competitive Intelligence10 Nov 202200:45:21

A conversation with Andy McCotter-Bicknell.


In this episode I am joined by Andy McCotter-Bicknell, the head of competitive intelligence at Click-Up, content creator and founder of the competitive playbook - an online course that helps companies to build competitor intelligence programs from scratch.


We talk about the emerging field of competitive research and strategy in B2B SaaS companies, Andy's journey building the competitive playbook, the differentiation of Clickup, competing beyond product and features, the state of competitive intel in the tech industry, building a competitive intelligence programs in companies, how competitive intel influences company strategy, and many other topics.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Subscribe to The Martech Weekly here.

Follow Juan Mendoza on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.

You can find Andy on LinkedIn.

#035 | Why you don't need Martech31 Oct 202200:44:55

A conversation with John James.


In this episode I'm joined by John James. John is the host of the Champagne Strategy podcast, marketing, and technology consultant, and startup entrepreneur. John started working for global ad agencies then went client side, to government (B2G), B2B, B2C. Worked at digital agencies in Melbourne for half a decade in account manager roles and sales, he then started his own agency and ran that for 7 years. Then moved to live in San Francisco working as a growth manager for a startup before returning to AU to channel his energy into architecting a growth marketing platform. John also sits on a number of advisory boards and helps a modest list of privately owned businesses with their growth, sales and marketing strategy.


We talk about why you don't always need MarTech and explore John's very unique perspective on why strategy is absolutely critical when it comes to buying tech. We delve deeper into how in most cases, and from what he's seen in his experience, you don't actually need a lot of technology to get the job done.


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You can find John James on LinkedIn.



#034 | Building the CDP category24 Oct 202200:59:17

A conversation with Kazuki Ohta & Mike Anderson.


In this episode I am joined by Kazuki Ohta (co-founder and CEO of Treasure Data) and Mike Anderson (the CTO and founder of Tealium) for a round table discussion to discuss the perspectives on the outlook of the CDP industry, how they're building it and the growing challenges around data, privacy, regulation, and consumer attitudes in the CDP space.


We talk about the changing role of the category in the enterprise. Why people are still mystified by the technology. The increasing privacy pressure put onto the industry and the role of the CDP when building digital capability. And we also touch on how big tech is increasingly encroaching into the market and what it means for people building CDP solutions from the ground up.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

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You can find Kazuki Ohta on LinkedIn

You can find Mike Anderson on LinkedIn.

#033 | Martech in Asia09 Oct 202200:43:44

A conversation with Neil Halliday

Neil Halliday is the event director for APAC at Big Data and AI World, focusing on Data, AI, and Martech. During Neil's time, he has built the most successful data-focused event and conference series in APAC and an entire ecosystem around data, Martech, CX, digital transformation, AI/ML, diversity & inclusion, to drive business generation opportunities in the Asia Pacific region. Neil has also worked in a number of technology companies and is one of the best people who know the trends, innovation, and change in the marketing technology space in Asia.

In this episode, we dive into the technology industry across South East Asia and sketch out a picture of the innovation, challenges, and opportunities in the region.


You can find Neil on LinkedIn

Grab a ticket to Big Data and AI World 

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Martech Avengers Assemble with Neha Dadbhawala, Head of Martech at SEEK22 Oct 202500:31:05

"Marketing engineers are the lovechild of marketers, product managers, and software engineers — they're the Avengers of your Martech stack."
- Neha Dadbhawala

 

Join Jacqueline and Neha, Head of Martech at SEEK, to unpack how the role of the marketing engineer is reshaping the future of digital transformation. 

Neha shares her insights on bridging strategy and execution, building operational readiness, and applying systems thinking to deliver scalable marketing outcomes. From the rise of AI to managing legacy tech, Neha reveals what it takes to drive meaningful innovation across marketing, technology, and customer experience. 

 

Key Insights

  • Discover the Rise of the Marketing Engineer
  • Learn the 70-20-10 Rule for Operational Readiness
  • Explore System-Level Thinking
  • Bridge the Marketing–Tech Divide
  • Navigate Legacy Systems with Agility
  • Build the Future Martech Leader

 

 

Timestamps

 

00:30 — Rapid-Fire Intro: Neha's favorite Martech tool, the "build vs. buy" dilemma, and her least-favorite buzzword: "hyper-personalization."

3:30 — Defining the Marketing Engineer: The evolution from technologist to system architect and problem solver.

7:00 — Skills for the Future: Systems thinking, product mindset, and emotional intelligence as core leadership traits.

9:30 — Operational Readiness & the 70-20-10 Rule: How to plan for change and innovation simultaneously.

14:00 — Agility in Legacy Systems: Managing tech debt while maintaining scalability and speed.

18:30 — Breaking Silos: Why shared data definitions and transparent priorities unlock collaboration.

25:00 — The Future of Martech Careers: How marketing engineers can evolve into CMOs, Chief Growth Officers, and beyond.

 

 

Connect & Subscribe

Subscribe to Making Sense of Martech wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, share with your team, and send us your questions and confessions — we may feature you in an upcoming episode!

 

Brought to you by Hightouch - the leading composable CDP and decisioning platform trusted by brands like Domino's, Chime, and Aritzia. 90% of customers have a real use case live within their first week, delivering world-class personalization at scale. Learn more at www.hightouch.com/msom.

#032 | B2B media empires09 Sep 202200:45:31

A conversation with Michael Adams & Melissa McCready.

In this episode I'm joined by Michael Adams and Melissa McCready. Michael is the General Manager and Melissa is the content chair at OpsStars - an online community, media and events company servicing revenue and marketing operations practitioners. Previous to OpsStars, Michael has worked across a number of roles in communications, thought leadership  and media for software companies like Cisco. Melissa is the principal at The Growth Ops community and works in the growth operations industry as an advisor and consultant.


In this episode we talk about B2B Media Empires, the growing trend of software companies building media brands to service their specific market. How OpsStars was launched by Lean Data, a revenue orchestration platform company and into the journey of building valuable media properties in niches across the marketing technology ecosystem.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Subscribe to The Martech Weekly here.

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You can find Michael Adams on LinkedIn.

You can find Melissa McCready on LinkedIn.

#031 | The privacy winter04 Sep 202200:59:51

A conversation with Chris Brinkworth & Vishal Repaka.

In this episode, I'm joined by Chris Brinkworth and Vishal Repaka from Civic Data. In Australia, Civic Data is helping leading brands to collect, organize, analyze and activate data for Privacy First Marketing and Communications initiatives, in line with current and future Australian Privacy Principles. Chris has spent years working in the bowels of the AdTech industry in the US, which over time saw an increasing need to address the privacy concerns these technology companies have introduced to the economy and so went on to found Civic Data with his business partner Jason Fonseca. Vishal is a Principal at Civic Data who has specialized in working with ASX 100 brands and high-growth product businesses.

We talk about the privacy winter and all the things that make up an ever-emerging private web.


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You can find Chris on LinkedIn.

You can find Vishal on LinkedIn.

#030 | The technology of attribution29 Aug 202200:56:43

A conversation with Praveen Das.


In this episode, I'm joined by Praveen Das. Praveen is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Factors.ai, a B2B marketing attribution and analytics software company. Praveen has a long history in the analytics space, previously leading product at InMobi, a mobile advertising company. In this discussion, we unpack the technology of marketing attribution including the increasing importance of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the marketing analytics stack, how technology companies are addressing the changing tracking and privacy landscape and the value of attribution software.


In this episode we talk about the hard problem of marketing attribution from the increasing importance of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the marketing analytics stack. How technology companies are addressing the changing context of tracking privacy and data collection, and also the value of attribution software. We further dive deeper into the highly complex topic, that is attribution.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

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You can find Praveen on LinkedIn.

#029 | Evolving automated marketing17 Aug 202200:56:20

A conversation with Anu Shukla.


In this episode, I'm joined by Anu Shukla. Anu is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of high-tech industry experience having created a billion dollars of enterprise value from Martech startups. She is the Founder and CEO of RewardsPay Inc. and the Co-founder and Executive Chair of Botco.ai. Formerly, she was the Founder and CEO of Offerpal Media (aka Tapjoy, Inc. which was sold for $400 mm cash in Jan 2022), and she was the Founder and former CEO and Director of MyBuys Inc.  (formerly Rubiconsoft) a venture-backed company acquired in 2011 for  $200mm she started in 2002. Anu was the founder of Rubric, Inc one of the pioneers in Enterprise Marketing Automation 19 years ago, before the category existed. She is also a Venture Partner at Elevate.vc supporting and mentoring under-represented black, women, LatinX and other minority founders.

Ms. Shukla served on the Board of Directors of Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives, International Museum of Women (IMOW.org) and the Advisory Board for the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University.

In this episode we talk about the wonderful world of marketing automation. Anu has seen the development of the marketing automation space for more than 20 years, building solutions and innovating right back in the 90's. We talk about the history of automated marketing, why Anu's all in on conversational AI, and where it's all heading.


Go here for show notes, links, and resources.

Subscribe to The Martech Weekly here.

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Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, and everywhere else.

You can find Anu on LinkedIn.

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