138. Multicultural Targeting in Programmatic Media with Iesha White
Release Date: 10/12/2023
Programmatic Digest
Preview of the Sell-Side Foundations for Traders workshop sponsored by ! Sign up to this FREE workshop: Summary: A fast, practical deep dive into how GDB redefined programmatic curation from their early roots as a DSP to becoming an SSP focused on “Curation as a Service.” John Dittar and Felipe share how refining supply paths, removing low-quality inventory, and layering intelligence into deals leads to cleaner, smarter buying. They explain how curation powers stronger brand safety, reduces pre-fraud exposure, and replaces guesswork with predictable,...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
A fast, practical deep dive into The Trade Desk’s move to label all SSPs as “resellers” — what that label actually means, why it has a bad rap, and where it’s fair vs. misleading. Gareth breaks down value-add resellers (e.g., unique widgets/placements) vs. pure pass-through reselling, explains OpenPath in plain English, and demystifies the Transaction ID debate: what it is, why TTD wants it, and how it impacts buy-side efficiency and supply transparency. We wrap with actionable steps for traders — how to pressure-test paths, when to go direct with publishers/PMPs, and how to...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Helene Parker sits down with Jana Meron, programmatic veteran and sell-side expert, for a deep dive into how the buy side and sell side can finally bridge the gap. This episode serves as a preview of their upcoming joint workshop — The Sell-Side Programmatic Foundation for Buyers — designed to help traders, buyers, and ad ops professionals better understand how publishers, SSPs, and ad tech integrations actually work. Jana shares her fascinating career journey, from early media buying days to leading programmatic and data operations at...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Ellen Parker welcomes two of LinkedIn’s most active programmatic voices: Gary Guarnaccia and Ryan Verklin. Together, they dive into the realities of in-housing, retail media, DSP strategy, and the ongoing shifts in supply path optimization (SPO). Ryan shares his journey from agency life to in-house at Bayer, where he helped lead the transition to hands-on programmatic buying before moving into retail media. Gary reflects on his role supporting Bayer’s in-house teams through ad tech partnerships, ensuring programmatic and retail investments...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Helene Parker welcomes Rosey Sutton, Head of Programmatic at Leadswell, for a deep dive into the world of B2B programmatic advertising. Rosey shares her journey from traditional broadcast buying to programmatic leadership, offering practical insights into brand-to-demand strategy, content syndication, and how to connect brand awareness with demand generation for better results. We explore the importance of aligning creative messaging with funnel stages, why programmatic often serves as the accelerator in B2B, and how intent data can transform...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, host Manuela Cortes sits down with Angelina Eng, Vice President at IAB, to unpack the evolving world of measurement, attribution, and attention in digital advertising. Angelina shares her deep expertise in helping reduce friction across the ad tech ecosystem and establishing industry best practices through IAB’s Measurement, Addressability, and Data Center. She breaks down the misconceptions around last-touch attribution, the importance of assisted attribution, and how weighting ad formats can better reflect their role in the funnel. We also...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
Petri Kokkonen from Relevant Yield explains how his team helps publishers grow revenue through Demand Path Optimization (DPO), curation, and AI-driven decisioning.
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
In this special Cannes Lions edition of the Programmatic Digest Podcast (Español), host Manuela Cortes sits down with Alberto Grande, Regional Lead at EXTE, to explore the evolving media landscape in Latin America. Alberto shares how his team built a creative-first programmatic powerhouse from scratch, the growing impact of Connected TV (CTV) across LATAM, and how partnerships like LG are redefining attention metrics. They also dive into market-specific buying behavior, cultural preferences in ad formats, and the challenge of measuring outcomes beyond CTR. If you're curious about how CTV is...
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
Direct from La Croisette, The Programmatic Digest lands at Cannes Lions 2025 to unpack the biggest stories, trends, and power players shaping the future of advertising. Join us as we interview industry leaders, innovators, and disruptors live from the Croisette—diving into everything from UCG to data privacy and the evolving programmatic landscape. Bite-sized insights. Big-league conversations. Fresh from the beach.
info_outlineProgrammatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, we sit down with Heather Macaulay, President of MadTech, an AdTech consultancy transforming how teams approach data, integrations, and strategy. Heather shares her unexpected journey into ad tech—from Newbury Street project management to Pubmatic to founding MadTech—and the lessons she’s picked up along the way. We dive into what it really means to have a strong, scalable tech stack, the common mistakes advertisers make when choosing tools, and why platform connectivity is now mission-critical. Heather also breaks down how MadConnect,...
info_outlineIesha White is a programmatic media expert with over 10 years experience working for companies like Tinuiti, Sony Pictures, Xaxis, PureCars, etc. She walks us through the importance of multicultural targeting in programmatic advertising and how to implement accordingly. We cover some essential discussion points including why a person’s identity isn’t brand unsafe!!!!!!! (yes, we had to explain why excluding keywords such as “black” or “asian” or “queer” is unacceptable and simply wrong!!!). Another important focus was why consider adding multicultural media and how it can affect the bottom line for brands.
Additional resources mentioned in the interview:
● Media Buying Briefing: Agencies expand their DEI goals and offer their expertise to clients
● It’s Time to Dispel the Multicultural Media Scale Myth [Source: AdWeek]
● Black Media Is Being Hurt by Agency Blocklists [Source: AdAge]
● Diverse-owned publishers say they’re still educating advertisers about their audiences [Source:Marketing Brew]
● Combating Corporate ‘Pinkwashing’ During Pride Month With Mutual Aid [Source:Inequality.org]
About Us:
Our mission is to teach historically excluded people how to get started in programmatic media buying and find a dream job.
We do so by providing on-demand lessons via the Reach and Frequency™️ program, a dope community with like-minded programmatic experts, and live free and paid group coaching.
Hélène Parker has over 10 years of experience in programmatic media buying, servicing agencies and brands in activation, strategy and planning, and leadership. She now dedicates her time to recruiting and training programmatic traders while consulting companies on how to grow and scale a programmatic department.
Interested in training or hiring programmatic juniors? Book a Free Call
At Helene Parker Consulting, we provide training and media buying.
Timestamp:
00:00:25 - www.jobsinadtech.com
00:01:35 - Leave us a review on iTunes
00:02:10 - Meet Iesha White
00:05:45 - How She Landed in Programmatic (super interesting story 😅🤣!)
00:11:01 - Shoutout to Gabriel Cohen at Magnite
00:11:50 - The Importance of a diverse team, how it influence my career
00:12:45 - Black People, Queer are often blocked for brand safety reasons, wtf??
00:15:22 - What, How, and Why multicultural targeting is important
00:17:02 - Less than 7% is spent in multicultural media where 40% of the US population is.
00:19:52 - Black owned media ain’t interested in programmatic and prefer direct deals
00:23:03 - Best practices: what you should do
00:25:17 - One’s identity isn’t brand unsafe
00:27:05 - Reaching out to your DSP team to fix it!
00:27:05 - Reach and Frequency™️ program is looking for partners to offer internships/employment
00:32:15 - Why consider spending on diverse/multicultural media
00:37:55 - Targeting strategy
00:40:01 - Actionable insight for buyers/brands
00:44:35 - Iesha’s Word of Wisdom
Interested in finding out if you are a fit for a career in digital advertising and programmatic?
Take our free Quiz: www.heleneparker.com/programmaticquiz
Guest Information:
Meet Our Team:
-
Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach
Get this directly in your inbox weekly including more gems!
Let’s keep in touch:
Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter here:
www.heleneparker.com/newsletter
Join our next training program by signing up to our waitlist below:
https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/
Also take a moment to check out:
How To Optimize Data Segment:
Join Our Slack Channel for programmatic ninjas looking to level up and build a network:
https://join.slack.com/t/theprogrammaticmeetup/shared_invite/zt-1nlaoighs-ES98OYwn67rkk1vqgC4i9Q