167. SPO, AI, and Attention: the New Era of Programmatic Advertising with Albert Thompson
Release Date: 02/04/2025
Performance Advertising in Programmatic
Programmatic Digest
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197. July Focus: WTF is Programmatic Performance Media
Programmatic Digest
I attended a performance advertising workshop hosted by MediaMath and it reminded me of something I truly believe: The best way to learn something is to teach it. So this July, I'm dedicating all of our content to one topic: Programmatic Performance Advertising. Predictive targeting. Identity resolution. Dynamic budget allocation. Attribution. And more. New content every week. All month long. About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make...
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196. AI Meets Programmatic: How Media Buyers Can Optimize with AI
Programmatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, Hélène Parker and Assetou Kone dive into the evolving role of AI in programmatic advertising and campaign optimization. The conversation explores how media buyers and traders can use tools like ChatGPT and Claude to streamline workflows, analyze campaign data more efficiently, and uncover deeper optimization insights. Hélène opens the session by reframing optimization as more than simple “bid up, bid down” tactics. Instead, she explains how successful optimization requires hypothesis testing, strategic thinking, and understanding how DSP...
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195. From Cookies to Context: Rethinking Targeting in Ad Tech
Programmatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, Manuela Cortes sits down with Eric Tilbury, Head of Programmatic and Solutions Engineering at Anuvo, to discuss the evolution of ad tech and the industry's shift away from traditional identity-based targeting. With over 14 years in the space, Eric shares insights from his unique background working on both the supply side (monetization) and the buy side, explaining how balancing the needs of both publishers and advertisers has shaped his perspective on the ecosystem. The conversation highlights a major flaw in current programmatic practices: the...
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194. Resilience in Ad Tech: What Agency Life Teaches Every Programmatic Trader
Programmatic Digest
Sign up to our FREE workshop on March 31st: In this episode of Programmatic Digest, Hélène Parker sits down with Assetou Kone, programmatic expert and consultant, for a real conversation about resilience in programmatic advertising and agency life. Assetou shares her journey into ad tech, from studying political science and mass communication to discovering programmatic during a digital marketing bootcamp. What started as a curiosity about digital media quickly became a career built on solving complex marketing problems across multiple verticals, including political campaigns,...
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From Data to Insight: How Curation Drives Smarter Optimization
Programmatic Digest
Our Let’s Talk Curation series was created in partnership with GDB, our curated data partner, to help demystify curated audiences, what they are, how they work, and when and why you should consider using them. Check out this lesson, From Data to Insight: How Curation Drives Smarter Optimization. #ProgrammaticAdvertising #Curation #AdTechEducation #MediaBuying #ProgrammaticTips About our Partner: GDB is a curated audience data partner focused on combining quality inventory and audience signals to support smarter testing and cleaner measurement in programmatic campaigns.
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193. Community, Confidence, and Career Growth in Programmatic, With Tiffany Wade
Programmatic Digest
In this episode of Programmatic Digest, Hélène sits down with Tiffany Wade, Media Director at Hunter Blue, for a grounded conversation on community building, mentorship, and leadership as a woman in programmatic and ad tech. Tiffany shares her path into media, from a psychology background and early career pivots to finding her footing through curiosity, asking better questions, and building relationships that opened doors. They talk about what it feels like to be “the only one” in the room, how to stay brave while navigating discomfort, and why finding your community matters, even if...
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CTR vs Conversions Real Performance Examples
Programmatic Digest
Our Let’s Talk Curation series was created in partnership with GDB, our curated data partner, to help demystify curated audiences, what they are, how they work, and when and why you should consider using them. Check out this lesson on CTR vs Conversions real performance examples. #ProgrammaticAdvertising #Curation #AdTechEducation #MediaBuying #ProgrammaticTips About our Partner: GDB is a curated audience data partner focused on combining quality inventory and audience signals to support smarter testing and cleaner measurement in programmatic campaigns.
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192. Follow the Eyeballs: Integrated Media Planning + AI for programmatic Traders with Dominique Robinson
Programmatic Digest
In this episode of Programmatic Digest, Hélène sits down with Dominique Robinson, an integrated media planner at Luquire, for an insightful conversation on how media planning is evolving in today’s programmatic-first world. Dominique shares his personal journey into advertising, from early inspiration through marketing and design to building integrated media strategies that blend traditional channels like broadcast with digital and programmatic media across streaming, social, and online platforms. Together, they break down what “integrated media planning” really looks like inside an...
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191. Agency Life Unfiltered
Programmatic Digest
🎧 Summary: In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, Hélène sits down with Alexa Fulmer, a seasoned programmatic buyer and advocate for inclusion, to discuss what it’s really like navigating agency life as a gay woman of colour. From microaggressions and being the only person of colour in the room to building confidence and community, Alexa shares her story with vulnerability, insight, and strength. They unpack how authenticity in the workplace often comes at a cost, the emotional labour tied to identity, and why representation matters—especially in leadership. Alexa also reflects...
info_outlineIn this insightful episode, Albert Thompson, Managing Director, Digital Innovation at Walton Isaacson (https://www.waltonisaacson.com/), shares his forward-thinking take on where programmatic advertising is headed. He challenges the industry to rethink outdated processes, improve partnerships, and embrace smarter ways of working. Looking ahead to 2025, Albert highlights AI’s potential to eliminate inefficiencies, spark creativity, and redefine how brands tell their stories and connect with audiences.
Beyond technology, Albert dives into the importance of training—not just for newcomers, but for everyone. He emphasizes that staying curious and continuously learning is the key to staying relevant in a fast-changing, AI-driven world. He shares personal experiences and strategic insights on why companies should prioritize education at all levels to stay ahead of the curve.
One of the most exciting parts of the discussion? Albert’s take on "agentic AI"—a game-changing concept where AI-powered agents go beyond human capabilities to transform industries. He explores how this shift will impact everything from creative strategy to how brands measure and capture consumer attention.
From the evolving role of AI in programmatic advertising to the future of consumer engagement, Albert offers a fresh and engaging perspective on what’s next in the digital space.
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 (https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com ), a dope community with like-minded programmatic experts, and live free and paid group coaching.
We can help 2 ways:
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Customized a training roadmap for teams of programmatic traders (https://www.heleneparker.com/workshop/ ), adops, customer success, AMs, etc focusing on campaigns performance increase, cross-departmental communication, and revenue growth overall 🌟Request a sample training roadmap❗️
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Hybrid model where we activate and we train
Interested in training? Book a Free Call (https://www.heleneparker.com/contact/)
Timestamp:
(00:02) - Future of Programmatic
(07:50) - Training and Implementing AI in Advertising
(16:18) - The Future of Artificial Intelligence
(28:47) - Redefining Creative in Programmatic Advertising
(36:00) - The War for Attention in Programmatic
(49:22) - Patience and Risk in Success
We host Monthly Workshop for Free, Join the Waitlist for the next one below:
https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/live-training-waitlist
Meet Our Guest:
Meet The Team:
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Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach
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Learn Programmatic
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Programmatic Digest
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Manuela Cortes - Co-Host
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Programmatic Digest In Espanol
Did you know that I have a private membership community where we meet to learn and grow together? We do optimization bootcamps, reporting and analysis, hands on keyboard training with other fellow traders and adops?
Get the details here:
programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/membershipwaitlist
Join our next training program by signing up to our waitlist below:
https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/live-training-waitlist?test=true