189. How To Turn Curated Audience Into Insights with GDB
Release Date: 11/11/2025
212. What’s Behind Your Location Targeting? Privacy, Risk, and Results with Charlie Simon
Programmatic Digest
🎧 Summary: When you select location targeting in your DSP, do you know what data you’re actually using? In this episode of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, Hélène Parker sits down with Charlie Simon, Global VP for Private Advertising at RTB House, to unpack the data behind location targeting and the questions media buyers should ask before using it. Charlie discusses how privacy rules are changing, why consumer consent may not answer every question, and why being near a store doesn’t necessarily mean someone intends to buy. They also explore a fashion retailer example that challenges...
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211. Understanding Programmatic Sustainability with Brian O’Kelley
Programmatic Digest
Let’s first highlight some “not so fun facts” about the topic covered in this episode, according to Anne Coghlan, COO of Scope3 in . Programmatic advertising creates 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide every month in the United States, which is equivalent to burning about 11.2 million gallons of gas. Serving 1,000 digital ad impressions uses the same amount of energy as doing a load of laundry in a washing machine — excluding the dryer — which produces a global average of 514.8 grams of CO2. Brian O’Kelley co-founder and CEO joins the programmatic meetup, a...
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210. How A Nurse Started in Programmatic Media
Programmatic Digest
Gulshan started as a nurse and realised that her passion was outside of the medical field. She knew she wanted to work in Marketing but did not know where to start. Luckily, her grad school professor recommended that she looked into programmatic and that is how she “fell” into the programmatic industry where she is now working for an ad agency who specialise in pharma and healthcare brands. Gulshan is such an inspiration for standing up for herself and pursuing something she wanted to and not being afraid to start “again” and take risk learning something new. It’s never too...
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209. The Future of Ecommerce: AEO, AI, and One-to-One Personalization
Programmatic Digest
In Episode 209 of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, Hélène Parker sits down with Avani Oswal, founder of Catalyst, to explore what retail and ecommerce leaders need to know as AI reshapes discovery, technology decisions, and customer experiences. Avani shares how her career moved from finance and consulting at EY to strategy at Macy’s, operational roles across ecommerce brands including IPSY, and eventually building Catalyst, a community that connects retail operators with emerging technology companies. She explains why understanding the numbers, listening closely to operators, and building...
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208. The Data Is Technical, but the Decision Is Human with Carole Lawson
Programmatic Digest
Programmatic advertising gives us more data, automation, and targeting options than ever. But behind every impression, click, and conversion is a real person whose circumstances, attention, and needs can change. In this episode of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, Hélène Parker speaks with Carole Lawson, founding partner of Marketstorm, about the relationship between data, technology, AI, and human behavior. Carole shares how her experience in technology, government innovation, behavioral economics, and data science led her into programmatic advertising. She also explains why traders should...
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207. The AI Middle Layer: The Next Brand Safety Battleground
Programmatic Digest
In this podcast episode, Dr. Cecilia Dones and Iesha White discuss the complex evolution of artificial intelligence within the marketing and advertising industries. They explore the shift of AI becoming a "middle layer" between brands and consumers, highlighting how automated systems can influence purchasing decisions using unverified information. These outstanding ladies distinguish between closed and open AI systems, warning that proprietary models often lack transparency and can lead to brand safety issues like hallucinations or data poisoning. They emphasize that while AI...
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206. A Discussion on The signal brief, AI Search, and Ozone
Programmatic Digest
AI-driven search is changing how people discover information, and challenging the intent-based funnel publishers and advertisers have relied on for years. In this episode of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, I sit down with Christian Robinson of Ozone to explore what this shift means for publishers, programmatic traders, and the future of the open web. Christian shares how Ozone helps advertisers reach audiences across trusted, premium publisher environments while reducing duplication and wasted media spend. We discuss why first-party data, authenticated audiences, and journalistically safe...
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205. Conversational Ad Ops, AI agents, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) with Rob Janes
Programmatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, host and guest Rob JAnes, Head of Product at AdButler, discuss the rapidly changing landscape of publisher monetization and programmatic ad operations heading into 2025. Check out the interview on YouTube here: They break down the industry-wide adjustments following Google's unexpected decision not to deprecate third-party cookies and the subsequent pivot to internal identity resolution systems. A major focus of the conversation is the existential crisis content creators face due to declining traffic, driven by generative...
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204. Martech Architecture Explained: The Missing Layer in Ad Tech
Programmatic Digest
🎧 Summary: In this episode of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, Hélène Parker sits down with Sanarr McLaughlin to unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in programmatic advertising and digital marketing: martech structure. From disconnected tools and messy integrations to reporting confusion and operational inefficiencies, Sanarr explains why many agencies, brands, and media teams are struggling under the weight of their own systems. Together, they explore how poor martech architecture impacts campaign execution, data accuracy, internal productivity, and ultimately business growth....
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203. Are We Optimizing for Bots? Unpacking AI, CTR, and Ad Fraud with Dr. Fou
Programmatic Digest
In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, Hélène Parker sits down with Dr. Augustine Fou, founder of Fou Analytics, to unpack the realities of ad fraud, attribution, AI, and programmatic optimization. Dr. Fou challenges some of the metrics and tools our industry has relied on for years, explaining how bots can manipulate signals like CTR and how algorithms can unintentionally optimize toward fraudulent inventory. The conversation also explores the limitations of traditional fraud detection, the importance of independent verification, and how traders can use more granular data, including...
info_outlinePreview of the Sell-Side Foundations for Traders workshop sponsored by GDB!
Sign up to this FREE workshop: https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/sell-side-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, high-performing inventory. This conversation moves beyond CTRs and surface metrics to show how curated deals create meaningful engagement, improved conversions, and simpler workflows for traders.
Here’s What You’ll Learn
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Curation as a Service, explained: how GDB cleans, classifies, and enhances every impression in real time.
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DSP to SSP evolution: why GDB shifted its focus to smarter supply and what that means for buyers.
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Beyond CTR: how removing low-quality inventory leads to real engagement and conversion gains.
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Operational simplicity: how curated deals reduce manual work while improving transparency and brand safety.
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Trader takeaways: how to use curation and clean supply paths to optimize faster, layer insights into DSP workflows, and focus on performance that actually matters.
Sign up to this FREE workshop:
https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/sell-side-workshop
About Us:
We teach historically excluded individuals how to break into programmatic media buying and land their dream jobs. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, an engaged community, and expert coaching, we offer:
Programmatic Training & Coaching:
Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on DSP exercises, and real-time feedback. Sign Up: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program
Self-Paced Course: Learn at your own speed with full content access. Enroll Here: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro & welcome of GDB sponsors of the Sell-side foundations for traders workshop
06:13 – Curation explained: beyond the buzzword
07:35 – CTR vs. Conversions: real performance examples
13:37 – From data to insight: how curation drives smarter optimization
18:21 – Efficiency and scale: working with the right curation partner
20:48 – Collaboration, trust, and better partnerships
23:16 – Final takeaways: the “Refuse to Lose” mindset
Meet Our Guests:
GDB:
John deTar:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndetar/
Felipe Matheus Ramos:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/boyzao/
Meet The Team:
Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach
https://www.heleneparker.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker
Manuela Cortes - Co-Host
Programmatic Digest In Espanol:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-
Learn Programmatic
As a TEAM: https://www.heleneparker.com/workshop/
As a Programmatic Ninja: https://www.heleneparker.com/course/
Programmatic Coaching Newsletter:https://www.heleneparker.com/newsletter/
Programmatic Digest
https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGMMRsZkw0IIUbQIJmMBxw
Looking for programmatic training/coaching?
Sign up to our Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on within DSP(s) exercises, and real-time feedback—perfect for those who thrive on accountability and community, and looking to grow their technical skillset
https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program
Self-Paced Course:
Full access to course content anytime, allowing independent learners to study at their own speed with complete flexibility.
https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course
Sign up to this FREE workshop:
https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/sell-side-workshop