190. 2025 Recap, 2026 Roadmap: AI, Privacy, CTV, RMNs, and Supply Quality
Release Date: 01/08/2026
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...
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Shownotes
Welcome to the first Programmatic Digest episode of 2026 with Ellen Parker and Manuela Cortez. This is a quick check-in, plus a trader-friendly breakdown of the biggest 2025 shifts and what to watch in 2026.
We cover five trends from 2025 (AI everywhere, privacy and cookieless reality, CTV growth, RMNs going more programmatic, and supply quality/transparency). Then we close with three 2026 predictions: curation becoming “default infrastructure,” AI as a co-pilot (not autopilot), and multi-identity strategies becoming standard.
This episode also includes the 2026 community focus: subscribe to YouTube + the newsletter, confirm your subscription, and reach out if you want to contribute (writing, audio, or guest spots).
Here’s What You’ll Learn
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What “AI everywhere” means for traders: less manual tuning, more strategy and interpretation
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Why privacy-first is still a day-to-day skill, even if cookies hang around longer than expected
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Why CTV is no longer “experimental” and how measurement expectations are changing
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Why more RMNs going programmatic changes how you think about signals and audiences
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What “supply quality + transparency” should actually include (fees, paths, reporting depth)
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2026 prediction: curation becomes the baseline (SSP curation vs curation houses vs curation desks)
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2026 prediction: AI moves from rules-based automation to agent-style workflows (co-pilot mindset)
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Why you still need foundations first (know how to do it manually before you let AI help)
Subscribe to the Programmatic Digest Podcast on your favorite platform (including Spotify)
https://www.heleneparker.com/programmatic-digest-podcast/
Subscribe to the Programmatic Digest YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@programmaticdigest
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Access the Programmatic Training here: https://www.heleneparker.com/library/
No String Attached - MediaMath DSP (including Agent AI Connector): helene.parker@infillion.com
Timestamps
• 00:00 – Intro: Welcome to the first Programmatic Digest of 2026.
• 01:15 – Channel Updates: YouTube growth and the importance of the weekly newsletter.
• 03:30 – Hands-on Support: Tips, hacks, and activation-focused support in the newsletter.
• 05:45 – Calling for Contributors: Opportunities to host, write, and build industry authority.
• 08:20 – The Programmatic Training Library: Combining six years of workshops and courses.
• 11:00 – Micro-Workshops: Real-world DSP setup support and "programmatic ninja" coaching.
• 13:15 – 2025 Trend #1: AI Everywhere—Automated bidding, optimization, and predictive modeling.
• 16:00 – AI for Productivity: Using tools like ChatGPT to simplify industry jargon and workflows.
• 19:45 – 2025 Trend #2: Privacy-First & Cookieless—The multiple identity approach.
• 22:10 – 2025 Trend #3: CTV and Audio—Moving from experimental to action-driven channels.
• 25:30 – 2025 Trend #4: Retail Media Networks (RMN)—New players like Loves Media and Go Puff.
• 28:45 – The Value of Diversification: How audience insights drive revenue for traders.
• 31:15 – 2025 Trend #5: Supply Quality & Transparency—Demanding log-level data and fee clarity.
• 34:00 – 2026 Prediction #1: Curation as Default—SSP curation, Curation Houses, and Desks.
• 38:15 – 2026 Prediction #2: AI as Co-Pilot—Moving from "automated" to "agentic" intelligence.
• 41:30 – Media Math Agent Connector: Managing campaigns via AI prompts without UI clicks.
• 45:00 – The "Rice Cooker" Analogy: Why you must understand manual foundations before using AI.
• 48:15 – Advanced Reporting: Tying campaign data to real-world consumer behavior and brand impact.
• 51:45 – 2026 Prediction #3: Dual Identity Strategies—Using the Media Math X Graph.
• 54:30 – Under the Hood: Investigating "proprietary" tech and demanding the "Carfax" for AdTech.
• 57:00 – Final Takeaways: "Grace over Guilt" and putting your 2026 plans into action.
• 1:00:15 – Closing Encouragement: Mental and spiritual health for the year ahead
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-
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Programmatic Digest
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YouTube Keywords
programmatic advertising, The Trade Desk, TTD update, OpenPath, SSP, reseller definition, IAB, transaction ID, TxnID, header bidding, prebid, SPO, DPO, supply path optimization, demand path optimization, PMP, curation, publisher ad stack, viewability, ad density, ad quality, InfoLinks, Magnite, AppNexus, Gamera, Programmatic Digest Podcast, Hélène Parker