Libsyn Directory

194. Resilience in Ad Tech: What Agency Life Teaches Every Programmatic Trader

Release Date: 03/18/2026

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

202. Mastering Audience Optimization & DSP Transparency with Jenn Ha and Ed Hackney from Pearl Diver

Programmatic Digest

In part two of this special episode of the Programmatic Digest podcast, host Hélène Parker welcomes back Ed and introduces Jenny, the Head of Customer Experience at Pearl Diver Building on the previous episode's focus on audience discovery, this conversation dives deeply into audience optimization and the critical role of true partnership in ad tech. Jenny and Ed share insights on the optimal times to introduce new audience segments, highlighting that the best time to test an adjacent audience is actually when current campaigns are already performing well They also discuss their...

201. Activating High-Intent Audiences with Ed Hackney and Trinity Lawry from Pearl Diver

Programmatic Digest

Most advertisers focus on people who are ready to buy today. But what happens when that audience runs out? In this episode, I chat with Ed Hackney and Trinity Lawry from Pearl Diver about how to find high-intent audiences, why balancing every stage of the marketing funnel matters, and how AI is making audience discovery easier for media buyers. This podcast was made possible thanks to the incredible support from Pearl Diver. In This Episode Why focusing only on conversions can quickly exhaust your audience. How behavioral data helps identify where consumers are in their buying...

200. Behind 200 Episodes: The Real Work, the Real Joy, and the Real Impact with Manuela Cortes and Hélène Parker

Programmatic Digest

Celebrating 200 Episodes: Community, Representation, and the Future of Programmatic Digest Reaching 200 episodes is more than a milestone. It's a celebration of the incredible community that has supported Programmatic Digest from day one. In this special episode, Hélène Parker and Manuela Cortez reflect on the journey that brought them here, the lessons they've learned along the way, and the vision they're building for the future. From expanding the podcast into Spanish to creating opportunities for more diverse voices in ad tech, this conversation is a reminder that meaningful change...

198. Performance Advertising in Programmatic

Programmatic Digest

199. How To Be A Performance Marketer in Programmatic Media

Programmatic Digest

More Episodes

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Optimization with AI for Programmatic Traders Site Lists + Geo Insights (DMA)
— from Pivot Tables to Prompts

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, retail, e-commerce, banking, and pharmaceutical brands.

The conversation dives into the softer skills that often determine long-term success in programmatic, including active listening, observation, and understanding the internal structure of the organisations you work within. Assetou explains why knowing how a company operates and who influences decisions can dramatically improve how traders execute campaigns and support client goals.

Hélène and Assetou also unpack the reality of agency work, including burnout, under-resourced teams, and the pressure traders face when managing dozens of campaigns at once. They discuss why deep work is essential for campaign optimisation, insights, and meaningful reporting, and why many agencies underestimate the time required to generate true strategic value from programmatic data.

The episode also explores what resilience actually looks like for traders and buyers, from documenting your work and protecting yourself with clear communication to learning from campaign mistakes and using those lessons to grow stronger in the role.

They close the conversation with thoughts on the future of AI in programmatic, highlighting how automation could relieve traders of repetitive tasks while allowing them to focus on insights, strategy, and deeper analysis.

🧠 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 learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming.

Our mission is simple: DSP access and education should be for everyone, not just a few. That’s why we teach new talent and support independent agencies and brands through my work at Infillion (MediaMath), helping more people access the MediaMath DSP.

Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn’t a one-time thing, it’s the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides.Access it here: https://heleneparker/com/library

⏱ Timestamps:
• [00:00] – Welcome and introduction to Assetou Kone
• [04:20] – From political science to programmatic advertising
• [09:15] – Why programmatic stood out during digital marketing training
• [14:40] – The soft skills every trader needs: observation and active listening
• [20:30] – Understanding organisational structure and client vision
• [27:10] – Agency realities: burnout, campaign overload, and team structure
• [35:20] – Deep work in programmatic: optimisation, insights, and reporting
• [42:00] – Learning from mistakes and building trader resilience
• [49:15] – Documentation, communication, and protecting your work
• [54:30] – The future of AI in programmatic workflows

👤 Meet Our Guest:
Assetou Kone – Programmatic Marketing Specialist and Consultant

Assetou Kone is a programmatic marketing expert with experience across multiple industries, including political campaigns, retail, finance, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce. Her work focuses on campaign optimisation, data-driven insights, and helping brands deliver the right message to the right audience through programmatic media.

📎 Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assetou-kone

💻 Meet The Team:

Hélène Parker – Chief Programmatic Coach
🌐 heleneparker.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker/

Manuela Cortes – Co-Host, Programmatic Digest en Español
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-/

🎓 Learn Programmatic:
For Individual Buyers: https://heleneparker.com/library

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://heleneparker.com/newsletter

Be the first to find out free programmatic training workshop: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/

📲 Follow Us:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@programmaticdigest

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