Next in Media

iSpot CEO Sean Muller joins Next in Media to break down how the post-2026 upfronts are shifting the TV advertising landscape toward trusted, outcomes-based measurement, the reality of AI-driven optimization, and what brands actually care about moving forward.

This week, Mike is joined by WildBrain’s VP of Media Solutions, Emma Witkowski. Together, they dive into the major advertising disconnect in the kids' media space, how nostalgia is driving family shared screen time, and the way upcoming privacy rules like COPPA 2.0 are completely reshaping digital targeting.

This week on Next in Media, I sat down with Matt Spiegel, EVP of Marketing Solutions Growth Strategies at TransUnion, to unpack one of the most pressing questions in advertising right now: what's actually changed since cookies started disappearing and privacy laws started piling up? And just as importantly, what hasn't changed? Matt brings a refreshingly practical perspective to the conversation, explaining how disconnected data infrastructure remains the biggest obstacle for most brands, even as everyone races to adopt AI-powered marketing. He breaks down why walled gardens still have an inherent advantage, how signal loss is forcing marketers to rethink their strategies, and why the industry's obsession with the "easy button" might be holding progress back.We also tackled some uncomfortable truths about where the industry is headed. Matt shared his thoughts on agentic advertising and whether bots will really replace media planners, the noisy MarTech landscape that's overwhelming CMOs, and why he believes the next economic downturn could trigger massive layoffs in marketing and advertising. Throughout our conversation, Matt emphasized that while the tools and technology are evolving rapidly, the fundamentals of good marketing haven't changed. It's about understanding your customers, connecting your data, and applying that intelligence at scale. This is a conversation for anyone trying to make sense of the chaos in modern marketing, wondering how to navigate identity resolution in a post-cookie world, or just trying to figure out which AI tools are actually worth the hype._______________________________________________________Key Highlights🔌 The Infrastructure Problem: Most brands lack connected data ecosystems. Their CRM, transaction records, and marketing databases exist in silos, making it nearly impossible to achieve the precision marketing everyone's chasing.🏰 Walled Gardens Still Win: Large platforms have a scaled, dimensional view of consumers that few brands can match. The "easy button" appeal is real, but it comes at the cost of transparency and cross-platform measurement.🤖 AI Won't Replace Humans (Yet): Agentic advertising is coming and will automate significant portions of media buying, but Matt believes we'll keep humans in the loop. The idea that bots will fully control everything is overdone, at least for now.📊 Data Hygiene Still Matters: Simple things like ensuring "Matt" and "Matthew" are recognized as the same person remain real obstacles. Many organizations are still working through basic data cleaning before they can even think about advanced AI applications.📉 Layoffs Are Coming: Matt predicts the next economic downturn will trigger massive job losses in marketing and advertising as automation takes over manual tasks. New roles will emerge, but there will be a painful transition period.📈 The Measurement Mess: Between attribution debates, walled garden metrics, and inconsistent cross-platform views, CMOs are struggling to prove ROI. The complexity isn't just technical, it's political inside organizations.🎯 Outcomes Over Tactics: Despite all the noise around cookies, signal loss, and AI, the fundamentals haven't changed. Great marketing still comes down to understanding consumers holistically and applying that intelligence strategically.⚡ It's a Noisy Time: Marketers are juggling CIOs demanding new tech, CFOs questioning results, platforms promising exclusive deals, and measurement reports that don't add up. It's chaotic, but navigable with the right analytical mindset._______________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🌐 Learn more about TransUnion Marketing Solutions🔗 Follow Matt Spiegel on LinkedIn🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts_______________________________________________________YouTube Chapter Timestamps00:00 Intro -- Consumer insights and AI limitations00:35 The complexity of modern marketing01:00 Episode introduction and Matt Spiegel01:34 Where we are in the identity and data landscape02:15 The marketer's challenge -- Disconnected data03:45 Why data infrastructure is the core problem05:20 The reality of data hygiene issues06:30 Signal loss and privacy regulations07:45 Platform advantages in identity resolution09:10 Walled gardens vs transparency11:00 The programmatic ecosystem revisited12:40 How agencies are investing in data capabilities14:20 The measurement and attribution challenge16:00 AI's impact on marketing decisions17:30 Why consumer insights still matter18:45 The current state of MarTech noise20:15 Startup consolidation and hype cycles21:50 Will agentic advertising replace media planners?23:20 Keeping humans in the loop24:40 The coming wave of marketing layoffs26:10 New opportunities emerging from automation27:30 The complexity brands face daily28:50 CMO tenure and pressure29:40 Final thoughts and wrap-up

In this episode of Next in Media, I sit down with Kiri Masters, host of the Retail Media Breakfast Club podcast, to explore the biggest shifts happening in retail media advertising. We dive into the recent announcement about ads coming to ChatGPT and what that means for brands trying to meet consumers where they are. Kiri shares her perspective on whether AI-powered shopping will truly disrupt the retail media landscape - and why she's optimistic that LLM-based ads could actually be more relevant and less annoying than traditional formats. We also unpack the Walmart-Google partnership and discuss what it signals about the future of conversational commerce.Beyond the AI conversation, we tackle some of the industry's most pressing questions. Will we see consolidation in retail media networks this year? Can shoppable TV finally gain traction? And what happens when offsite retail media faces competition from platforms with their own transactional data? Kiri brings both historical context - including a fascinating story about Piggly Wiggly's self-service revolution - and forward-looking insights about how brands and retailers need to collaborate differently. Whether you're a marketer navigating this space or just curious about where AI and commerce intersect, this conversation offers a clear-eyed look at what's real, what's hype, and what's coming next._______________________________________________Key Highlights 🤖 Ads in AI Assistants: Kiri explains why she's optimistic that ads in LLMs like ChatGPT could actually enhance the user experience rather than detract from it - as long as they're contextually relevant and leverage the deep personal insights these platforms have.🛒 The Walmart-Google Partnership: Why retailers want to maintain control as the merchant of record even as they experiment with AI-powered shopping surfaces, and what this means for the competitive landscape between retailers and tech giants.📊 Amazon's Retail Media Dominance: How Amazon has trained brands to expect exceptional reporting and data-driven insights, creating a high bar that other retailers struggle to match - and why CFOs love the platform's transparency.🔄 Consolidation is Coming: With over 250 retail media networks globally but brands only wanting to work with 5-7 partners, Kiri predicts we'll see more partnerships like Macy's and Amazon this year as the market rationalizes.💡 The Piggly Wiggly Lesson: A fascinating historical parallel about how the first self-service grocery store in 1916 got consumers to change behavior by passing savings directly to them - a lesson for how AI shopping might need to work.⚠️ Offsite Media at Risk: If AI-powered shopping takes off, offsite retail media networks could face serious competition as LLMs gain access to transaction and intent data that retailers previously controlled.🎯 Back to Category Growth: Kiri advocates for retailers and brands to move beyond performance-focused land grabs and return to collaborative trade marketing strategies that grow entire categories together._______________________________________________Resources & Next Steps 🎙️ Follow Kiri Masters and subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts_______________________________________________Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Introduction - Ads in AI assistants00:40 This week on Next in Media01:00 Meet Kiri Masters of Retail Media Breakfast Club01:40 Ads coming to ChatGPT and conversational search02:10 How brands follow consumers to new platforms03:30 Will AI commerce disrupt retail media?04:00 Will ads in LLMs work like Google and Facebook?04:40 The importance of trust in AI assistants05:00 Why AI ads could be better than traditional ads06:00 Context and relevance in LLM advertising07:00 The trust equation in conversational AI08:00 Understanding AI ads won't necessarily suck08:10 Walmart and Google partnership announcement08:30 Are people ready to shop through AI interfaces?09:00 Building trust through repeated exposure to LLMs09:40 Story time - buying an iPod on eBay in 199911:00 Testing Instacart on ChatGPT11:40 Sao CTV ad12:40 Why Walmart partnered with Google13:20 Retailers want to remain merchant of record14:40 Can every retailer integrate with AI platforms?15:20 Consumer choice and retailer selection criteria16:00 The Piggly Wiggly story - self-service revolution17:00 Consumer behavior change requires value proposition17:40 State of retail media today18:20 Amazon's dominance in retail media19:20 Offsite retail media and in-store opportunities20:00 How AI threatens offsite retail media networks20:40 Open web and retail media advertising21:30 Competition for audience data between retailers and LLMs22:20 Could LLMs build offsite media businesses?23:10 Will we see consolidation in retail media networks?24:00 The Macy's and Amazon partnership example24:40 Shoppable TV and CTV shopping outlook26:00 How AI shopping might impact retail media26:30 Moving beyond land grabs to category growth27:20 Wrap-up and thanks

I never thought I'd be running a 70-employee media company built around two guys making Pokemon sketches. When I became CEO of Smosh in early 2023, I was stewarding a 20-year legacy spanning five YouTube channels, 15 cast members, and millions of fans. My 15 years in talent management - from Maker Studios to working with Anthony Padilla at Press Alike - taught me to think about creators as brands. Now Ian, Anthony, and I create the vision together, building a sustainable entertainment company that respects both comedy and business fundamentals. We're redefining digital-first entertainment. We've invested in 4K production for YouTube's living room experience and launched shows like Hospital - a semi-scripted improv comedy where doctors swap out when they break character. We're building cast-driven merch lines and creating accessible content anyone can enjoy without knowing our history. But I'm most passionate about changing how brands work with creators. Too many advertisers treat us like bedroom amateurs when we have the infrastructure and insights traditional media can't match. TV commercials are terrible - agencies waste millions on creative that doesn't convert. We deliver instant metrics, authentic partnerships, and only work with brands we sincerely use. We're proving collaboration over competition is the future.

This week on Next in Media, I sat down with Shane Atchison, CEO of Zaaz Collective, and Seth Gordon, a film director and co-founder of Zaaz. We dove into their mission to help micro and mid-level creators (those with 5,000 to 100,000 followers) think and act like media companies. With 96% of creators making minimum wage or less, Shane and Seth saw an opportunity to build a collective where creators could access the data, tools, and intelligence typically reserved for top-tier talent. They shared how Zaaz is using AI-powered analytics, audience insights, and comments-to-commerce strategies to help creators maximize their impact and earnings.I was fascinated by their approach to solving the creator-brand disconnect. Shane explained how most creators have no idea what to charge for brand deals and often feel they get screwed on their first partnerships. Zaaz addresses this with transparent pricing data, engagement rate benchmarks, and personalized AI language models trained on each creator's unique content and audience. Seth brought a compelling perspective from the traditional entertainment world, noting how the $50 million ad model is dying and the future is much more atomized and creator-led. We also explored their plans for Q1 2025, including creator-to-creator events in Brazil and launching new tools for content transcription and multi-platform analytics._________________________________________________________________Key Highlights💡 The Creator Economy Gap: 96% of creators are making minimum wage or less despite the industry growing to $500 million by 2030 with 35% year-over-year growth in media spend.🤝 The Collective Model: Zaaz operates as a membership-based collective where creators share anonymized data on brand deals, pricing, and engagement rates so everyone can learn what's a fair deal.📊 Audience Intelligence: The platform unifies analytics across all social platforms in one dashboard and uses AI to analyze comments for purchase intent, brand opportunities, and genuine engagement.💬 Comments to Commerce: Zaaz filters through thousands of comments to surface the ones that matter, like when someone asks "what shirt are you wearing?" turning those into affiliate link opportunities.🤖 Personalized AI Language Models: Each creator gets their own AI agent trained on their content, comments, and audience data, plus access to collective intelligence from other creators' successful strategies.🎯 Brand Discovery Done Right: Zaaz pushes dynamic media kits to discovery platforms so creators are represented with real-time data on momentum, engagement rates, and audience quality.🎬 The Future is Atomized: Seth Gordon explained how the traditional $50 million ad campaign model is dying, and the future belongs to niche, specialized creator-led content reaching targeted audiences.🚀 Launching in 2025: Zaaz is hosting creator-to-creator events in Brazil and the U.S., launching AI-powered content transcription tools, and helping creators who "don't realize they're creators" move into the space._________________________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🌐 Explore Zaaz Collective🔗 Connect with Shane Atchison on LinkedIn🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts_________________________________________________________________YouTube Chapter Timestamps00:00 Cold open - Building Zaaz for creators00:36 Introducing Shane Atchison and Seth Gordon02:02 What is Zaaz Collective?03:00 How the collective model works04:32 The "I got screwed" problem for creators06:07 Seth on protecting creators in the wild west07:07 Who are the target creators? (5K-100K followers)08:32 Audience analytics across platforms10:52 Comments to commerce strategy13:04 Brand discovery and connecting the two sides15:19 Seth on knowing your audience18:32 The value of micro influencers20:23 Seth on Warner Bros and the dying $50M ad model22:10 Streamlining media spend in the creator economy24:51 Personalized AI language models for creators27:00 Q1 plans: Launching in Brazil and creator events28:29 Wrap-up and thanks