2020 was a year of massive change in the digital advertising ecosystem, with Apple in particular making headlines around its iOS 14 plans to limit the use of IDFA. Earlier this year during a live session at TechCrunch Disrupt, AppFlyer’s US President, Brian Quinn and Sparrow Advisers’ Principal and Co-founder, Ana Milicevic broke down the ramifications of Apple's big announcement.

Guest: Brian Quinn and Ana Milicevic

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

Longtime Digiday Editor-in-Chief and Founder of The Rebooting, Brian Morrissey digs into which advertising and media trends from the wild year that was 2020 will stick, and which won't have much lasting impact in the new year. Despite all the privacy updates and regulation, he believes that brands and ad tech companies will always find a way to adapt. Brian also discusses the parallels he sees in the recent fallout in digital publishing and the various business model pivots that industry has seen and the still-saturated DTC brand sector.

Guest: Brian Morrissey

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

Anthony Mavromatis is Head of Enterprise Customer Data Science and Platforms at American Express. As one of the financial company's machine learning experts, he discusses how the company has spent years building out technology that promises to change how it operates internally, how it corrals and leverages endless data, and how it interacts directly with customers. Mavromatis thinks machine learning is set to revolutionize multiple industries and eventually reshape the workforce, but he also hits on how resistant some companies may be to change.

Guest: Anthony Mavromatis

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

Kiwoba Allaire, founder and CEO of Girl STEM Stars, has been fighting against stereotypes for years regarding women and people of color in the tech world. With Girl STEM Stars, she’s taken matters into her own hands, establishing a program designed to provide young girls not only with confidence to pursue career paths in tech, but with both the skills and the networking needed to crack this exclusive universe. Allaire, who founded the program during her time at the now defunct ad tech company, Rocket Fuel, discusses how her organization had to adjust this year, as the pandemic made in-person activities nearly impossible, and why she’s optimistic about the real possibility for change in the world of technology.

Visit: https://www.girlstemstars.org/

Guest: Kiwoba Allaire

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

TikTok’s Head of Measurement Jorge Ruiz discusses how brands should gauge success on the red hot social video platform, and why more advertisers are turning to TikTok to sell products through the help of influencers. The former Facebook and agency exec also provides advice for ad buyers trying to navigate the complex world of cross-platform attribution.

Guest: Jorge Ruiz

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

Advertisers know Reddit is huge, and its users are passionate. But, they don’t always know what to make of the site known for reaching hyper-engaged fans - and some of the frontier corners of the web. Reddit’s Vice President of Global Advertising, Harold Klaje is looking to educate CMOs on just who this unique audience is, and how to channel Reddit’s distinctive energy for their campaigns.

Guest: Harold Klaje

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

Jack Davis founded Crypt TV as part of a fun stunt on the long-defunct video platform Vine. Since then, with the help of Hollywood studio Blumhouse, the entrepreneur amassed a big audience of young horror fans who are more than comfortable watching scripted, scary content on their mobile phones. After conquering Facebook Watch and YouTube, Crypt TV has its sights set on TV, and Davis wants to build a stable of characters in the vein of the mega-successful Marvel.

Guest: Jack Davis

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes 

The ad industry may need a bit of a reality check when it comes to ad targeting and the kind of consumer data brands can rely on. M&C Saatchi Performance's Managing Director, Americas, Guillaume Lelait says that recent moves by Apple and Google to limit how brands can target people across the web are making things more challenging for advertisers - and they may have to accept less precision. On the flip side, Lelait sees huge potential in the use of incrementality, as more marketers strive to isolate the impact of each partnership.

Guest: Guillaume Lelait

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes

Jeffrey Wong, Principal Data Scientist, Computational Causal Inference at Netflix discusses how the streaming giant uses data signals to help get you to notice -  and hopefully watch  - its shows.  Wong also breaks down the company embracing the measurement of ad spend effectiveness through incrementality and why he’s urging more marketers to take risks with their advertising budgets.

Guest: Jeffrey Wong

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes 

Magic Spoon Co-Founder Gabi Lewis discusses the process of building a new food brand when suddenly everyone is stuck at home, getting almost everything delivered and watching their wallets. Gabi also talks about the opening he saw within the cereal category and how unlike many DTC success stories, the path to disrupt and innovate was about product, not price and supply chain efficiency. He also covers the vital importance of Facebook and Instagram for DTC brands, and why it's so hard for startups to walk away from social platforms.

Guest: Gabi Lewis

Host: Mike Shields

Producer: Kenya Hayes