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Insider Interviews: Media and Marketing Pros

Insider Interviews: Media and Marketing Pros

By: E.B. Moss
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Summary

 Media, Marketing, Advertising and Entertainment executives give an insider’s view of the business of the industry. Compelling conversations on creating TV, advertising, audio, research and more, with host, E.B. Moss.© 2019-2024 E.B. Moss and Moss Appeal Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales Social Sciences
Episodes
  • What Counts: The VAB on Streaming, Attention, and the Numbers That Actually Matter

    What Counts: The VAB on Streaming, Attention, and the Numbers That Actually Matter
    May 13 2026
    Jason Wiese, EVP of Insights and Measurement at the VAB, might make you rethink your entire approach to media planning, buckle your seatbelt around AI, and race to embrace premium video. Wiese produces 50 to 60 research and insight pieces a year, and does not, in his own words, "deal in NON-hard numbers." Consider yourself warned. And informed. Host E.B. Moss gets Wiese to dish in a fast and fact-filled conversation captured during #possible2026 for Insider Interviews on how ad-supported streaming has won and how to see through the Illusions of the Internet. Example: #DYK: 95% of CTV viewers see ads on their home screen before they even choose what to watch, and more than half of new streaming subscriptions are to ad-supported tiers?! Fifty-one percent of internet traffic is non-human. Thirty-seven percent is malicious bots. Global ad fraud hit $111 billion last year — about 22% of total digital ad spend — projected to reach $172 billion by 2028. BUT - the good news is real too. Premium video remains the industry's most transparent, brand-safe environment, and Wiese walks through the VAB's five-pillar definition to cut through how loosely the term gets used. On what separates a valuable impression from a wasted one: "A bad ad environment can devalue a brand. It's not even a flat-line thing. It devalues a brand." He rounds it out with a clear-eyed take on AI in media planning, being useful if planners understand its inherent bias toward digital platforms before trusting any AI-generated allocation. And, if you want to see how good ad environments hold up in practice, the recent Insider Interviews episode with Atmosphere has some eye-opening eye-tracking data worth a look. Share this with someone who's still flying blind on digital metrics. And subscribe so you don't miss the remaining POV: Possible episodes. Non-bot likes and comments are especially welcomed.
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    13 mins
  • POV: Possible! Media & Marketing Working Together Is Cool

    POV: Possible! Media & Marketing Working Together Is Cool
    May 5 2026
    If you’ve ever felt like your marketing stack is more of a marketing pile, like siloed channels, disconnected metrics, and a different agency for every platform, this conversation with Zack Dugow is for you. At the fourth annual POSSIBLE Conference in Miami I built a mini-series of four Insider Interviews episodes I’m calling “POV: Possible,” kicking off with Zack , the founder and CEO of The Cool Company. (Yes, that’s the actual name. BUT, COOL is actually an acronym — more on that in the episode.) What is truly cool is that this company is based on four acquired ad tech companies, integrated into a single AI-powered platform: They build your ad creative, buy your media across every channel, and continuously optimize for business goals or outcomes. No siloes. One system, one goal, one cool company. And, Zack illustrates the how and why in my segment called, “Pitch Me. Pinch Me.” Spoiler alert (unless you were at Possible and saw it from SalientMG’s Innovation Stage!): Zack sharesa a compelling case study from National Veterinary Associates where his team ran a head-to-head test against a human media trading team. Same budget, same time period. The result? 289% more phone calls and appointments. The reason? While a skilled human team might make 70 campaign changes in a week, theri CoolAI made over 8,600 in two weeks. As Zack put it: “What human is gonna log in, take 20 minutes to make a change that improves something one one-thousandth of a percent? But micro-gains compound fast.” More human side? You’ll learn about his dog, Barry (listen why he’s named that!), and Zack’s appreciation for Padel (pah-DEL?!) But, we also got into the measurement mess that’s plaguing the human industry right now. Zack’s universal advice? Always ask how your attribution is actually being calculated, and sanity-check it against your own internal numbers. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, you should be looking at your own internal business metrics. If you’re a restaurant, it’s like, how many entrees did I sell?” And when it comes to AI being overhyped? Zack, of course, doesn’t think so. But he does think we’re just now crossing from “faster and cheaper” into “actually better.” Proof point? He makes the case that the beauty of automation is its range: the same platform that optimizes campaigns for a national airline can do the same for a local car wash, with no ad expertise required. The playing field is leveling, and the implications for marketers at every scale are hard to ignore. Key Moments 0:01:25 — What the Cool Company actually does under one AI platform 0:03:49 — What COOL stands for: More than a name; a philosophy. 0:06:08 — The Proof Point: A case study that pit AI-driven campaign management against a human trading team 0:07:04 — Why micro-optimizations at AI scale compounds gains humans can’t replicate 0:09:00 — Attribution truth talk 0:10:19 — The Channel Budget Trap: Why siloing budgets by platform (TikTok, search, display) limits performance vs unified goal-setting 0:11:13— The Human Side: Meet Barry, Zack’s co-pilot, and the most Game of Thrones-named dog in ad tech 0:12:49 — Is AI Overhyped? Zack’s take on where AI is in its evolution 0:15:06 — AI and Jobs…and what roles will matter most. Connect with: The Cool Company Zack Dugow SalientMG Connect with E.B. Moss and Insider Interviews: With Media & Marketing Experts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insiderinterviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsiderInterviewsPodcast/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@insiderinterviews If you enjoyed this episode, follow Insider Interviews on @YouTube, @Apple or @Spotify or your favorite app, AND please share with another smart business leader, and leave a comment, a like … or a tip in my jar!: https://buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal!
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    9 mins
  • How TV is Winning Attention in the IRL Atmosphere

    How TV is Winning Attention in the IRL Atmosphere
    Apr 21 2026
    You know those screens at a bar or gym that catch your eye and actually make you pay attention in a noisy environment? Chances are you’ve seen Atmosphere TV. So, I spoke with the company’s Chief Revenue Officer, Ryan Spicer, to find out how they’re managing to capture and confirm attention, and why it’s one of the most interesting ad-supported media plays happening right now. Ryan came up through Viacom and Turner, but his real origin story starts on a soccer pitch. (Yes, I asked him about going from the pitch to the TV pitch — and yes, he’s stealing that line.) But apropos to our conversation he walked away from established media for a startup bet on a simple but brilliant insight: nobody ever walked into a bar and asked them to put on a muted episode of Law & Order. Atmosphere was built to fix that. We get into the full value proposition of “TV for your eyes, not for your ears” that’s made in three-minute, visually arresting loops across 30 channels. He scored a win in my first “Pitch Me. Pinch Me.” segment, doing a great job explaining how they’re capturing 10 million viewers a night in their built for OFF-the-couch moments. His “pitch” was backed up by Media Science that did an eye-tracking study to deliver proof points. I was intrigued enough by that to put them in an article I wrote recently for MediaVillage. You’ll learn how their targeting capability can geo-fence an ad to within seven miles of a retail location, and why their timing. Hint: Ryan explains this era as The Great Reconnection, with people actively seeking out more in-person experiences after years of heads-down, hyper-personalized digital isolation. Ryan also gives brands some real, practical advice on creative — what works, what works better, and why the bucket debate (is this CTV? is this OOH?) is the wrong conversation entirely. It’s an upbeat 30-minutes that even explains Ryan’s appreciation for Turkish food. But another reason to listen? You might get the Insider’s scoop on their next strategic move. (Okay, it has to do with why Atmosphere is a natural fit within retail media networks since they’re reaching consumers who are already out and already deciding, not just browsing from the couch.) Key Moments: 00:00 – From the pitch to the TV pitch 00:27 – What is Atmosphere TV? CTV IRL explained 02:38 – 60,000 bars, restaurants, and gyms can’t be wrong 03:06 – Ryan’s origin story: from pro soccer to chasing a feeling 09:02 – Debut of the “Pitch Me. Pinch Me.” segment 10:06 – The founding insight: nobody asked a bar to show a muted Law & Order 12:00 – Geo-targeting within 7 miles of a retail location 12:57 – The Great Reconnection: why people are seeking out in-person experiences 15:00 – Channels built for off-the-couch environments 15:45 – Proof of concept: why distracted bar crowds are actually watching and MediaScience results 17:43 – Creative advice: what works and what works better 21:10 – Measurement: foot traffic, receipt data, ROAS and case studies 24:25 – The bucket debate: stop asking if it’s CTV or OOH 25:30 –Atmosphere’s next strategic move 29:29 – Best coaching advice for work or team work Connect with Ryan Spicer and Atmosphere TV LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-spicer-8189b43/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atmospheretv/ Connect with E.B. Moss and Insider Interviews: With Media & Marketing Experts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insiderinterviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsiderInterviewsPodcast/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@insiderinterviews If you enjoyed this episode, follow Insider Interviews, share with another smart business leader, and leave a comment on @Apple or @Spotify… or a tip in my jar!: https://buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal!
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    16 mins
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