Podcast · Business

The Digiday Podcast

The Digiday Podcast is a weekly show on the big stories and issues that matter to brands, agencies and publishers as they transition to the digital age.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest: 6 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026 · 43 min

Which Golden Girl is WPP most like?

Is Omnicom to the ad industry what The Brooklyn Nets are to basketball? Or maybe Omnicom is more like Blanche Devereaux of The Golden Girls. Depends on who you ask. On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, executive editor of news Seb Joseph and senior editor, media buying and planning Michael Burgi took a look at the current ad agency landscape, including Omnicom's IPG takeover, WPP's attempted comeback, Publicis dominance and Dentsu's comeup, through the lens of sports analogies and The Golden Girls.

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

29 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Can OpenAI build a $1 billion ad empire?

OpenAI has billion-dollar goals for its ChatGPT ads by the end of this year. Just seven months after its initial launch, OpenAI’s ad business is running at a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. By the end of the year, the tech company projects its ads business will rake in $.25 billion in ad revenue. That projection surges to $100 billion by 2030. The question is: Can OpenAI woo advertisers enough to make good on those ambitions?
22 Sep 2026 · 26 min

How Semafor is redefining the head of video role

Semafor technically had had a head of video before Adam Banicki stepped into the role this summer. But the role has changed with Banicki’s appointment. Instead of being strictly a newsroom role, Banicki’s position spans the editorial and business sides of Semafor.“I feel like I have like a really fun job where I get to talk to Ben [Smith, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Semafor] every day about all the things that are going on in the newsroom, but then taking back a lot of that almost like programming to the commercial side and saying like, ’What can we do with this? How do we build out a…
15 Sep 2026 · 23 min

As more surfaces become ad inventory, the economics get complicated

Ads are coming for smart refrigerator screens, car dashboards and AI search results. So what happens when everything becomes ad inventory? On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, hosts Tim Peterson and Kimeko McCoy dig into how far advertising can expand before the business of selling attention starts to break down.
8 Sep 2026 · 32 min

The Amazon-FTC case and the myth of ad auction transparency

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against Amazon’s on-platform search advertising business appears to be a tempest in a teapot. Amazon’s alleged opaque ad auction dynamics aren’t exactly beyond the pale when it comes to what ad buyers experience across platforms and the programmatic ad marketplace today. In this week’s episode, Digiday executive editor of news Seb Joseph joined the show to break down how ad buyers are reacting the Amazon-FTC case, what the situation reveals about modern ad auctions and how AI-powered ad platforms stand to remove even more transparency and control…
1 Sep 2026 · 36 min

5 questions facing advertisers, publishers and creators heading into fall

A lot can happen in a few months. A few months ago, NBCUniversal was secure within Comcast, LiveRamp was an independent ad tech company, Hank Green was unbesmirched, and publishers’ complaints about Google were simply that. Then this summer happened. In this week’s Digiday Podcast episode, hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson recap the season’s biggest developments in the media and marketing industries and the questions they raise for the final stretch of 2026.
25 Aug 2026 · 41 min

The case for and against publishers blocking Google

Google’s AI crawlers are eating away at publisher traffic by serving answers directly in search, but blocking them comes with risks. Digiday media reporter Sara Guaglione and executive editor of news Seb Joseph join this episode of the Digiday Podcast to break down what publishers actually stand to lose in the zero-click era—a core theme at the upcoming Digiday Publishing Summit in Miami this September.
18 Aug 2026 · 26 min

AI is reshaping agency work, but where's the line?

Agencies are pushing AI deeper into everyday work while still figuring out what should and shouldn't be automated. Digiday caught up with agency leaders and early-career marketers about AI, automation and where they're drawing the line.
11 Aug 2026 · 36 min

How much control should AI have over media buying?

Butler/Till is quickly moving its AI agent media buying work from experimentation to implementation across more clients, platforms and channels. Controls, however, look different from client-to-client and channel to channel. In this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Scott Ensign, chief strategy officer at Butler/Till, joins the Digiday Podcast to discuss how the agency is putting agentic media buying into practice.
4 Aug 2026 · 42 min

Inside’s Stagwell’s AI media curation marketplace

Inventory access has become a tug-of-war between agencies and ad tech companies. In this episode, Matt Adams, global CEO of Stagwell Media Platform, joins the Digiday Podcast to talk about why Stagwell is building its own inventory marketplace and what agencies hope to gain by moving closer to supply.
28 Jul 2026 · 35 min

WTF is the IAB's Redefining Media Types standard?

The IAB has a new acronym—the RMT, short for Redefining Media Types Standard. But this acronym could actually matter. In this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Jamie Finstein, vp of media center at the IAB, unpacks what the proposed framework means for advertisers, agencies and media buying.
21 Jul 2026 · 28 min

What happens to agencies when AI does the busywork?

As AI takes on more repetitive marketing tasks, agencies are being forced to rethink what they’re selling. Omnicom Media Group North America CEO Ralph Pardo joins Digiday from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to talk about the future of agency talent, the rise of “capability companies” and why human judgment still matters.
14 Jul 2026 · 37 min

The anatomy of a sports marketing deal with Ally CMO Andrea Brimmer

For a channel expected to rake in $5.3 billion between 2026 and 2030, a logo on a jersey isn't enough anymore. On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Ally Bank CMO Andrea Brimmer breaks down the anatomy of a sports marketing deal and why emerging media is Ally's next bet.
30 Jun 2026 · 46 min

Creators vs. influencers: Inside the divide (RERUN)

Is there a difference between a creator and an influencer. If so, what’s the difference and why does it matter to marketers? On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Digiday staffers debate the topic.
26 Jun 2026 · 31 min

Inside the infrastructure behind Unilever’s creator force

Creators are no longer a media channel or transaction. It’s an entirely new marketing model, at least that’s what the infrastructure behind Unilever’s creator strategy indicates. In this episode, Digiday catches up with Selina Sykes, global vp of digital, social and Al transformation at Unilever’s Beauty and Wellbeing, to learn about its scale and automation.
25 Jun 2026 · 24 min

Meta courts agencies with expanded ad tools while AI reshapes the industry

At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week, Meta announced a slew of even more automated marketing tools, further lowering the barrier to entry for advertisers to manage campaigns directly. Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta’s head of global business group, joins this episode of the Digiday podcast to talk about how that does and doesn't change the agency-platform relationship.
24 Jun 2026 · 35 min

Spotify rebuilds ad business around automation, AI to win bigger media budgets

Spotify’s ad business is trying to evolve beyond audio. At this year's Cannes Lions, Digiday senior marketing reporter Kimeko McCoy catches up with Brian Berner, VP of advertising partnerships at Spotify, about automation, AI, video and Spotify’s push for bigger media budgets.
16 Jun 2026 · 35 min

What happens when brands AI clone their talent?

Digital twins are helping brands scale content and talent deals. Marketers are still navigating the tradeoffs. On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson unpack the rise of digital twins, AI sprawl and authenticity.
9 Jun 2026 · 31 min

How automation and AI are rewriting the upfront marketplace

The upfront marketplace has long been built on relationships and negotiation. Now, automation and AI are changing how deals get done.
2 Jun 2026 · 28 min

ChatGPT ads are underperforming. Why are brands staying?

OpenAI's ad pilot is plagued with reporting hiccups and under-delivery issues. It's testing marketer's patience, but the fear of missing out on AI's next big platforms seems to outweigh their frustrations.
26 May 2026 · 37 min

BuzzFeed, Vox and the end of the site traffic era

Once valued in the billions, digital media giants like BuzzFeed and Vox Media are now selling assets and restructuring as the old traffic-driven publishing model breaks down. On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Digiday senior media editor Jessica Davies and senior media reporter Sara Guaglione joins hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson to unpack what the fall of billion-dollar valuations says about the future of digital media.
19 May 2026 · 31 min

Can retail media networks survive the shift to agentic commerce?

If shoppers start turning to AI assistants instead of retailer websites, the foundation of the retail media business could begin to crack. That’s the tension at the center of agentic commerce. On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson explore how AI-powered shopping agents could reshape retail media networks, disrupt ad dollars and force retailers to rethink their role in the shopper journey.
12 May 2026 · 37 min

Why Duluth trusts AI agents with bidding, but not brand storytelling

The programmatic world seems split: is AI the future of media buying, or just a tool requiring heavy supervision? Duluth Trading Company lands somewhere in the middle by leveraging agents for high-speed bidding while keeping a firm human hand on brand storytelling, Duluth’s Director of Marketing Ellie Uberto joins Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson live from the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit on May 6 - 8 in Palm Springs, Calif. to break down's Duluth's approach to agents in media.
5 May 2026 · 26 min

WTF are brand health metrics?

Is the era of performance-only marketing over? Performance returns are dropping. Brands are chasing AI visibility as LLMs take over search. All roads point to the return of 'brandformance.' Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson explain the brandformance to brand health metrics rebrand, and why marketers care about it again.
28 Apr 2026 · 38 min

The Netflix playbook: JBPs, programmatic power, and the future of the upfront deal

In this episode, Digiday senior marketing reporter Sam Bradley joins Digiday Podcast co-hosts Tim Peterson and Kimeko McCoy to break down Netflix's massive ad business glow up, and how the streaming giant is rewriting the streaming ad business playbook.
21 Apr 2026 · 30 min

Why OpenAI is moving fast to build an ads business

The AI ad race is heating up. OpenAI is staffing up and cutting deals to win brand budgets from Meta and Google. On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Digiday senior platforms reporter Krystal Scanlon joins hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson to breakdown the ad business playbook.
14 Apr 2026 · 30 min

Inside The Trade Desk's programmatic power struggle

Major agencies are pulling back ad spend from The Trade Desk’s OpenPath platform, citing concerns of hidden fees and lack of transparency. Meanwhile, TTD is shifting its payment model for identity providers, like LiveRamp and Experian. All said, The Trade Desk is facing a new set of rising tensions with agencies over transparency — and more importantly, programmatic control.
7 Apr 2026 · 35 min

Mondelez overhauls its $3.5 billion digital commerce strategy in era of AI search

Mondelez vp of global digital commerce, Andrew Lederman, joins the Digiday Podcast to talk through how the CPG giant is aggressively shifting its digital commerce strategy to optimize for AI, ensuring brands like Oreo dominate agentic search.
31 Mar 2026 · 32 min

Why The Guardian’s first reader-facing AI product isn’t a chatbot

The Guardian didn’t want to build an AI chatbot. Not a reader-facing one anyway. Not at the risk of that chatbot misrepresenting the news publisher’s journalism and undermining readers’ trust. “We’re not going to die if we don’t build a chatbot tomorrow. We need to be really clear about what the threats are externally, but ultimately what we have is something that’s worth protecting,” said Chris Moran, head of editorial innovation at The Guardian, during a live recording of the Digiday Podcast at the Digiday Publishing Summit in Vail, Colorado, on March 23. While not a chatbot, The Guardian…
24 Mar 2026 · 55 min

How to sell an influencer agency: Lessons from Digital Voices founder Jennifer Quigley-Jones

What does it take to sell an influencer agency right now? This week on the Digiday Podcast, Digital Voices founder Jennifer Quigley-Jones joins Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson to break down her agency’s sale to PMG. Plus, what it says about the booming creator economy M&A moment.

About The Digiday Podcast

The Digiday Podcast is a weekly show on the big stories and issues that matter to brands, agencies and publishers as they transition to the digital age.

The Digiday Podcast is a English business podcast from Digiday. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Digiday
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest episode: 6 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id962605432
Rights: 140f8f50-eb15-11f0-90b1-918c2901f3c9

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