AdTechGod Pod Ep. 100: The Future of Ad Tech & Agencies — AI, Giving Back, Walled Gardens & People-First Innovation

Date: October 2, 2025
Host: AdTechGod
Guests:

• Part 1: Ari Paparo (Architecture), Terry Kawaja (Luma Partners)
• Part 2: Heidi Browning (NHL), Peter Naylor (former Netflix, advisor), Tom Deerlein (TD Foundation)
• Part 3: Lauren Wetzel (Infosum/WPP), Sam Bloom (PMG)

EPISODE OVERVIEW

The 100th episode is a celebratory and expansive roundtable on the state and future of ad tech and agencies. The show is structured in three parts:

1. Industry trends: AI, automation, consolidation, and walled gardens with Ari Paparo and Terry Kawaja.
2. Giving back and impact: A spotlight on the TD Foundation and the importance of supporting industry veterans with Heidi Browning, Peter Naylor, and Tom Deerlein.
3. Agencies’ future: Emphasizing people-first leadership, changing agency models, and the ongoing value of agencies in an AI-driven marketing world, with Lauren Wetzel and Sam Bloom.

PART 1: THE FUTURE OF AD TECH — AI, CONSOLIDATION, AND WALLED GARDENS

Guests: Ari Paparo (A), Terry Kawaja (D)
Timestamps: [03:07]–[31:05]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

AI’s Disruptive Role

• Ari Paparo: The impact of AI is currently most visible inside the major walled gardens (Google, Meta, AppLovin), while “incumbent ad tech companies haven’t made major progress.”

  "The startups obviously are startups. They are not having a big impact yet, so I’m a little disappointed in the amount of AI progress we’ve made thus far in this ad tech world." [04:24]

• Terry Kawaja: AI is the catalyst for both business model transformation and eventual industry consolidation.

  “Everyone claims they’re using AI... Just look at revenue per headcount. If you do, it’ll manifest in those numbers. You’re certainly seeing that with big tech.” [07:33]

Programmatic Consolidation: The Endgame

• Peer-to-peer migration between DSPs (Demand Side Platforms) and SSPs (Supply Side Platforms) is speeding market consolidation.

  “It seems pretty clear that that approach is the winner versus ‘I’m only going to service the demand side or the supply side.’...It’s a winner take most kind of scenario.” – Terry Kawaja [06:26]

Declining Website Traffic & Publisher Challenges

• Loss of traditional referral traffic due to AI, mobile, and social shifts threatens publisher ad revenue.

  “Volume is down quite a bit and it’s not likely to come back. So publishers need to grab their audience in places they control—podcasts, email newsletters, CTV, retail.” – Ari Paparo [10:09]

• AI-powered LLMs siphon sources of publisher traffic; affiliate, commerce, and “hedge gardens” (semi-walled ad environments) become critical alternatives.

AI’s Operational Impact: Supply Side vs Demand Side

• Automation & Staff Reduction: DSPs and new tools are reducing the need for “hand-holding” (manual campaign operations).

  “There are DSPs doing fully automated media buying...where the requirement of staff and headcount to traffic a campaign will be reduced significantly.” – AdTechGod [13:20]

• Supply Side Decisioning: AI empowering the supply side to leverage richer real-time inventory data.

  "AI actually enables supply side decisioning to be a substitute or competitor to what has traditionally been the DSP’s approach." – Terry Kawaja [14:14]

What’s Hot in Ad Tech? (Startup Ideas)

• Live & Streaming: The hardest technical problems and greatest opportunities are in live event targeted ad delivery (especially live sports).

  “Live is the only format and media that still garners a water cooler event kind of situation... delivering and potting advertising for live, especially if it’s targeted, is orders of magnitude more challenging.” – Terry Kawaja [15:50]

• AI for Market Research & Alternative Signals: Using AI to unlock previously unobtainable consumer or B2B data, and solutions for the post-cookie world.
• Creator Economy & B2B Influence: Growing fragmentation is a boon for intermediaries; B2B “creator” monetization remains underexploited.

  "There’s no real Patreon for B2B…There’s a lot of weird B2B opportunities that I think are not really being exploited." – Ari Paparo [20:31]

Creator Economy: Authenticity vs AI Content

• AI (LLMs) enable greater volume, but risk unauthentic, low-quality content saturation.

  “Authenticity is the surviving piece...my feed is going to get flooded with creators utilizing ChatGPT...there has to be this touch of personality or else it falls flat.” – AdTechGod [22:10]

• Influencers amplify, not originate, most news.

  “As an analyst, as a color commentator, I think someone like you or me have a lot to add...but it’s pretty rare that we’re firsthand delivering news or doing investigative journalism.” – Ari Paparo [27:53]

Distribution: Go to Where the Audience Is

• The shift from publisher-centric distribution (“come to my website via blue link”) to meeting the consumer where they are (social, messaging, podcasts, etc.):

  “We need to go federated. Put your content and marketing message wherever the people are.” – Terry Kawaja [30:17]

PART 2: GIVING BACK — THE TD FOUNDATION & INDUSTRY COMMUNITY

Guests: Tom Deerlein (E), Heidi Browning (G), Peter Naylor (F)
Timestamps: [32:06]–[52:08]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The TD Foundation Story

• Origin: Frustration with bureaucratic delays in military humanitarian aid in Iraq; Tom leveraged his “old timers list” (industry contacts) to directly serve children in need.

  “I sent a note out...I need children’s vitamins. I need school supplies…and then the humanitarian aid started flowing.” – Tom Deerlein [32:41]

• Growth: From grassroots to helping 100+ families a year, $3M+ raised to date; speed and direct aid are hallmarks.

  “90% of our payments are made within 24 hours. We specialize in crisis.” – Tom Deerlein [41:39]

Real-Life Impact

• Direct aid changes lives with even small sums, e.g., $175 to escape domestic violence, $500 for car repair.

  “Just being able to get around...even smaller donations of a hundred or two hundred or five hundred can change and impact somebody’s life.” — AdTechGod [44:58]

• Thank-you letters highlight the immediacy and importance of help.

  “You don’t even know what this means. Thank you so much...My body is starting to get physically sick being so strong for my boys. We get to be free way sooner than July 21st.” (Survivor’s gratitude) [41:39]

Challenges & Call to Action

• Sustainability: The demand outpaces donation, mostly from media industry insiders; foundation needs the next generation to step up.

  “We raise between $200K and $350K a year, but the demand is 2x that. Each of the last two years, we’ve run out of money.” – Tom Deerlein [45:30]

• How to Help: Looking for 20- and 30-somethings for fundraising, time, or talent. Corporate donations and matching welcome.

  “If you are listening and you’re 20 something, 30 something and been looking for a cause, maybe TD foundation is it. Just send me a text 917-287-5961.” – Tom Deerlein [47:00]

• Industry Unity: The charity builds real sense of community in the otherwise remote, fast-moving industry.

  “If you’re young and looking for that sense of community, this is exactly the place to create it with your generation and keep this program thriving.” – Heidi Browning [51:20]

PART 3: THE FUTURE OF AGENCIES — PEOPLE, AI, VALUE CREATION

Guests: Lauren Wetzel (H), Sam Bloom (C)
Timestamps: [52:47]–[75:39]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Agency Value in an In-House & AI World

• Agencies will not be replaced, but must evolve. Their core: expertise, integration, “craft,” and the unique position to cross-pollinate ideas from many clients.

  “The pace of change is rapid. Having someone with one foot in the business and one foot out to see the market... to move quickly—I see a lot of in-house teams struggling with that.” – Sam Bloom [54:08]

• Agencies as connectors, accelerators, and “neutral ecosystem enablers.”

  “They sit at the intersection of media owners, tech partners, platforms...helping brands navigate complexity across those environments.” – Lauren Wetzel [56:05]

• Agencies help brands move from platform dependency to “data autonomy,” guide better use of diverse data, and design secure data collaboration strategies.

  “It’s not just that the future is about more data, it’s about better use of data, about diverse data, which comes with trusted partnerships.” – Lauren Wetzel [63:06]

Business Models & AI’s Impact

• Agency compensation models: Retainers will likely co-exist with performance-based hybrid models. Brands crave flexibility and accountability.

  “I think retainers can be there for stability, but you need to bake in performance incentives...align more to client outcomes.” – Lauren Wetzel [64:37]

• AI & Automation: Will reduce low-skill, repetitive tasks but not replace agency professionals. People remain central to structuring, contextualizing, and making data actionable.

  “Automating through AI is not cheaper right now than people...The AI should be learning from the human, not the other way around.” – Sam Bloom [65:51, 69:09]

People-First Agency Culture

• The new era is about inspiring and retaining top talent, flexibility, and inclusivity.

  “Agencies are in the services business; people and excellent service are the product...the need to retain and inspire talent has never been more paramount.” – Lauren Wetzel [70:08]

• Independent agencies can nurture entrepreneurial, mission-driven cultures; legacy hangovers must be unlearned for industry progress.

  “We have to unlearn people in our industry know what it was like 10, 15, 20 years ago. If we rest on that legacy, we are missing the boat.” – Sam Bloom [73:29]

Human Insight Remains Irreplaceable

• Technology enables, but can’t replace nuanced, consumer-centric creativity and insight.

  “Someone has to understand the consumer...I’m not going to leave that up to an LLM to make that decision.” – Sam Bloom [67:27]

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

"The jokes become reality pretty fast."
— Ari Paparo, on how meme culture predicts industry trends [03:03]

“Live is the only format and media that still garners a water cooler event...delivering targeted ads for live events is orders of magnitude more challenging than on-demand.”
— Terry Kawaja [15:50]

“There’s no OnlyFans for B2B, which is a joke I’ve said...but it’s true. How much would people pay for an hour of my consulting a week in an open forum?”
— Ari Paparo [20:31]

"You need to send your message to people where they are because people are not going to move...Don’t rely on traffic coming to a URL. Instead, go to them."
— Terry Kawaja [30:17]

“Getting shot was the best thing that ever happened to me. But that’s maybe for another podcast.”
— Tom Deerlein [36:50]

"90% of our payments are made within 24 hours. We specialize in crisis..."
— Tom Deerlein [41:39]

“We need the next generation to step up that are looking for a cause…”
— Tom Deerlein [47:00]

"Automating through AI is not cheaper right now than people...The AI should be learning from the human, not the other way around."
— Sam Bloom [65:51, 69:09]

“At WPP, we need to be the home for the world’s most exceptional talent.”
— Lauren Wetzel [70:54]

TIMESTAMPS FOR KEY SEGMENTS

• Intro & Show Roadmap: [01:05–02:25]
• AI and Consolidation in Ad Tech: [03:07–08:54]
• Impact of AI on Publishers and Search: [08:54–12:27]
• Supply-Side Decisioning and Automation: [14:14–15:45]
• Ad Tech Innovation Opportunities: [15:45–20:56]
• Creator Economy & Authenticity: [20:56–27:53]
• Distribution Models’ Shift: [28:58–30:47]
• TD Foundation Story & Impact: [32:06–44:58]
• Call to Action & Community Building: [45:30–51:56]
• Future of Agencies & Value Creation: [52:47–58:12]
• AI, Data, and Business Models: [58:12–68:19]
• People-First Culture & Talent: [70:08–73:23]

CLOSING REMARKS

The episode delivers a sweeping look at the changing ad tech landscape, grounded in people, community, and innovation. From AI’s mixed impact, new media realities, and the power of authentic voices to the value of agency craft and giving back — the 100th episode demonstrates why ad tech’s future is built on both technology and the strength of its people.

For more information on the TD Foundation: tdfoundation.org
Contact Tom Deerlein: Text 917-287-5961