Podcast Summary: AdTechGod Pod

Episode 111: "From Walled Gardens to the Open Web: Brad Thompson on the DSP Shift Powering SMB Growth"

Date: December 9, 2025
Host: AdTechGod
Guest: Brad Thompson, Director of Business Development at Media Go Global (a Baidu company)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the transformation of digital advertising as it moves from the dominance of walled gardens (like Meta and Amazon) to the evolving opportunities on the open web, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Host AdTechGod and guest Brad Thompson discuss how programmatic advertising, DSPs (demand-side platforms), and especially AI advancements are shifting the ecosystem and enabling SMB growth. The conversation explores Brad’s unique adtech journey, the challenges and opportunities facing SMB advertisers, the role of AI, and predictions for 2026.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Brad Thompson’s Career in AdTech

• Background & Early Passion: Brad is one of the few who “purposely went into” advertising/tech, having majored in journalism and advertising and jumping straight into the field.

  “I think I am 1 of 12 people in advertising and ad tech that have purposely went into it. I did not fall into it.”
  — Brad Thompson [02:33]

• Diverse Experience: Started agency-side, learned the importance of the overall marketing/media plan, then moved into media sales and adtech roles at AOL, LiveRamp, MediaMath, and startups.

• Current Role at Media Go: Now focuses on business development for a performance-oriented DSP that is gaining traction with SMBs, distinguished by unique demand and tech strengths.

  “We are a performance-oriented DSP who’s found a lot of traction among the SMBs.”
  — Brad Thompson [05:01]

The SMB Opportunity in Programmatic & CTV

• Why SMBs Need Better Tools: Many SMBs are comfortable advertising inside walled gardens but are less familiar with the open web and programmatic.

  “These are advertisers and marketers who know the walled gardens really well... but they don't know Programmatic as well on the open web. So they kind of use us as our entry point…”
  — Brad Thompson [06:05]

• Ease and Education as Differentiators:

  “The walled gardens… found a way to make it really easy to advertise. And that’s something I think we should constantly strive to enable for them.”
  — Brad Thompson [07:11]

• Platform Requirements: For SMBs to thrive, platforms must be as intuitive and easy-to-use as Meta—“click a button, upload creative, let'er rip."

  “If you don’t create this simple click a button, upload creative... you lose that spend and Meta gets it.”
  — AdTechGod [08:19]

• Market Size and Importance: SMBs make up the majority of ad spend in massive platforms like Meta, and while estimates vary, their collective spend is huge.

The Role & (Current) Limits of AI

• Huge Future Potential, but Hype Remains:

  “If you’re looking at simplifying an entry point into the open web, I think AI probably has the largest potential in recent memory... I’m not quite sure if we’re there yet...”
  — Brad Thompson [10:02]

• Host’s Take on the Hype Cycle:

  “I think right now we’re at like the peak of hype. I think we’re going to start to come down... operationally I think it’s great... But it’s almost reached a point where you have to say you're AI powered—if you're not, you're old school.”
  — AdTechGod [20:25]

• AdOps Most Impacted, Human Roles Less So:
  Both see AI most fundamentally transforming back-end roles (AdOps, repetitive tasks) rather than client-facing, relationship-driven areas (BD, sales, client service).

  “I like to think that AI will impact anyone that works directly with a machine and less directly with other people... I think sales and account management teams will be empowered by AI, and AdOps will be impacted by AI.”
  — AdTechGod [22:46]
  “BD and sales, I think, have a lot of similarities in that they hold those relationships... I don’t think that’s going to be immediately impacted...”
  — Brad Thompson [23:46]

The Power and Approach to Social Media for BD

• LinkedIn vs Twitter/X:

  “LinkedIn’s just become a personal marketing channel for everybody... On Twitter, I really use it more for discussion and education for myself. There is a smart, smart universe of people out there...”
  — Brad Thompson [11:06]

• Curation for Focus:
  The host shares practical tips: block topics and usernames on X to create an industry-focused feed.

  “I have all the political people blocked... it’s created a feed filled with either everybody that talks in the advertising industry or memes.”
  — AdTechGod [13:10]

• Tone Differences by Platform:
  Brad is “more conscious” and careful about structure and wording on LinkedIn, given higher risks of backlash.

  “I’m more concerned about how that gets surfaced on LinkedIn than I am on Twitter, because... I’ve seen the repercussions of people when they misword something and they just get hounded.”
  — Brad Thompson [15:34]

2026 Predictions: Where is the Market Heading?

• AI’s Real Impact Is Coming, but Still Murky:

  “I get that AI is different... I do think it’s going to be hard to predict because there’s more noise about it than actual substance... Where that impact’s going to be is going to be based entirely on what ends up working.”
  — Brad Thompson [18:16-19:29]

• Biggest Near-Term Opportunities:

  • AI & AdOps: Most direct disruption will be in ad operations and repetitive roles, not human-to-human business functions.

  • SMBs: Giant, often overlooked source of revenue and innovation.

  • Cable Companies (Host’s Thesis): Could undergo a “renaissance” by leveraging streaming tech, unique data, and owning the last-mile infrastructure as their traditional cable box business shifts to streaming.

    “You can’t run a Roku without Internet... the Internet service providers really, really have a lot of control... If they’re able to bring a solution to market that’s attractive enough, modern enough, and cost efficient enough to scale. And some of them are doing that already.”
    — AdTechGod [25:11]

  • AVOD, ADCP, & Creative/Media Alignment—Brad’s Hill to Die On:
    Brad is most excited about the rise of ADCP—Advertising Creative Platforms—because he sees the industry as having lost sight of the two most crucial variables: the message and the media placement.

    “The two things that I think never gets mentioned within ad tech circles... are the two biggest aspects of a successful advertising campaign: the message and the media... Programmatic has kind of removed those two aspects from the conversation. ADCP comes in and has the potential to reintroduce these components...”
    — Brad Thompson [27:50-28:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AdTech Career Paths:
  “I think I am 1 of 12 people in advertising and ad tech that have purposely went into it.”
  — Brad Thompson [02:33]

• On the Easy UI Imperative for SMBs:
  “If you don't create this simple click a button, upload creative... you lose that spend and Meta gets it.”
  — AdTechGod [08:19]

• On AI Hype vs. Reality:
  “AI is going to have an impact. Where that impact’s going to be is going to be based entirely on what ends up working. And I think it’s too early to tell what those areas are.”
  — Brad Thompson [19:29]

• On What Programmatic Has Forgotten:
  “Campaigns are only as marketing is only as good as the messaging that you are sending and the media that it's running next to. And if there’s any hill I’m going to die on, that’s probably the biggest one.”
  — Brad Thompson [28:19]

• On Human Relationships vs. Automation:
  “BD and sales... hold those relationships. And those relationships... are essential not when things go well, but when things go... take an unexpected turn. I’ve saved so many business relationships by having that interpersonal communication.”
  — Brad Thompson [23:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Brad Thompson’s Career Journey: [02:33-05:20]
• SMBs vs. Brand Advertisers—Needs & Opportunities: [06:01-07:40]
• SMB Market Size & Platform Requirements: [08:19-09:38]
• AI’s Current State & Future Promise: [10:02-10:29], [18:16-22:46]
• Social Media for BD: LinkedIn vs Twitter: [11:06-15:34]
• 2026 Predictions—AI, AdOps, Human Involvement: [18:16-24:46]
• Cable Companies as a Sleeping Giant: [25:11-25:53]
• Importance of Messaging & Media (ADCP): [26:26-29:25]

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for anyone grappling with the changing power dynamics in digital advertising—especially for those focused on programmatic, AI’s impact, and the huge but underserved SMB market. Brad’s career insights and candid takes on technology, relationships, and what truly drives successful campaigns deliver practical value and strategic perspective. Both guest and host champion the reintegration of creativity and context into the programmatic conversation, offering a strong reminder that, even in a data-driven industry, substance still matters most.