AdTechGod Pod Ep. 113: "Mediaocean, LG Ads, and Jackwell Partners on AI Hype and AdTech Trends for 2026"

Release Date: December 23, 2025
Host: AdTechGod
Guests:

• Aaron Goldman (CMO, Mediaocean)
• Tony Marlow (CMO, LG Ads)
• Jacqueline Keller (Principal, Jackwell Consulting; former CMO, Comscore)

Episode Theme & Purpose

This special holiday episode brings together top adtech marketing leaders to reflect on 2025's biggest trends, industry quirks, and debates—particularly the explosion of AI—and to predict what's ahead for 2026. With a playful "ugly sweater" vibe, the group candidly discusses what was real, what was hype, and what should be left behind as adtech rolls forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Banter & Icebreakers (00:52–03:28)

• Ugly Sweater Showdown:
  The guests share laughs over their holiday attire, with Tony’s thrift-store sweater and Aaron’s reference to Will Ferrell’s "Elf" setting the tone for a fun, informal conversation.

2. Weirdest Meetings of 2025 (03:29–08:16)

• Aaron Goldman:
  Describes a tense meeting about choosing an icon for Mediaocean’s Innovid Orchestrator, equating the intensity to “national security.”
  • “Names are hard, icons are hard. We definitely overthink things in our space.” (04:52)
• Tony Marlow:
  Shares the stress and eventual amusement of hosting 50 Cent at LG Ads’ NewFronts, dealing with his team's seemingly extreme demands, but ends up meeting a “chill, professional” 50 Cent.
• Jacqueline Keller:
  Jokes that participating in AdTechGod’s holiday panel is her weirdest meeting: “A holiday special with, I don’t know, two Jews, an Australian who believes Christmas is in the summer, and God.” (08:13)

3. Most Overhyped AdTech Trends & Phrases in 2025 (08:31–12:20)

• AI "Powered" Everything:
  All three panelists agree the phrase “AI-powered” was overused to the point of cliché, though Tony contends that AI as a trend is “overused but underhyped” in terms of true impact.
  • Tony: “Overused in 2025, but I do think there’s nuance... I think it remains underhyped, meaning the world does not appreciate the speed with which it is coming on.” (10:39)
• Curation as a Product:
  Aaron questions whether “curation” is meaningful as a standalone offering: “If you’re working with good partners... you shouldn’t need a specialty offering devoted to it.” (09:24)
• Programmatic Buzz:
  ATG notes the “adCP” protocol as a recent over-buzzed but under-delivered initiative.

4. The AI Inflection Point: Hype vs. Reality (11:41–13:54)

• The group reflects on the rapid rise of generative AI tools (ChatGPT’s third birthday, the pace of industry change) and anecdotes about first using these tools.
• They ponder the transformative impact on everything from campaign optimization (moving from “AB to AZ testing”) to inevitable creative disruption.

5. Hot (and Not) Industry News of 2025 (16:41–18:03)

• Ads in AI Environments:
  Aaron cites ads in Perplexity as a case where industry excitement wasn’t matched by practical success—yet sees “ads inside AI agents” as the next big thing.
  • “When Perplexity first announced ads, our industry went into a tizzy… That’s just the beginning of what’s to come.” (17:55)
• Interactive AI-Powered Ads:
  Tony gives an anecdote about investing in Threads, a company demoing interactive AI chat environment ads, hinting this may be the format of the future.

6. If You Could Re-Gift Any AdTech Trend … (19:49–22:56)

• Retail Media Overhype: Jacqueline would “re-gift” retail media, arguing it’s misunderstood and overhyped.
• Clean Room Overload: Tony calls out the explosion of interoperable clean room solutions as an example of "too much of a good thing."
• Retail Media Consolidation: Discussion on whether smaller retail media networks will survive—consensus is they’ll likely consolidate or seek acquisition.

7. Agents, Automation & The Future of Shopping (22:56–25:56)

• Agentic Commerce Skepticism:
  ATG doubts “robots shopping for you” will catch on for pleasure purchases.
• Counterpoint: Jacqueline and Tony argue that this automation will become routine for functional purchases (e.g., groceries, school supplies).
  • “For certain types of shopping, I’d be okay... I would save so much time if someone would do shopping.” (23:42)
  • "Media planning... AI being a game changer... will make long-tail executions much more viable." – Tony (21:55)
• Pro Tip: Aaron shares using ChatGPT (or agent mode) to find valid promo codes, saving time and money.

8. What Should AdTech Chill Out About in 2026? (26:36–29:19)

• Attribution Anxiety: Tony says perfection is impossible; focus on incrementality instead.
  • “There does not exist the perfect way to attribute success… None of them really are [perfect].” (26:36)
• Prediction Overload: Aaron urges people to stop posting “hot takes” just for the sake of it.
• Social Media Detox: Jacqueline requests a week off of LinkedIn/Instagram influencer noise, craving more genuine connections.

9. The Trade Desk Drama (29:19–30:14)

• ATG stands up for The Trade Desk amid industry drama, calling for less drama and more recognition of their advances in “a cleaner supply chain.”

Memorable Quotes & Moments

“Overused but underhyped… I don’t believe that we appreciate the rapidness with which [AI] will change our industry within 3 months, 6 months, 12 months.”
— Tony Marlow, 10:39

“If you’re working with good partners… you shouldn’t need a specialty offering devoted to [curation].”
— Aaron Goldman, 09:24

"AI-powered curation... that's some impressive stuff."
— Aaron Goldman, 10:12

"Ad recall. I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast, much less what ads I've seen lately."
— Aaron Goldman, 30:36

"I'd probably be a mad scientist on a beach in Australia. Something like that."
— Tony Marlow, 33:55

“Engagement rate is the astrology of metrics. But I do believe in astrology.”
— Jacqueline Keller, 34:56

Rapid Fire Round: Favorite Metrics, Mandates & More (30:14–37:48)

Aaron:

• Secretly dismisses “ad recall” as a metric.
• Would outsource all spreadsheet math to AI.
• Would mandate all marketers use ad-supported streaming tiers to see real consumer experience.

Tony:

• Hates Net Promoter Score (“terrible, hate it”).
• Outsource budget meetings to AI.
• Advises mastering the TV home screen for CTV marketing.

Jacqueline:

• Skeptical of engagement rate as a meaningful metric.
• Outsources copy editing/press releases to AI.
• Would help nonprofits with marketing if not in adtech.
• Mandates all marketers understand what data/metrics mean.

The Identity of AdTechGod?

• Wild guesses floated, including Jeff Green of The Trade Desk and even Santa Claus.
• Jacqueline: “I think AdTech God is a she… let’s start changing that out.” (37:50)

Notable Timestamps

• 03:29–07:33 Weirdest Meetings of 2025
• 08:31–12:20 Overhyped Terms: AI & Curation
• 16:41–18:03 Game-Changing Announcements (Perplexity, Threads)
• 19:49–22:56 Trends Worth “Re-Gifting” (Retail Media, Clean Rooms)
• 22:56–25:56 The Future of Agentic Commerce
• 26:36–29:19 What People Should Chill Out About: Attribution, Predictions, Social Posts
• 30:14–37:48 Rapid Fire Round

Summary

This episode perfectly blends the personal with the industry-wide, from ugly sweaters to serious predictions about AI's trajectory and retail media consolidation. The group elegantly separates hype from reality around AI, curation, and new ad formats, while reflecting on the quirks and constant pivots of adtech life. The consensus: AI is reshaping everything faster than most realize, but some trends (and terminology) deserve to be left in 2025. Lighthearted, candid, and insightful—this is a must-listen for anyone wanting to make sense of the adtech landscape heading into 2026.