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- [00:02]
Molly McArdle
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- [00:30]
Ad Tech God
Welcome to the AdTech Godpod, your window into the world of advertising technology and the people behind it. I'm your host Ad Tech God. Welcome to the AdTech God Pod, your go to for conversations with those driving impactful partnerships in advertising. Today I'm thrilled to welcome Molly McArdle, SVP Marketplace at Sobi. Molly's been working in the space for nearly 10 years and currently runs Marketplace Partnerships. Prior to this, she worked at Stack leading up to its acquisition by Operative. I'm looking forward to chatting and meeting Molly today. Molly, welcome to the ITech Godpod.
- [01:07]
Molly McArdle
Happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
- [01:10]
Ad Tech God
Of course. Thank you for being here and thank you for taking time out of your schedule to chat. So Molly, I was taking a look at your background. You worked at Stack pre acquisition by Operative and currently you're running the Marketplace over at Sonobi. But can you take me back to how you got into advertising and how you got into ad tech from, you know, the beginning?
- [01:33]
Molly McArdle
Yeah. So I actually had landed a role at a startup company in Irvine, California. I had just turned 22 and graduated college and one of my college acquaintances had started at this video ad tech company. I had went and met with the CEO at this 12 person startup at the time we're going back to 2011 and stepped into the office and had zero background as it pertained to any thing computer science related. And certainly at the time Programmatic was not something you learned in a college course. So after speaking with that CEO for about an hour, he sold me on the brands that he was working with. So at the time it was Hearst, Conde and a bunch of other women. Lifestyle brands jumped into a role as their first account manager and first woman at their video company, which at the time was a proprietary video player. We had a proprietary ad server as well as a content management system.
- [02:42]
Ad Tech God
Awesome. And then was it right after that that you ended up moving over into Stack, which is mostly like analytics and reporting, right?
- [02:51]
Molly McArdle
Yes. So I spent about three years at that first company which had then merged with a couple other companies. And it was interesting because I had actually seen the growth of that company from being the 12th employee to leaving. There had been over 85 employees at the time. And that's when I had really focused on account management and relationship building. When I had jumped into my role at Stack, it was data focused. And I always joke around because when I was in college I had told one of my professors in one of my data courses, oh, I don't need this course because I will never ever use Excel and I will certainly never touch data. Little did I know that my entire career would be focused around data. And he and I both laugh about it now.
- [03:39]
Ad Tech God
That's awesome. I feel like there were courses where I was in college. I'm like, I'm never going to use this again. And then I realized, yeah, I was totally wrong.
- [03:47]
Molly McArdle
I probably should have focused more my thoughts exactly.
- [03:51]
Ad Tech God
When you worked at Stack and maybe I'll jump into Stack because I've used their solution in the past and then it was acquired by Operative. How was that transition? Because sometimes, you know, when you're, when you're smaller and you're nimble and you're kind of in this growth trajectory that you're in because you were there for quite some time and you get acquired, how did that change things and in terms of your role and your responsibilities, how things operated, how was that as an overall experience for you?
- [04:18]
Molly McArdle
Yeah, it's very interesting because one of the things I will say, I get asked very often, what are the benefits of working at a startup or a smaller company versus being at a larger, more well known company? And other than operative, I haven't had the experience of working at a larger company. And I will say I certainly take full advantage of the opportunity of working at a startup. I thrive in that environment and I encourage anyone that has the opportunity to jump in and take the leap into a startup if they can. I say that because, you know, going into a small company and being able to grow with that company, it is such a different dynamic. Dynamic from a company culture, the family culture as well as the ability to wear many different hats and actually be a key player and make a difference. There's no better feeling.
- [05:15]
Ad Tech God
I'm working at a startup and it's fun, it's really hard work because nothing. How do I say this? If you don't do it, nobody else really will. I think is something that I've realized where if, if I forget to do something, it just doesn't get done because everybody has their role and we're not big teams with massive, you know, processes and operations. So it's very hard to a, like, disconnect for me and it's also very hard for me to, to generally like, not do something. Even if I don't want to do it, I have to do it because if I don't do it, nobody else is going to do it. And so, like, that's the hardest change for me. But I think the second part is just the total amount of satisfaction I get. Like every penny that we make, I'm happy about every penny I make. We see it in our account. It's a huge sense of like, accomplishment that maybe I didn't have before. And it's fun watching it grow.
- [06:08]
Molly McArdle
I feel the same sentiments. And yes, we certainly at Stack had celebrated all of the wins and, you know, you also feel all of the lows. So it's one of the best experiences that I've had and definitely led me to where I am in my career today. And that goes for not only the executive team. You build a different relationship with them than you would at a larger company as well as your colleagues. And together you make that or you break it totally.
- [06:36]
Ad Tech God
When, when you think about the biggest highlights or milestones for you in your career, what do you think was the most, like, satisfying thing that you've done that when you look back, you're like, wow, that was a transformative stage I went through or event that I went through that I feel like I'm super thankful for.
- [06:53]
Molly McArdle
As I said, I had started in the ad tech industry straight out of College at 22, and at the time I knew nothing. I had really focused on account management and building, you know, client relationships as I had various mentors and also leaders. Throughout the first five to eight years of my career, I had a lot of influence that had pushed me to go into sales. It was something I was always very intimidated by, but people had faith in me and confidence in how well I would do in that role. So I would say the biggest shift was taking that leap was knowing that I did have the knowledge and the experience, you know, being able to jump into sales and make that transition and having the support of my team, my, you know, my coworkers behind me was probably one of the most pivotal parts of my life. And that transition occurred during the first couple years while I was at Stack.
- [07:57]
Ad Tech God
We hear a lot in the news. You're obviously super dialed in because we were talking about the just general industry stuff prior to recording. What do you think are some things that we're seeing in the industry today and what are some of those things that maybe Sonobi is addressing with, with your products or solutions. But generally, what are some trends that you're hearing in the market that you think are impactful?
- [08:18]
Molly McArdle
Yes. So I'm in an interesting position or interesting role at Sanobe. So I do work on the BD side or, you know, publisher development side as well as oversee all of our DSP and demand partnerships. And you know, being kind of overseeing the buy side and the sell side allows for me to have knowledge across the board. One of the biggest things that that sticks out to me is demand transparency and quality into the supply chain. What I mean by that is really advertisers and buyers demanding transparency into, you know, what it is that they're buying. They need to absolutely hold all of their partners accountable and make sure that everyone operates efficiently as well as ethically. Now what do I mean by that? Well, in recent days, analytics had released a full report on certain ad tech vendors that were facilitating or hosting ads on sexual child sexual abuse material. From that, I will say Sunobi had immediately dove into it to make sure that all of our partners adhere to all of our guidelines. And the immediate action that we take is a very proactive approach. So in this sense we didn't have any concerns because we do ensure ad quality and brand safety for all of our clients. We have robust fraud prevention strategies in place. We partner with over a handful, you know, fraud IVT as well as brand safety partners. Furthermore, we also have direct publisher relationships where we do prioritize that just to maintain high standards as well as our proprietary tech that verifies that all supply meets, you know, the IAB standards.
- [10:14]
Ad Tech God
So I follow at analytics closely and I've seen some of their past reports and all of them are good, right? Like, I think it's a great thing. They're kind of digging into the good and the bad of the industry. This one in particular really bugged me because I felt like hearing what Christoph had to say, who was on the market pod reading the report, taking a look at the ads and the advertisers and where they were spending their dollars was a little bit shocking. Like we've been doing this for years. We have all these safety measures in place. We understand and concede domain level reporting. There's multiple fraud detection solutions and inventory quality solutions. There's human power, there's allow lists, disallow lists, and yet we're serving ads on these types of sites. And for me I'm like, this is insane. Like, this is probably one of the most Irresponsible ways of spending client dollars on a site that is basically illegal. And to me, I was like shocked I saw it. I was like upset by it. I reached out to Christoph, I messaged Christoph and I was like, dude, this report's great, but this is crazy that this is even happening. Like, this shouldn't even be happening. So I'm with you. I think inventory quality is something that we should all be really passionate about and should be working to just make better decisions and vet our publisher partners and our supply partners much better than we are today.
- [11:38]
Molly McArdle
Yeah. And just to branch off that, you know, I think education and awareness and this really goes for brands and agencies. You know, brands and agencies should work a lot closer with their ad tech providers. And everyone across the board should really educate themselves on all of the issues as it pertains to ad quality and you know, whether it's industry events or collaborating research and just full transparency on the supply chain and all the hands that are in the pot as it cross the industry.
- [12:13]
Ad Tech God
Yeah, I mean, I'm happy to hear that, like over the last few years, like transparency is back and people are making an effort to make the ecosystem more transparent. But it feels as though this is something that we should have done a long time ago. Like how we ever allowed the industry to move into less transparency is a little bit shocking. But I'm happy that now everybody's heading in the right direction. Like, you know, spoiler strategies, allow lists, vetting your publishers the right way, better fraud detection solutions in market, and everybody's just being a little bit more aware of where they're spending dollars and how they're partnering with publishers.
- [12:52]
Molly McArdle
Yep. And I certainly think that the role of AI will, you know, be very pertinent to this as well.
- [12:58]
Ad Tech God
How do you think AI is going to help with vetting inventory quality?
- [13:03]
Molly McArdle
So, I mean, it definitely is becoming, let's say, you know, an integral part in ad tech. I would say in terms of just tools that will allow advertisers to be more effective and you know, really to just remove middlemen and reduce the risk of any like, fraudulent activity. I also think too, just in terms of AI when it comes to like verification and measurement, that, you know, there certainly are a lot of companies already in place but that will, you know, play an impact there.
- [13:38]
Ad Tech God
I've seen and talked to a lot of companies that are leaning in pretty heavily on AI inventory quality optimization. Creative gen AI, like seems to be a real focus and hopefully like, you know, some of the things that humans can't Solve, you know, AI can solve for it. And I'm hoping that this becomes a priority of how they build out their AI solutions to just improve the overall inventory, quality and market. So, Molly, kind of moving into the. The next segment. You work in startups, they can often be intense. The growth is, can be volatile, right? You can have great months, great quarters, great years, not great years. And I'm experiencing this, you know, working in a startup myself, where, you know, the highs and lows can be very high and they can be very low as you, you know, build something out from scratch. How do you personally keep yourself motivated and driven and positive when, you know, work can get a little bit intense and stressful?
- [14:35]
Molly McArdle
You know, being in the ad tech industry, I feel very fortunate. So not only am I fortunate for the startup environment and startup cultures in which even jumping into Sunobi, I feel like it's sort of back to a startup feel as I'm working with the team to just launch new products and new offerings and really focus on the direct side of the business and very strategic DSP partnerships. But what I will say there in terms of just, you know, as times get tough, my biggest thing that I say is, like, I've built such a strong network. I think that's extremely important for me. And it's funny because, like, as we speak right now, you know, things are, we're going through the motions of Q1, and the one thing that I hear across the board from all of my industry friends is work is tough right now. And not that misery loves company, but, you know, it's good to know that you're not in this alone and that everyone can kind of bounce ideas off each other and share the same feelings.
- [15:43]
Ad Tech God
Yeah, I'm with you. I talk to a lot of people and I'm hearing kind of like mixed reviews. I think some people will say everything's great all the time because of their personality traits, rates. I think other people will always be miserable. I mean, you could be doing, you know, unbelievable numbers every month and still kind of complain, but things are tough, things are different. Like, the industry is really changing. I keep referring to it as like the, the digital advertising 2.0 year where we're going to see where we're at next year with all these changes and acquisitions and technologies rolling out. It's just a different, different vibe than it was in even 2019, when we were just chugging away and there were no worries. But it is important to just stay focused and stay happy when you're not working in ad tech. What are some things that you're passionate outside of partnerships and sales and working with publishers and DSPs?
- [16:30]
Molly McArdle
I will say, and this sounds almost. I don't know if it's nerdy or. I don't know if it sounds like I'm getting paid to say this. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be an ad tech. And it. It is a big part of my life. And that's because the people in the industry have also become a big part of my life outside of work now. Outside of that, though, I am involved in a lot of organizations. I spend a lot of time running and working out. Keeps me sane, but also, you know, really giving back to the community. One of the organizations that I'm heavily involved in is the TD Foundation. And if you're not familiar with that, the TD foundation is a 100% nonprofit that provides aid to children of wounded warriors and fallen heroes. So essentially, we help American veteran families that are in crisis. And the foundation was founded all by men in advertising or men in ad tech. So, you know, it is a very close to the ad tech and media community for the last several decades.
- [17:36]
Ad Tech God
Okay, so question for you, Molly, is how could we at marketexture get involved? What are you guys looking for? Are you looking for donations, promotions? Because I'd love to help. We obviously are a media channel with multiple channels and products. Between newsletters and podcasts. I'm happy to help promote it free of charge, just to kind of help out and get the word out so that people can make donations or help contribute.
- [18:01]
Molly McArdle
Yes. So first and foremost, thank you. I know on behalf of the board, we would absolutely love that. One of the biggest things I actually had joined the board back in 2018. I learned of the mission or the cause through some of my former executives, and I showed up to their annual gala, and it was 90% men over the age of 50. And after I learned about the cause, I looked at everyone there, and these are all, you know, very prominent people in the industry. And I said, not only do I have to get involved, but we have to get the next generation involved and we have to get more supporters because, you know, the cause is so near and dear to my heart, but at the same time impacts, you know, nearly every American. You know, not only is it obviously the impact of donations, but just awareness and just getting, you know, just bringing light to the cause and how every dollar in literally goes directly to a family in need.
- [19:00]
Ad Tech God
So, Molly, maybe because this is women's History month, so how is it for you as a female Seeing the board that was predominantly male or even just working in an industry that often feels or is predominantly male, how is that for you as a female in this space? Do you feel that you'd be able to build a community of other strong females in the space? Do you lean on each other?
- [19:23]
Molly McArdle
Well, and forgive me if this is inappropriate, but you grow a pair of balls very quickly. And needless to say, all of the women that I have joined forces with probably would agree to that. You know, they always say, like, jealousy and all these very negative terms as it pertains to females. And I have never experienced that as it comes to not only women colleagues, but also very close friendships that have all been formed due to partners and, you know, clients, etc. It's honestly beyond a strong network. These women have become like family from a professional standpoint, but also personal.
- [20:07]
Ad Tech God
I don't know what that's like, but I've had conversations with a lot of women in the space, and in one of the things that I talk to them, either during the pod or before the pod is that topic in particular. And the reviews are different. Right. I think some people have careers where they don't feel like they're impacted negatively in any way, and they feel like they've been able to grow and succeed being a female. And I think there are others that feel like there's salary and wage gaps. They feel like their growth has been stunted. And not all of the conversations are being released either. So some of them are done before. Just like I chatted with you for 15 minutes, I do that with everybody else too. And so I'm glad to hear that you. You feel like you've pushed through it, you're successful, you're growing, and you're at a successful company. So I'm happy to hear that.
- [20:51]
Molly McArdle
I will say a couple things, just as it pertains to whether you know women who have been in the industry for a while or if you're just stepping into the industry. Confidence and assertiveness, two very important things. It's crucial. Speak up in meetings, share ideas. Don't ever be afraid to take on new challenges. Your biggest failure is going to be not trying and not speaking up versus actually trying and falling short of it.
- [21:19]
Ad Tech God
Awesome. Molly. That actually brings us to the end of the podcast. I want to thank you for taking time out of your day, for being here.
- [21:25]
Molly McArdle
Thank you. It was a pleasure joining.
- [21:27]
Ad Tech God
Same here. Thank you. Speak soon. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the AdTech Godpod, a podcast for the people about the people. Stay connected with me for more insights, trends and interviews in the realm of ad tech. Don't miss out on the latest updates, so follow me on X Instagram and connect with me on LinkedIn. Don't forget ATG Slack community has insights, networking opportunities and jobs. Keep the conversation going and stay at the forefront of adtech innovation.