Marketecture Podcast Episode 159: Bob Lord of Horizon on How Indie Agencies Compete

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Ari Paparo (A), with Eric Franchi (C)
Guest: Bob Lord (D), President of Horizon Media

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the competitive landscape and innovation at independent media agencies, focusing on how Horizon Media, led by Bob Lord, is leveraging open technology ecosystems, embracing AI, and challenging legacy holding company models. The conversation also explores the broader shifts in the advertising industry, including the rise of performance-based agency models, transformative AI use cases, and the significance of open platforms. Additional topics include industry news on the AI "LLM wars," Super Bowl ad strategies, and regulatory movements impacting adtech.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of Independent Agencies & Horizon’s Strategy (06:28 – 12:53)

• Indie Growth & Opportunity:
  Bob Lord argues that independent agencies currently have a unique opportunity because legacy holding companies are hamstrung by tech and data “debt,” making them slow to innovate.
  • “There’s so much legacy tech debt and legacy data debt [in holding companies] that they can’t innovate fast enough in these current innovation cycles.” (07:52)
• Open Ecosystem Approach:
  After time at IBM and Aol, Lord was struck by the complexity and inertia faced by marketers due to 50,000+ adtech/martech vendors. This led Horizon to prioritize flexibility:
  • "If you buy from a legacy holding company, you’re buying into their tech stack and their data stack that is decades old.” (08:57)
  • Horizon OS: Launched as an open partner platform, allowing clients to select and swap technologies, avoiding vendor lock-in.
  • “We launched something called Horizon OS … building an open ecosystem platform for our clients which allows them to bring in innovations.” (09:29)
• Democratizing Data for Clients:
  Horizon’s platform enables direct hands-on access to campaign data for both agency and clients, departing from the “PowerPoint middleman” model.
  • “Let the client get on the data platform with you. Let them have hands on keyboard…That’s how software worked at IBM.” (10:12)

2. Open Ecosystems vs. Holdcos and Data Ownership (11:27 – 13:29)

• Switching Agencies & Data Portability:
  • Lord notes the inertia holding marketers back—often believing they can’t switch agency partners due to holdco-owned data spines.
  • “It is not that hard to switch.” (12:52)
• ‘Blue IDs’—Data Matching:
  • Horizon’s unique identity system, matching client 1st-party data to agency-driven IDs for granularity and portability.
• “Choose Your Own Adtech” Model:
  • The ‘Horizon OS’ platform is likened to an easy, modular system where partners like DoubleVerify or VidMob can be plugged in or swapped.

3. Redefining the Agency Model: From FTE to Performance (13:29 – 18:13)

• Media Agency as Growth Partner:
  • Open tech ecosystems enable a shift from being a media buyer to a “growth partner” for clients, supporting broader business questions (store locations, competitive analysis, etc.).
    • “I’m moving from a media agency to a growth partner with you.” (16:21)
• Performance-Based Payment:
  • Horizon is working toward performance-based contracts, aligning incentives with client business outcomes.
    • “I want to move that whole model to performance-based so our incentives are completely lined up. And you don’t pay Horizon unless we’re actually driving sales for you.” (16:58)
  • Lord and Horizon CEO Bill Koenigsberg actively searching for a client willing to go fully performance (no up-front payments):
    • "Bill and I are on the mission of finding a client that will go fully performance with us." (17:40)

4. AI Integration at Horizon: From Agent Q to Training (18:13 – 22:17)

• AI: Myth vs. Reality in Open Ecosystems:
  • Lord refutes the claim that open tech stacks complicate AI adoption:
    • "Oh my God, false. There’s no—I mean, look, this technology I am so excited about.” (18:24)
• Gemini & Agent Q:
  • Horizon has integrated Google’s Gemini (an LLM) behind its firewall, branded as “Agent Q” (James Bond reference), for internal use as a thought partner and task aid.
    • “Everyone’s job here at Horizon has changed dramatically. We call it Agent Q—a throwback to James Bond. And we're teaching everyone to use it as a thought partner.” (19:15)
• Focused Use Cases:
  • Billing and media reconciliation: First target for automation.
    • “Billing reconciliation, like that was the first thing to go because that is the biggest pain point. All those mundane things of matching spreadsheets and reconcile the bill and all….” (21:33)
  • AI for strategy and pitch refinement.
  • Heavy emphasis on employee education and prompt engineering, not just tool deployment.

5. The Havas Global Partnership (22:27 – 24:14)

• Horizon-Havas Joint Venture:
  • Commercial JV (not a merger) to allow Horizon’s U.S. clients international reach via Havas’ infrastructure.
  • “We're bringing the US-based Horizon organization and we're bringing the international of Havas... Not about whose job is it. This is about building an organization on behalf of a client.” (23:06)
• Platform Integration:
  • ‘Blue’ for US; ‘Blue Converged’ for global planning—allowing global marketers to have unified reporting and execution.

6. Bob Lord’s Industry Perspective and the Evolution of Programmatic (24:14 – 29:26)

• Early Programmatic Visions:
  • Lord’s involvement in Razorfish, Vivaki/Vivici, and the idea behind personalized, data-driven creative.
  • Execution was limited by data accessibility and cost.
    • “Vivici’s idea was right; the execution ... painful to solve and expensive. Now it’s much more approachable than it's ever been before.” (25:19)
  • First attempts at creating value-added, margin-taking entities within Holdcos are described as “outdated” now.
• Reflects on ‘The Pool’ and Ad Innovation:
  • Collaborative ad format initiatives—often harder to sell new things then, before brand safety and performance were proven in digital.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Holdco legacy tech and inertia:
  • “If you buy from a legacy holding company, you’re buying into their tech stack and their data stack that is decades old. They’re not actually bringing in the new innovations.” (08:57)
• On open ecosystem philosophy:
  • “The more that you can stoke systems and ideas in an open ecosystem, the more you will win.” (13:29)
• On performance agency contracts:
  • “I want to move that whole model to performance-based so our incentives are completely lined up. And you don't pay Horizon unless we’re actually driving sales for you.” (16:58)
• On AI and the workplace:
  • “Everyone’s job here at Horizon has changed dramatically. We call it Agent Q... and we're teaching everyone to use it as a thought partner.” (19:15)
• On Claude’s Super Bowl ads:
  • “For Claude to take a big whack at that and say, no, actually these guys can’t be trusted. That's a real body blow here.” —Ari Paparo (33:51)
• On legacy innovation cycles:
  • “People are discovering products on these discovery engines. The consumer’s already moved. As marketers, we need to figure out how the hell to actually work over there.” —Bob Lord (44:52)

Important News & Industry Analysis

LLM Wars: Super Bowl & AI Brand Positioning (31:02 – 38:14)

• Claude’s provocative anti-advertising, pro-privacy Super Bowl ads take a jab at OpenAI/ChatGPT, framing them as commercially compromised.
• Hosts see this as clever counter-positioning—“trust us, not the ad-driven guys.”
• Broader discussion on how AI product and business models are dividing between ad-subsidized (consumer) and enterprise.

Regulatory Update: AI Accountability for Publishers Act (40:31 – 41:59)

• Ari summarizes growing regulatory interest in requiring explicit publisher consent for AI web scraping—a major shift that could impact how LLMs learn from the open web.

Measurement Standards & Trade Group Beef (42:14 – 44:30)

• Discussion of “Project IDOS,” the IAB’s renewed effort to standardize digital measurement.
• Tension (“beef”) between the IAB and the upstart ADCP over new AI media buying standards.

Fast-Moving AI/Adtech Product Announcements (46:52 – 48:43)

• Amazon launches agentic campaign automation tools for advertisers.
• Google’s earnings show massive investment in AI/Cloud and record ad revenue growth—$400B in revenue, with $185B planned in capex for AI.

Rising Media Capabilities on Uber & YouTube (50:14 – 51:39)

• Uber ad revenue cracks $2B/year, +50% YoY.
• YouTube confirmed as #1 mobile app across all demographics; surging podcast consumption.

Notable Segment Timestamps

• [06:28] — Bob Lord introduction & indie agency state
• [07:52] — Legacy holdcos’ tech/data debt vs. indie innovation
• [09:29] — Horizon OS & open ecosystem explanation
• [11:27] — RFPs, client data, and switching inertia
• [13:29] — What “choose your own adtech” means in practice
• [16:21] — Media agency → growth partner
• [16:58] — Performance-based contracts & incentives
• [19:15] — In-house AI: Gemini, Agent Q, and prompt literacy
• [21:33] — Automating reconciliation and pitch prep with AI
• [22:27] — Havas partnership for global reach
• [24:14] — Long-term perspective: Vivici, early programmatic, and today’s realities
• [31:02] — LLM wars, Claude’s Super Bowl ads, and AI positioning
• [40:31] — Regulatory landscape: AI Accountability for Publishers Act
• [42:14] — Industry standards: Project IDOS and trade association rivalries
• [46:52] — Amazon, Google AI/Cloud investment, Uber & YouTube stats

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Indie agencies like Horizon thrive by embracing openness, agility, and performance alignment, challenging the inertia and tech debt of legacy holdcos.
• AI’s role is rapidly shifting from buzzword to daily operational leverage—billing reconciliation and strategy, not just creative.
• Industry brands and public perception are now shaped by AI strategy and stance—see LLM “wars” and Super Bowl ad tactics.
• Hard lines between technology provider and agency are blurring, with platforms like Horizon OS positioning agencies as tech orchestrators and business consultants.
• Trade group standards, regulatory actions, and explosive growth in AI infrastructure will continue to reshape the landscape.

“The world’s moving. As marketers, we need to figure out how the hell to actually work over there.”
—Bob Lord (44:52)