MarTech Podcast™ – Episode Summary

Episode: What’s the one thing a brand can do to optimize a programmatic campaign?
Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Amanda Martin (Chief Revenue Officer, Mediavine)

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Benjamin Shapiro interviews Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, about the evolving landscape of programmatic advertising for brands. The discussion centers on one pivotal question: What is the one thing a brand can do to optimize a programmatic campaign? Amanda draws on her extensive buy-side experience to deliver actionable insights for brands looking to future-proof their programmatic strategy and ensure effective monetization in 2025.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Focusing on a True KPI

[01:50]

• Amanda’s Core Recommendation:
  The most critical step brands can take to optimize programmatic campaigns is to have an unwavering focus on a single, clearly-defined Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
• Competing North Stars:
  Amanda notes that the programmatic landscape is rife with "bells and whistles"—multiple possible north stars which often contradict each other.
• Quote:

  "Having a solid definition of what defines your return on ad spend, what metric is your most important metric and driving to that across any platform that you're buying, and really following the performance and following the audience."
  — Amanda Martin [01:50]

2. The Challenges of Programmatic Implementation

[02:22]

• Benjamin Presses for Programmatic-Specific Tactics:
  Benjamin asks Amanda to move beyond general marketing principles and address the technical complexities that are unique to programmatic—specifically around targeting and data flow.
• Amanda’s Response:
  The key is to move away from "media vanity metrics" and instead focus on core business metrics. The real challenge is to ensure that the true business outcomes (not just superficial engagement stats) are the targets being optimized for.

3. Business Metrics vs. Vanity Metrics

[02:53]

• Success in Retail Media Networks:
  Amanda references the growing influence of retail media networks as they focus on concrete bottom-line outcomes, like items sold, rather than digital ad engagement rates (e.g., CTR, CTA).
• Emerging Trends:
  • Use of offline data sources and curators
  • Crossover between retail media network insights and programmatic approaches
• Getting Buy-In from Leadership:
  When campaign KPIs matter to the CFO and reflect bottom-line business value, brands are set up for real success.
• Quote:

  "At the end of the day, when you can get your CFO to actually care about the KPIs of your campaign, I think you're winning."
  — Amanda Martin [03:33]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Choosing a Real KPI:

  "There’s a lot of bells and whistles when you get into Programmatic and a lot of those north stars contradict each other."
  — Amanda Martin [01:53]

• On Vanity vs. Value:

  "You have to get out of the kind of media vanity metrics pretty quickly and you need to get back to your business metrics."
  — Amanda Martin [02:55]

• On Retail Media Networks:

  "I think the reason we're seeing such success in the retail media network space is that you're speaking about bottom line items sold as opposed to what is my... CTA or my ctrl."
  — Amanda Martin [03:01]

• On Winning Internally:

  "When you can get your CFO to actually care about the KPIs of your campaign, I think you're winning."
  — Amanda Martin [03:33]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:15] Introduction of Amanda Martin and focus of the episode
• [01:50] Amanda’s primary advice: focus on a true KPI
• [02:22] Discussion of challenges specific to programmatic optimization
• [02:53] Importance of prioritizing business metrics over vanity metrics
• [03:33] Aligning campaign KPIs with ROI that matters to the CFO

Tone & Takeaways

Amanda’s advice is direct, pragmatic, and focused on results that matter. She urges brands to discard distractions and build programmatic campaigns around the business outcome that counts—real ROI, not superficial clicks or impressions. The conversation is concise but packed with impactful, experience-driven recommendations for marketers looking to navigate the technical maze of programmatic advertising in 2025.

For more information or to connect with Amanda Martin:

• [Amanda's LinkedIn] (see show notes on martechpod.com)
• Mediavine website

Main Takeaway:
“Define your true KPI, align your optimization with bottom-line business outcomes, and ensure your entire programmatic effort is grounded in metrics your CFO cares about.”