Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® – Episode #786

Guest: Andrea Tortella, CEO at Thrad
Date: December 19, 2025
Episode Theme: Advertising Within Conversational AI – Redefining the Role of Ads in LLM Environments

Episode Overview

This episode examines the evolving intersection of advertising and conversational AI, particularly how brands can participate authentically within large language model (LLM) environments without degrading the user experience. Greg Kihlström sits down with Andrea Tortella, CEO of Thrad, to explore how AI-driven conversations offer a new canvas for advertising—one where value comes not from interruption, but from meaningful, contextually relevant integration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redefining Advertising in Conversational AI

• Andrea’s Mission and Thrad’s Role

  • Andrea shares her journey from studying economics and behavioral science to founding Thrad, responding to the scarcity of ad infrastructure outside major platforms (Google, Meta, OpenAI).
  • Goal: Make AI more accessible by monetizing LLMs through native, helpful ads.
  • “We help AI companies make money from ads, and then brands advertise in those environments.” (Andrea, 03:45)

• Purpose of Advertising Revisited

  • Thrad’s Manifesto: Ads should “inform, assist, and inspire” rather than disrupt.
  • Andrea argues that most people hate ads because they're bad, irrelevant, or interruptive—not because ads are inherently negative.
  • Quote: “I love advertising so much... but I don’t think this is something that I share with that many people. And I think a lot of people hate advertising... because it’s not relevant, it’s not contextual, and people aren’t able to connect with brands that they love.” (Andrea, 04:22)

• Conversational AI’s Value

  • LLMs become a key interface for interaction—text-based, context-rich, and relationship-driven.
  • Opportunity and responsibility: Ads must become “additive,” solving user problems rather than just competing for attention.

2. Strategic Mindset for Marketers

• The Biggest Mistake: Inertia

  • “The single one mistake, which is the denominator across all marketing teams, is inertia… lack of experimentation. Action creates information which allows for iteration.” (Andrea, 08:20)
  • Speed and adaptability are vital; the best marketers will move at the “speed of thought, of culture, and of product development.”

• Timing & Experimentation

  • Time-to-market for campaigns is often too slow; marketers should routinely evaluate and shorten these cycles.
  • LLM advertising allows real-time, conversation-native ad generation.

• Rich Data for Brands

  • Conversations offer a depth of context far beyond search keywords or social interactions.
  • “With us in chat, people type their whole lives... 15% of our conversations are 100-plus messages. That’s so much data.” (Andrea, 11:02)

3. Tactics: How Brands Participate in LLM Advertising

• Native Ads Only

  • Thrad focuses on native, text-based ads that integrate seamlessly into chat-based interfaces (“text in, text out”).
  • Banner or display ads aren’t suitable for this context.

• Frictionless Campaign Setup

  • Brands can launch campaigns by simply providing a URL, a budget, and optional goals—almost all context is AI-processed.
  • “You literally come on our platform... launch a campaign for URL.com for x amount… campaign is live.” (Andrea, 17:43)

• Innovative Targeting Capabilities

  • Conversational data unlocks next-gen targeting, such as identifying user personality traits or targeting users by the tasks they're performing (task-based targeting).
  • Example: “A brand wanted to target people with a big ego… through the semantics of the conversation, you have all this data that’s incredibly valuable.” (Andrea, 19:50)

4. Measurement: Rethinking Metrics for Conversational Ads

• Attention Shift as KPI

  • Traditional metrics still matter, but new ones emerge, like “attention shift”—does the conversation pivot toward the advertiser after an ad?
  • Explained: “Advertising comes from the Latin ‘advertise’—to redirect the attention… so we measure the shift in conversation before and after an ad.” (Andrea, 22:08)

• The Unique Conversation Channel

  • Users can interact with brands one-on-one in a way not possible with billboards or display ads.
  • “In the chat you can [ask the brand questions]. That is mind-blowing… extremely valuable to them.” (Andrea, 25:24)

• Data Insights Beyond Advertising

  • Conversational insights can influence product development, inform other marketing channels, and enhance broader business intelligence.

5. Future Trends & Guidance for Leaders

• Inertia is the Enemy

  • “Advertisers that are not yet experimenting… inertia is the single biggest risk to your brand and to your company.” (Andrea, 28:15)
  • Leaders should maintain a cycle of experimentation and feedback, creating an iterative flywheel for innovation.

• Data as the Next Frontier

  • Andrea predicts that a year from now, omnichannel marketers will focus on how conversational data informs campaigns across all platforms.
  • Quote: “Within a year… how can this [conversational] channel reinforce all of my go-to-markets?” (Andrea, 29:19)

Notable Quotes

• “We want to get to a point where everyone... says, ‘Wow, this is so helpful to me. I had a problem. You showed me something that is so relevant to me. It solved my problem. I really want to make sure that you show me more of that.’”
  – Andrea Tortella, 06:43

• “The best marketers that I see are the marketers that move at light speed... at the speed of thought, at the speed of culture.”
  – Andrea Tortella, 08:45

• “We have the fastest advertising solution in the world to go from an idea to real-time bidding… in seconds.”
  – Andrea Tortella, 17:29

• “Conversational environments unlock a new world of targeting capabilities, a new world of measurement...”
  – Andrea Tortella, 19:41

• “For the first time ever, brands are able to talk to their customers one-on-one at scale.”
  – Andrea Tortella, 25:13

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:17] – Andrea’s background in marketing and founding Thrad
• [04:21] – Purpose of advertising and vision for AI-native environments
• [08:17] – Strategic mistakes and importance of speed/timing in marketing
• [11:02] – Depth of conversational data vs. traditional channels
• [16:20] – Brand participation: campaign setup, requirements, and native ad approach
• [19:50] – Next-generation targeting (semantics, task-based)
• [21:49] – Measurement innovations: “attention shift” and conversational analytics
• [25:13] – Unprecedented conversational engagement and data insights for brands
• [28:12] – Advice to executives: experiment, avoid inertia, iterate fast
• [29:18] – The future: conversational data powering omnichannel marketing
• [30:36] – Andrea’s approach to staying agile: curiosity and hands-on marketing

Episode Tone & Style

The conversation was energetic, future-focused, and practical, with Andrea’s enthusiasm for advertising and innovation coming through in every response. The session struck a balance between high-level vision and actionable insights, offering both strategic frameworks and immediate next steps.

Final Takeaways

• Conversational AI is an emerging distribution channel with transformative opportunities for brands and marketers who embrace experimentation.
• Native, context-aware advertising is the future—brands must shift from interruptive tactics to becoming integral, helpful participants in user conversations.
• Rich, real-time conversational data enables unprecedented targeting and measurement, pushing marketers toward a new paradigm of engagement and insight.
• Staying agile, curious, and willing to “practice the craft of marketing” is crucial for leaders navigating this rapidly evolving landscape.