AI is giving marketers new ways to understand consumers, optimize creative, and improve campaign performance. But how can brands move beyond experimentation to turn these capabilities into measurable business results? It starts with better data, smarter targeting, and a willingness to rethink how marketing decisions are made.
In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Ryan Joe, Editor-in-Chief at ADWEEK, brings together Eric Danetz, President at Cognitiv, and Nicole Vinson, VP of Agency Ecosystem and Growth Marketing Integration Lead at Mars, to explore how AI and deep learning are reshaping modern marketing. The conversation examines how brands can move beyond cookie deprecation to build stronger data foundations, uncover consumer insights, and drive greater efficiency across media and creative.
The panel discusses why behavioral data offers a more accurate picture of consumer preferences than traditional panel research, and how clean room technology can bring together different data sources to create a more complete understanding of audiences.
They also explore how a pilot-first approach helps organizations test AI applications before committing to large-scale implementation. Real-world examples illustrate the potential, including reducing creative analytics from 100 hours to under 10 and achieving a 36% lift in campaign results through more precise audience targeting.
The conversation also addresses the organizational challenges of adopting AI, from establishing responsible governance to building partnerships that prioritize long-term business outcomes over technology for its own sake.
What You'll Learn:
About the Host and Guest:
Eric Danetz is President of Cognitiv, the deep learning advertising platform helping brands predict consumer behavior and deliver more relevant advertising. An accomplished executive, he has held senior global leadership positions at organizations including Thomson Reuters, AccuWeather, Time Inc., IAC, CBS, and Ziff Davis. With extensive experience scaling businesses, driving revenue growth, leading large teams, and navigating M&A, he is also an active investor, board member, and advisor to numerous organizations across the technology and media industries.
Nicole Vinson is Vice President, Agency Ecosystem and Growth Marketing Integration Lead at Mars, where she leads the transformation of Mars’ global marketing agency ecosystem. With more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing, media, and strategic marketing management, she previously led Kellanova’s Global Marketing Excellence Center of Excellence and its global digital marketing transformation. Her work focuses on leveraging data, technology, and AI to build more effective marketing strategies, strengthen consumer engagement, and accelerate brand growth.
Ryan Joe is Editor-in-Chief at ADWEEK, where he leads coverage of the advertising and marketing industries. He has spent more than a decade covering data-driven marketing and advertising, making complex industry developments accessible to a wider audience. Previously, he served as Managing Editor at AdExchanger, where he spent nearly eight years reporting on the shift toward digital advertising, before joining Business Insider in 2021. He began his career at DMNews and is a graduate of UCLA and Columbia.
Host and Guest Resources:
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