Performance Marketing Unlocked

Are marketers still stuck in a binary of data and creative?In the second episode of this year’s Digital Disruptors miniseries, host Bethany speaks with Molly Peake, Head of Customer Success and Partnerships at AUDIENCES and Eraj Lodhi, Founder of marketing agency Plot Out Loud and Creator of Plotcast. They dive into what metrics still matter, whether a false divide between data and creative is holding back results, and whether brands truly know what to do with their data, even if they have it. This podcast episode was hosted by PMW's Senior News Reporter, Bethany Lee.New episodes of this four-part miniseries will be released weekly alongside our main show, Performance Marketing Unlocked. Click this link to view the winners from this year’s 30 under 30 awards. ~ Further reading ~ 30 Winners in 30 Days: Eraj Lodhi, Plot Out Loud30 Winners in 30 Days: Molly Peake, AUDIENCES

As the World Cup gets underway, how can performance marketers best leverage the opportunity before them?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Alex Maude, Head of Insight & Research at Ozone, joins host Joe to assess the best ways for brands to win a share of attention during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Are traditional ad placements the way to go, or is the real attention battle taking place on second screens? Also, where does the premium web come into this? Listen on to uncover the answers to these burning questions and many more. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (3:30) Bigger tournament, bigger advertising opportunity?(10:46) Ensuring social media is an asset, not a burden(21:35) Making the World Cup count beyond June and July(24:05) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ Everything advertisers need to focus on ahead of the 2026 FIFA World CupThe ads scoring biggest ahead of the World CupHalf of the World Cup audience doesn’t watch weekly football. Are you planning for them?

Can marketers afford to still be siloed by channel?In the first episode of this year’s Digital Disruptors miniseries, host Bethany speaks with Chanelle Urquico, International DSP Engagement Lead at TripleLift, Jack Murray, Senior Paid Social Search Account Manager at Incubeta, and Michael Holloway, SEO manager at Hookflash. Together, they discuss how the performance stack is converging and where each of their specialisms sit in a strategy, touching on the biggest changes they’ve seen since the beginning of their careers and the challenges they are anticipating facing in the years to come.This podcast episode was hosted by PMW's Senior News Reporter, Bethany Lee.New episodes of this four-part miniseries will be released weekly alongside our main show, Performance Marketing Unlocked. Click this link to view the winners from this year’s 30 under 30 awards. ~ Further reading ~ 30 Winners in 30 Days: Jack Murray, Incubeta30 Winners in 30 Days: Chanelle Urquico, TripleLift30 Winners in 30 Days: Michael Holloway, SEO Manager, Hookflash

Performance marketers are desperately trying to master ever-changing algorithms in the pursuit of securing attention in an attention-poor economy – but where are they going wrong?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Orlando Wood, Chief Creative Officer of System1, joins host Joe to discuss how shifting from 'salesmanship' to 'showmanship' can build a brand that performs in the both the short and long-term.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (3:26) How do the left and right brain impact advertising?(8:05) Are we focusing too much on salesmanship and not enough on showmanship?(23:34) Who is getting the 'brandformance' balance right?(28:47) Overrated or underrated(31:24) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ Top 6 adtech tools this week: System1, Airship, GlobalData, Ampd, Talon.One and DAIVIDTop 10 Easter ads: How are brands navigating the junk food ban?Top 10 Winter Olympics ads: Michelob, Peacock and Corona take the podium

The marketers seeing real results with AI aren’t worrying about implementing the right tech – they’re rethinking how decisions get made, who makes them and what role human instinct should play.This Performance Marketing World podcast episode, produced in partnership with Upp.ai, unpacks why so many AI-led media strategies stall before they scale – and what it actually takes to close the gap with the brands pulling ahead. We’ll share practical advice on where performance is really being lost, and how to realign teams, governance and ways of working to get the most out of AI.The industry is having plenty of AI conversations, generative AI, agency AI washing, in-housing, measurement, productivity savings. All real, all familiar to the people listening. But the conversation that actually determines whether AI-led media performs is the one nobody is having. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.

The agency model is facing a perfect storm: in-housing is gutting the middle, independent agencies are winning on agility, and AI is automating the ‘making’ part of marketing. So how is the big six responding?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Jessica Tamsedge, UK CEO of Dentsu Creative, joins host Joe to outline how Dentsu is blowing up traditional silos to prepare for a world where a brand’s survival depends on being ‘machine-readable’ and ‘human-referenceable’. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:58) What does it mean to be ‘machine-readable’?(12:23) How does Dentsu keep itself agile?(19:51) Overrated or underrated?(25:00) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ ChatGPT Ads to hit the UKIPA Bellwether: ‘Where is the confidence coming from?’Top 6 adtech tools this week: Reddit, SMG, Merkle, Lifesight, Adform and Dentsu

Zero party has search killed the click. At least, that's the narrative marketers have been sold – but is it true?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, PMW's Editor Robin Langford and Senior News Reporter Bethany Lee join host Joe to talk about the future of the click, and why Google might be trying to bring it back for the sake of publishers and advertisers.Also on this episode, the trio discuss some standout winners from the 2026 PMW Powerlist, which is available in its entirety here.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:30) The click is dead... right?(14:55) PMW Powerlist 2026 highlights(22:00) What makes a good Powerlist winner?~ Further reading ~ Google expands AI Search features to boost website and community discoveryThe PMW Powerlist 2026

We’ve entered the ‘synthetic era’ of social media. AI can now try to generate a viral video, clone a creator’s voice, and optimise a hook for the algorithm in seconds. But there's a catch, consumers want more authentic content, not less.On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Chris Parnell, co-founder and CCO of social-first creator agency NewGen, joins host Joe to discuss how advertisers can use AI to enhance their social media marketing and creator partnerships, without removing the 'human in the loop' and jeopardising consumer trust.This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (2:18) How is AI impacting social media marketing and the creator economy?(18:05) Does AI help or hinder brand safety on social media?(27:52) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ IPA Bellwether reaction: 13 experts on AI’s tipping point, live events comeback and beating the cookie-free rushWhat Unilever's influencer-first strategy means for marketers‘It's a land grab for talent’: Meta, YouTube and Goalhanger bet big on creators