Next in Creator Media spoke with Arthur Leopold, co-founder and CEO of Agentio, on how the startup promises to bring some order to creator and brand matchmaking. Leopold also talked about why other tech startups have failed in this realm, and why AI will help brands feel more safe about which creators they hand the keys to.

Takeaways:

• Agenteo is an ad platform automating creator content buying, bridging brands and creators for frictionless collaboration. Its innovative approach targets inefficiencies in traditional influencer marketing.

• By shifting focus from small influencer budgets ($10-$15 billion) to the massive $600 billion paid media market, Agenteo enables brands to scale creator partnerships with unprecedented efficiency.

• Unlike fragmented tools, Agenteo offers end-to-end automation—covering creator matching, contracting, brand safety, and performance optimization—all in a unified platform.

• Leveraging AI and large language models, Agenteo streamlines complex processes like campaign optimization and brand safety checks, reducing manual effort by over 113 human years in certain tasks.

• Many leading YouTubers, even giants like Rhett and Link, struggle to fully sell their inventory. Agenteo aggregates demand, ensuring creators monetize effectively while brands access highly engaged audiences.

• Agenteo positions itself at the forefront of the creator economy, championing personalized storytelling as the most effective advertising strategy, outperforming traditional banner ads and skippable video ads.

• With YouTube as the starting platform, Agenteo taps into the world’s largest streaming audience, combining high engagement with scalable advertising. Future expansions include TikTok and Instagram.

Guest: Arthur Leopold

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: VuePlanner

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in Media spoke with Fuse Media's chief business officer Patrick Courtney about what advertisers get wrong about multicultural audiences media habits, the challenges in programming in the FAST space, and why cable TV still makes sense for some media companies.

Takeways:

• Inclusive Entertainment Leadership: Fuse Media is a Latino-owned, diverse entertainment company targeting a multicultural audience.

• Young Multicultural Audience: The primary demographic is 18-34-year-olds, though the audience varies by platform.

• Platform-Specific Programming Strategies: Fuse tailors content strategies differently for pay TV, FAST, and subscriptions, reflecting the unique demands and user behaviors of each medium.

• Evolution of FAST Channels: Initially a repository for legacy content, Fuse has applied structured programming techniques to FAST channels, seeing exponential audience growth by leveraging day-parting and scheduling.

• Challenges in FAST: Discovery, lack of standardization across platforms, limited data analytics, and inconsistent measurement pose significant hurdles in FAST.

• Subscription Services Strategy: Unlike many subscription services struggling with high churn, Fuse leans into partnerships and reseller marketplaces over direct-to-consumer strategies.

• Adapting to Industry Changes: Fuse has successfully integrated traditional linear and newer FAST/CTV ad sales models, capitalizing on its historical experience while navigating shifts like increasing automation and programmatic buying.

Guest: Patrick Courtney

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: Epsilon

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in Creator Media spoke with Ian Schafer, co-founder and president of Ensemble, on how he's trying to help brands connect with the top 1% of creators, while helping those folks build out full fledged media businesses.

Takeaways:

• Unique Positioning of Ensemble: Ensemble differentiates itself in the creator economy by focusing on a curatorial approach to creators, similar to a studio, instead of a marketplace model.

• Equity in the Creator Economy: Schafer highlights a systemic inequality in brand partnerships, with creators from underrepresented communities getting fewer deals.

• 0.1% of Creators: In the creator economy, only about 0.1% of creators achieve significant success.

• Shift to Long-Term Brand Integrations: Schafer observes a shift from treating creators as media inventory to viewing them as collaborative partners.

• The Importance of Infrastructure for Creators: Schafer notes that while creators have management, they often lack a structured infrastructure to help them scale.

• Potential for Original Programming: Ensemble is developing episodic series and original shows that incorporate brand sponsorships.

• Demand for Audience-First Content: Schafer emphasizes the need for content that resonates with audiences before brands.

• Future of Creator Partnerships in Advertising: Ensemble and Schafer envision a future where brands can lock in annual or seasonal "slates" of creator-led series, similar to TV upfronts.

Guest: Ian Schafer

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: VuePlanner

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in media spoke with Megan Jones, Chief Digital Officer at Digitas, about what she tells clients about a possible Google break up, and the never ending cookies saga. Jones also talked about why it's so hard to bake creators into traditional media planning, and what's really going on with sustainability.

Takeaways:

• Post-Cookie Environment: Despite long discussions around a "post-cookie world," urgency has waned due to delays.

• Challenges in Connected TV: The fragmented CTV landscape lacks unified audience targeting and measurement standards.

• TikTok's Growing Influence: As TikTok remains a cultural hub, Digitas advises clients to use it actively and authentically.

• Creator Economy and Social Strategy: Digitas leverages creators through its S.W.A.T. (Share worthy and Trending) program, which identifies trends and pairs creators with brands to produce authentic, real-time content, with a focus on diversity and cultural relevance.

• Integrating Media and CRM: There’s a significant, underutilized potential in linking CRM with media for seamless customer engagement.

• Sustainability in Digital Advertising: Though it’s not a top priority for clients, sustainability is expected to become essential within the next five years, similar to brand safety.

Guest: Megan Jones

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: Epsilon

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in Creator Media spoke with Laurie Buckle CEO and Founder, CookIt Media, about her journey from print's golden age to trying to wrangle the YouTube ecosystem. Buckle also talked about what brands get right and wrong about this space, and why food is so perfect for other revenue streams.

Takeaways:

• Cook It's Origin: Laurie Buckle transitioned from traditional food media to establishing CookIt, initially as a consulting firm helping food bloggers professionalize their content.

• Food Creators as Businesses: Buckle emphasizes that CookIt’s mission is to help food content creators see their work as a viable business.

• Agency's Dual Role: CookIt functions as both an influencer marketing agency and a talent management company.

• Collaborative Brand Partnerships: CookIt places creators at the forefront of brand collaborations, advocating for a balanced approach where creators' authentic voices are respected.

• Evolving Revenue Streams: CookIt is helping creators diversify revenue beyond brand partnerships.

• The Future of Food Content: Buckle discusses the broader lifestyle aspect of food creators, noting that food content increasingly includes elements of travel, beauty, and wellness.

Guest: Laurie Buckle

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: VuePlanner

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in Media talked to the founder and CEO of Taboola about the state of the open web, what he thinks about the Google trial, and why publishers may have to start working together to compete for consumers' time and advertisers' wallets.

Takeaways:

• Google’s Market Power and Tensions: Adam highlights concerns in the industry regarding Google's practices, such as keeping users within its ecosystem rather than directing them to other publishers.

• Optimism for the Open Web: Despite challenges, Adam expresses strong optimism for the open web, emphasizing the opportunities for AI in personalizing content, improving user engagement, and increasing revenue per user.

• Importance of Quality News: He stresses the role of quality news and journalism, arguing against reliance on user-generated content platforms for important information, which could pose risks due to lack of editorial oversight.

• AI in Advertising: Taboola is exploring AI, particularly through their tool, "Abby," which uses a conversational layer to help advertisers design campaigns.

• Expansion of Retail Media: Adam predicts significant growth in retail media as it begins to look beyond its own platforms for audience reach.

• Apple Partnership: Taboola’s partnership with Apple allows it to serve ads on Apple News in several markets.

• Opportunities with Generative AI: He describes a future where AI-driven media buying can lower churn rates and increase ad spend efficiency, giving brands control while enabling faster decision-making.

• Rise of New Distribution Channels: Adam foresees the open web expanding into non-traditional environments, such as cars and kitchens, providing news and other digital content in more everyday settings.

• Yahoo’s Revival: Adam credits Yahoo’s recent success to its management team and a culture focused on execution and transparency, which he believes has transformed Yahoo into a strong partner in the open web ecosystem.

Guest: Adam Singolda

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: Epsilon

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in Creator Media spoke with Jamie Gutfreund, founder of Creator Vision, about why some brands still don't have a strategy for creators, and whether Hollywood is missing the moment in harvesting YouTube and TikTok for talent.

Takeaways:

• Creator Economy Shift: Goodfriend discussed how traditional media strategies are outdated for the creator economy.

• Strategic Gap in Brand Approaches: Many brands lack a clear creator strategy and often make ad-hoc partnerships without defined objectives, resulting in suboptimal returns.

• Challenges with Current Media Agencies: Large agencies face difficulties integrating creators due to scalability issues and outdated metrics focused on paid media.

• Creator Selection Pitfalls: Brands often rely on tools similar to Yellow Pages for finding creators, which can lead to mismatched partnerships.

• Evolving Definitions of Premium Content: Premium content is now audience-defined, moving beyond traditional high-production-value constraints.

Guest: Jamie Gutfreund

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: VuePlanner

Producer: FEL Creative

Next in Media, spoke with S4 Capital founder and executive chairman Sir Martin Sorrell about the state of the ad business heading into a very uncertain year. Sorrell gave his take on Google's trial, the US Election, the future of ad agencies, and why the media business is a tale of two cities.

Takeways:

• Advertising Market Growth: Despite global challenges, the advertising market is growing, with digital media leading the way.

• Dominance of Key Platforms: Six major players—Google, Meta, Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance—dominate digital advertising, with significant revenue growth expected.

• Economic Uncertainty: Both in the US and globally, economic conditions are mixed, creating uncertainty that hampers investment.

• Regulatory Dynamics: Sir Martin Sorrell stresses the importance of self-regulation within tech giants, comparing them to "countries" based on their market caps.

• Tech Giants’ Push into AI and Efficiency: Major tech companies like Meta and Google have pivoted sharply towards AI investments, drastically increasing their capital expenditures in this area.

Guest: Sir Martin Sorrell

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsor: Moloco & Epsilon

Producer: FEL Creative