2999: adMarketplace and the AI Revolution

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Quick question for you all. How are major challenges in search ads within conversational

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_01]: agents, how are they being tackled? And what role does data decentralization play in optimizing

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_01]: user experience? These are a few of the things I've been reading about lately, and hopefully

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_01]: together we'll find answers to some of these questions in today's episode. And also look

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_01]: into how large knowledge models are poised to reshape the search advertising landscape.

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_01]: And how is that search advertising landscape going to evolve, especially as more and more

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_01]: people are searching for information in very different ways? It's not just about searching

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_01]: on Google now and finding something. Some may go to YouTube to find a video of how to

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_01]: do something. Some will turn to Claude AI or ChatGPT. So today I've invited Stephen

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Reid from adMarketplace onto the podcast. And adMarketplace is a company that has been

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: at the forefront of search advertising for more than two decades. And with a rich history

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_01]: of connecting global brands, adMarketplace leverages advanced AI to enhance and automate

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_01]: A&B testing and campaign optimization and so much more. So I'm genuinely looking forward

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_01]: to listening to Stephen share insights today on the evolving world of search ads, and whether

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_01]: decentralizing data can help or hinder companies striving for optimal user experiences. Before

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01]: we get today's guest on, I want to talk about the fact that defense contractors face immense

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[00:02:43] [SPEAKER_01]: content platform for CMMC compliance. But now it's time to return to our regularly

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_01]: scheduled programming and welcome today's guest onto the mic. So buckle up and hold on tight

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01]: as I beam your ears all the way to New York, where today's guest is waiting to share his

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_01]: story. So a massive warm welcome to the show, Stephen. Can you tell everyone listening a

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_01]: little about who you are and what you do? Sure. Lovely to be here, Neil, and thanks

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: so much for making the time. So my name's Stephen Reid and I'm chief product officer here at

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_00]: AppMarketplace. And so AppMarketplace is a search advertising company and we help consumers

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: discover relevant brands and products on the open web. So to bring that to life, when you're

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: opening up a shopping app like Afterpay, Zip, or Clown, or a browser like Firefox and Opera,

[00:03:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and if you start searching, then we're delivering relevant products and brand results to that

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: user in that moment. And we help consumers find what they're looking for. And this space is

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_01]: evolving so fast at the moment, especially with the implementation of AI. I'm curious,

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_01]: what are the biggest challenges that you're encountering right now in aligning those

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_01]: search ads with conversational agents? And how do you see these challenges evolving in the near

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_01]: future? Because I would imagine you're seeing a lot of changes right now. Absolutely. I think

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: the market's at a really exciting point. We're spending a lot of time thinking about how the

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_00]: consumer search experience is going to evolve, especially with the introduction of new technologies

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and new tools like generative AI and large language models. And I think that making search

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: more conversational and discursive to make it more engaging to a consumer, I think will be really

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: transformational. Now, I think in years to come, we'll look back on this concept of searching the

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: keywords and then going to a search results page and that being the only place where you can find

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: your search results. I think of it as quite quaint, it's quite antiquated. It's been in

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: place for a long time and it's kind of become habitual. But it's actually, I think, it's got

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_00]: a lot of opportunity that we face to be able to improve that further. So, I mean, some of the

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: challenges or changes I think I see is that for consumers, we've become accustomed to having to

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: go back and forth between those multiple places when we're shopping online, for example, from

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: searching for reviews, searching on retailer sites, to searching on social media. But I think

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: as search evolves and conversational agents and those types of tools become more prevalent,

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: then we'll see a lot more of that activity taking place on one surface or fewer surfaces.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And for advertisers, I think that's where some of the biggest changes will occur. For a long time

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: now, it's been a one-horse town. I mean, Google has been the behemoth. But search is fragmenting.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Consumers are searching a lot of different places now and that fragmentation is accelerating,

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: which I think now that consumers are turning more and more to different places to conduct

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: those searches, then advertisers being able to be open to experimenting with different channels,

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: will be both really exciting but also will be really important.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_01]: It's such a great point you raised there. And I'm seeing this firsthand with my son. He's

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_01]: recently traveling across Europe. He found himself at a strange airport, not knowing which bus goes

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_01]: into the city and all that kind of stuff. He turned to his phone and he said, Dad, I open up

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Google and I get 10 results that are completely irrelevant or sponsored posts. But I can go to,

[00:06:10] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, Claude AI or ChatGPT and give me the exact information I need. And that has almost

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_01]: ushered him away from traditional search and towards Gen AI. And I would imagine as things

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_01]: grow and maybe there will be AI search engines more and more, this is just going to evolve and

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_01]: change a lot more quickly than a lot of brands might be thinking, right?

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, indeed. I mean, I think that what we see with some of our key advertisers is that there's

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: quite a difference. Some of the brands are very highly prepared to be able to start to innovate

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: and take on new opportunities in search and really embrace that new opportunity that allows

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_00]: a brand to diversify its search marketing budgets. And that's a really exciting time for some of

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: those brands. Some other brands are still in that process of adapting. But we found out those

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_00]: conversations to be really, really exciting and engaging. It's been a conversation that we've

[00:07:05] [SPEAKER_00]: been having for a while about the fragmentation of search with tools like that, that the tide

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_01]: is now really turning. And user experience, of course, is a crucial aspect of any search ad. So

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_01]: how do you ensure that integration of search ads into conversational agents and other areas

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_01]: enhances that UX rather than distracting from it? Yeah, I mean, it's a really important point,

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I think. And in anything that we do, we want to make sure that the consumer experience is

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: absolutely paramount. And that's absolutely critical. And just as you mentioned a moment ago,

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_00]: a lot of frustration that I hear from consumers using search online is that

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: advertising is really now quite dominant on the results page. But delivering that high level of

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_00]: relevance and engaging content in search results has not really progressed that materially.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Just as an example, to add to your example, I'm going to a friend's wedding in a couple months

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: time. And so I searched last night for wedding shoes, I need a new pair of wedding shoes. And

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm presented with a page full of sponsored results for white bridal shoes, which are not

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_00]: relevant to my role at that wedding, what I was really searching for. But with the conversational

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: agents being now being introduced more and more into search, it gives us a chance to really,

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: really step up the relevance of that consumer experience and really understand, well,

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_00]: exactly what is this consumer searching for? And being able to engage in that conversation means

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_00]: that I'd be able to clarify that, yeah, wedding shoes, but I want wedding shoes for a man and

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_00]: this style. And in that situation, in that paradigm, then advertising could be far less

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_00]: intrusive in that situation because we're delivering much more relevant results and

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_00]: having a sponsored result that is still very engaging to a consumer, I think has the opportunity

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_01]: to be far less intrusive in that situation. 100%. I've heard some horrible stories about

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_01]: ladies that were expecting a child and have miscarried or lost that child. And they're

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_01]: still getting bombarded with those same adverts. And incrementality is a key concern in search

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: advertising. So can you tell me more about how AdMarketplace measures and improves incrementality

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_01]: in search ads within conversational agents? Anything you can share around that?

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, for sure. It's a major focus area for us and one that is the topic that's really,

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I think we've seen a lot of evolution over the last couple of years and better, no doubt.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: For us, really, we think of it as having multiple tools that we want to put in place to be able to

[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_00]: ensure that we're measuring performance and incrementality accurately. Our mantra here at

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_00]: AdMarketplace is, these always be measuring. We see it as an ongoing challenge, not something

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_00]: that should be done on a one-off or each quarter. It's going to be an ongoing effort.

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And we've got multiple tools that really we want to bring to bear in helping our clients,

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_00]: depending on the question that really we're trying to... The client really wants to dig

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_00]: into and what we think is really relevant for that advertiser. And that really is the key to it,

[00:10:07] [SPEAKER_00]: really understanding what question we're trying to answer. Then we'll determine what approach is

[00:10:11] [SPEAKER_00]: necessary and what tool is required. So it might be that the client, for example, wants to make

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: sure they're reaching a new audience. And then even just talking through, this is how

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: this type of audience on this site or this publisher or this app looks like. These are

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_00]: the types of consumers that you're likely to engage with. These are the types of consumers

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_00]: we've seen engage with your ads or with your content. Or it might be that the client wants

[00:10:35] [SPEAKER_00]: to validate the additional volume list that they see. And we can take that all the way through to

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER_00]: even conducting a very granular and complex causal experiments using A-B tests to really

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: understand what might have happened if the ad wasn't shown, for example. So really,

[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_00]: the right tool to determine how to measure incrementality and really think through those

[00:10:57] [SPEAKER_00]: types of problems depends on what exact question we're trying to answer.

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And the approach that we've taken is, A, always be measuring. You've got to be always focused

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_00]: on this challenge. And secondly, use and adjust different tools depending on which question you

[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_01]: really want to try and answer. And another big trend in the industry is the decentralizing of

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_01]: data. And from your perspective, I'm curious, is this decentralization helping or even hindering

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER_01]: companies in optimizing the user experience? What are you seeing here? I think it's absolutely

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_00]: critical. I mean, the more that we call this... That data is... We call it a feedback loop. The

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_00]: more that we have a feedback loop in place, then it means that we can make much more informed

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: decisions about when we're making consumer experience decisions or making decisions about

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_00]: what is indeed genuinely relevant to this consumer, what they want to see. And the more

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_00]: that that data gets hidden, frankly, it's to the detriment of the consumers, which is what

[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_00]: advertisers are trying to reach and who publishers are wanting to engage in their audience. So,

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_00]: being able to get access to that feedback loop is absolutely critical to inform and improve

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_00]: decision-making. So, any strides that are being made there to be able to decentralize that

[00:12:15] [SPEAKER_00]: and share that more prevalently, I think, is a positive step in the right direction, rather than

[00:12:20] [SPEAKER_00]: retaining data in a walled garden environment where it can therefore mean that the consumer

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_01]: experience is detrimented. And there's also a lot of talk of large knowledge models and how

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER_01]: they're poised to revolutionize AI. And from your side of things, how do you foresee LKMs changing

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_01]: the landscape of search ads? And are there any opportunities and equally challenges that you

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_00]: think they might present for you at Marketplace? Yeah. I mean, large language models or large

[00:12:49] [SPEAKER_00]: knowledge models right now are at the top of the hype cycle. I think everyone's talking about them,

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_00]: they're commonplace topics in the media right now. And whilst it's at the top of the hype cycle,

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_00]: I think undoubtedly, whilst there'll be a journey before that becomes genuine reality and we start

[00:13:08] [SPEAKER_00]: to see some significant changes online with how technology evolves, undoubtedly, LLMs and large

[00:13:16] [SPEAKER_00]: knowledge models are going to change how we search online and engage with the internet.

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, from my perspective, I think there's two real fundamental shifts that LLMs introduce.

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Firstly, it's around what data really matters online when you're searching. For a long time,

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_00]: developing great search capability is all around using and gaining access to personal data.

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And that, frankly, has caused a lot of concerns around personal data and personal information

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_00]: being shared online. But LLMs really changed that. I think that they reduce the importance

[00:13:49] [SPEAKER_00]: of personal data, it becomes more around the knowledge that that model can gain access to,

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: because consumers can express their intent or users can express their intent quite differently

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00]: to that LLM so it can be more precise and therefore, personal data becomes less important.

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: So I think there's a really exciting shift where we can get to a far more respectful place in terms

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_00]: users' privacy online. So I'm really excited about that. But the second kind of real foundational

[00:14:14] [SPEAKER_00]: shift, I think, is that these algorithms and models are available for anyone to use, which

[00:14:19] [SPEAKER_00]: is phenomenal. I think it's just a real, it's got the potential to be a real transformative change

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_00]: for search and for online experiences as well. That rather than these being proprietary models

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_00]: that are only accessible by the business that's built them, they're available for anyone to use.

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_00]: We've already started to use them extensively and it's really exciting to see how that,

[00:14:41] [SPEAKER_00]: see some of the benefits start to come to fruition in terms of the large knowledge models and large

[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_00]: language models. I think we're really only just scratching the surface in terms of what they can

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_01]: can really accomplish. And we've mentioned AI and another buzzword on that advertising bingo card

[00:14:57] [SPEAKER_01]: is automation. Huge topic in ad tech right now. So how are you at AdMarketplace leveraging AI to

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_01]: automate AAB testing and optimization of processes? And what impact have you noticed this having on

[00:15:11] [SPEAKER_01]: your clients' campaigns? Could we hear the buzzwords, but it'd be great to hear more about

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_00]: the real world impact that you're seeing. Yeah, for sure. I mean, we're using these

[00:15:20] [SPEAKER_00]: technologies now throughout the organization and that spans from even using AI tools in software

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_00]: development, in our software development process to accelerate the creation of code and testing

[00:15:32] [SPEAKER_00]: through our knowledge management tools and even creative development. So there's a lot of different

[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_00]: applications that we've used these types of tools in. But one of the areas that I've been really

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER_00]: excited by is how AI has allowed us to accelerate the development of data-driven insights. A lot

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_00]: of campaign optimization for advertisers is finally dependent upon the data and finding data and

[00:15:54] [SPEAKER_00]: useful information that is meaningful to be able to make an improvement to a client's campaign.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_00]: We've just gone through a major transformation and upgrade to our tech platform

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_00]: and pilot. We made a major upgrade to our data tools as well. And so now not only are we storing

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER_00]: an awful lot more data, but we've built tools and have implemented tools that allow us to use AI

[00:16:14] [SPEAKER_00]: directly on our data link. And some of the questions that we're now able to ask in very

[00:16:19] [SPEAKER_00]: short time periods, we're pretty much just taking a team of analysts to really perform and get

[00:16:24] [SPEAKER_00]: underneath. So now we can just ask an AI agent to directly understand and interpret data on our

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER_00]: data link with as far greater volume of data and make interpretations that are really, really

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER_00]: impressive. And that feedback loop and being able to build those insights on behalf of clients has

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_00]: meant that not only can we shorten that, but also we can deepen the amount of insight that we can

[00:16:48] [SPEAKER_00]: then deliver to our clients. So I'm really excited about some of those improvements in terms of AI

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_00]: and the use of really large, large datasets. And that's been an area that I think we've really

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_00]: started exploring in eagerness here at AdMarketplace. And when I was doing a little research on you,

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_01]: I quickly learned AdMarketplace has a long history of partnering with major global brands,

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_01]: so many big household names in there. And I'm not sure how much you are able to share with me today,

[00:17:16] [SPEAKER_01]: but how is your approach to connecting high purchasing intent to consumers? How has that

[00:17:23] [SPEAKER_01]: evolved over the years, especially with the advent of new technologies like AI and LKMs, etc?

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, for sure. I mean, we've had the privilege of working with some of the largest brands in

[00:17:34] [SPEAKER_00]: the world from Amazon to Macy's and Bloomingdale's, etc. We've had some longstanding partnerships with

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_00]: brands. It's been great to see that partnership develop and really broaden and mature.

[00:17:49] [SPEAKER_00]: I think there's a couple of things that I've seen really evolve in those relationships. Firstly,

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER_00]: the importance of the advertisers now placing on the consumer experience has really stepped up.

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_00]: It's really commonplace and something that we now encourage to go through a process of what we call

[00:18:07] [SPEAKER_00]: walking the store, which is where we're walking in the consumer's shoes to better say, well,

[00:18:12] [SPEAKER_00]: this is an example of a consumer searching for, say, a pair of sneakers or a pair of wedding

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER_00]: shoes or what have you. And this is the experience they're going through. This is where the

[00:18:21] [SPEAKER_00]: advertising has been present in that consumer's journey. And this is how then the experience

[00:18:27] [SPEAKER_00]: really evolves. And that importance has really stepped up, I think, in the last couple of years

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_00]: really understanding how the consumer is engaging with advertising, where it's present online, I

[00:18:41] [SPEAKER_00]: think has been quite a significant shift and a welcome one, really. It's one that we actively

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: encourage that process with our advertisers to build transparency, build trust, and really

[00:18:53] [SPEAKER_00]: demonstrate the consumer's experience of walking them out of their shoes.

[00:18:58] [SPEAKER_00]: And secondly, I'm going to talk about what we talked about earlier is that measurement has

[00:19:02] [SPEAKER_00]: changed considerably. I think it wasn't that long ago where brands would be talking about

[00:19:08] [SPEAKER_00]: last-click attribution and only about last-click attribution. But now, that process and that

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_00]: thinking around measurement has really evolved. And we see our role in that as really being able

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_00]: to support some of these major brands and thinking about what the right measurement practices would

[00:19:25] [SPEAKER_00]: for different search channels and also different types of publishers that you might be working

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_00]: with. And now, we've got multiple teams that engage actively on the topic of measurement.

[00:19:38] [SPEAKER_00]: We'd love to consult and engage with our clients to act as thought partners, I suppose, in terms

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_00]: of the right methodology and the right approaches to take to think about measurement. And then

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER_00]: thirdly, I think we've seen a big evolution and an accelerating evolution in how

[00:19:56] [SPEAKER_00]: major brands are thinking about their search marketing strategies. Previously, as I mentioned

[00:20:02] [SPEAKER_00]: earlier, it's really been a one-horse town. But a lot more brands are now being welcoming of the

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_00]: opportunity to diversify search budgets. They're recognizing that consumers are searching

[00:20:13] [SPEAKER_00]: much broader channels online. And that's been a conversation we've been having for a while

[00:20:18] [SPEAKER_00]: with advertisers. It feels like that's really gaining momentum now. So, that's been pretty

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_01]: exciting for us. And our news feeds are always full of stories of how many out there are cautious or

[00:20:27] [SPEAKER_01]: even nervous about where all this is taking us as the speed of technological change ramps up.

[00:20:33] [SPEAKER_01]: But I've got to ask, what excites you about the future? You're following so many different trends

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_01]: at the moment. What's particularly exciting you or you're monitoring very closely?

[00:20:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, for sure. It would be remiss of me to not mention the decision regarding the Google

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Antitrust case that just landed over the last couple of days. We're really excited about the

[00:21:01] [SPEAKER_00]: future of search. We believe it's been the case that innovation in consumer search has been

[00:21:09] [SPEAKER_00]: stifled. So, we're really excited about both the introduction of new technologies that we've been

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_00]: talking about, plus also some of the adjustments in terms of the market and what that might mean

[00:21:25] [SPEAKER_00]: in terms of unleashing innovation in consumer search online. So, I think right now, we're

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_00]: a really, really interesting and inflection point in that regard. And the future is really exciting.

[00:21:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that there's a lot of innovation now with Stein. You see it build momentum around

[00:21:40] [SPEAKER_00]: more innovation in search, more discursive and engaging ways of talking to a consumer to really

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: understand what they're looking for and to be able to deliver a far more relevant experience

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_00]: in fewer surfaces that makes it a much more engaging user experience. So, I'm really excited

[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_00]: about it. I think it's a great time to be in search. 100% with you. And I can't

[00:22:05] [SPEAKER_01]: thank you enough for taking the time to come on here, share your insights around everything that

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_01]: you're seeing in the industry and beyond. But before I let you go, one final question for you.

[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_01]: I always ask my guests to leave me either a book that means something to you that they'd recommend

[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_01]: that we can add to our Amazon wishlist or a song to add to our Spotify playlist. Guilty

[00:22:24] [SPEAKER_01]: pleasures are allowed. But what is that final gift you'd like to leave us with? Yeah, for sure. I mean,

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER_00]: as we were talking about, Neil, just before we started, I've had the privilege or the fortune

[00:22:33] [SPEAKER_00]: of living in quite a few different countries in my life. And I've always made an effort in a new

[00:22:38] [SPEAKER_00]: country to engage and explore the culture and find aspects of it that I like. We moved to the US about

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_00]: four years ago now, just in time for the pandemic to kick off. And I've been really enjoying exploring

[00:22:49] [SPEAKER_00]: some parts of the US culture, particularly the barbecue culture. And I also started getting

[00:22:55] [SPEAKER_00]: involved or getting interested in country music as well. So, I've recently been really enjoying

[00:23:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Next Thing You Know by Jordan Davis. It's for someone in the stage of life. I've got young,

[00:23:07] [SPEAKER_00]: beautiful young daughters growing up far too quickly at home. It's a great reminder to kind

[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_01]: of slow down and enjoy some of those moments. Oh, fantastic. What a great choice. I love how you've

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER_01]: just embraced the US life there. So, I'm going to add it straight to our Spotify playlist. I'll

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_01]: give that a listen myself. And for everybody listening, if maybe they want to find out more

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_01]: information about AdMarketplace, find your team online or anything we talked about today,

[00:23:33] [SPEAKER_00]: where would you like to point everyone? Well, if you head either to our website

[00:23:37] [SPEAKER_00]: admarketplace.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, I'd welcome anybody to reach out.

[00:23:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Excellent. Well, I'll add the links to everything so people can find you nice and easy. And

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_01]: love chatting with you about some of those major challenges in nailing down search ads in

[00:23:53] [SPEAKER_01]: conversational agents, including everything from alignment, UX and incrementality, and

[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_01]: whether decentralized data is helping or hurting companies that are trying to optimize that user

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_01]: experience. So many big takeaways and even had time to leave us with a country classic too.

[00:24:11] [SPEAKER_01]: So, thanks for joining me today. Thank you so much, Neil. Great to talk.

[00:24:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's clear that the future of search advertising is being shaped by AI and data

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_01]: decentralization. From overcoming the challenges in conversational agents to harnessing the power

[00:24:28] [SPEAKER_01]: of large knowledge models, this landscape is evolving almost before our eyes in real time.

[00:24:34] [SPEAKER_01]: But what do you think about the role of AI in transforming search ads? How is your organization

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_01]: adapting to these changes? Love to hear your thoughts as always. Connect with me on the

[00:24:46] [SPEAKER_01]: channels or email me at techblogwriteroutlook.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. I'll

[00:24:54] [SPEAKER_01]: be back again tomorrow, bright and early. But until next time, stay curious, keep exploring

[00:24:59] [SPEAKER_01]: this intersection of technology and business, and we can all learn a thing or two together.

[00:25:04] [SPEAKER_01]: That's why I record this every day. So thank you for listening. And until next time, don't be a

[00:25:16] fool.