The Programmatic Digest

Helene Parker and Co-host: Manuela Cortes
  • 5.0 (31)
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  • Updated Weekly

The Programmatic Digest, hosted by Helene Parker, is a 25-45 minutes weekly podcast rounding up fresh, top programmatic and digital headlines from our preferred digital media sources. It is also going to feature educational interviews with experts in the industry, like yourself.

  1. 6d ago

    203. Are We Optimizing for Bots? Unpacking AI, CTR, and Ad Fraud with Dr. Fou

    In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, Hélène Parker sits down with Dr. Augustine Fou, founder of Fou Analytics, to unpack the realities of ad fraud, attribution, AI, and programmatic optimization. Dr. Fou challenges some of the metrics and tools our industry has relied on for years, explaining how bots can manipulate signals like CTR and how algorithms can unintentionally optimize toward fraudulent inventory. The conversation also explores the limitations of traditional fraud detection, the importance of independent verification, and how traders can use more granular data, including placements and Seller IDs, to better understand where their budgets are actually going. At the heart of the conversation is a simple question: Are we optimizing for metrics, or are we optimizing for real business outcomes? Key Takeaways Question vanity metrics: High CTR and other engagement metrics don't always mean better campaign performance. AI is only as good as its signals: If algorithms optimize toward manipulated metrics, they can unintentionally send more budget toward fraudulent inventory. Look beyond standard fraud reports: Fraud percentages only reflect what verification technology is able to detect. Audit your placements: Regularly review where your ads are running and whether those environments make sense for your audience. Pay attention to Seller IDs: Seller-level data can provide another layer of transparency when evaluating programmatic supply. Consider independent verification: Post-bid data can help validate what actually happened after an impression was served. Quality matters more than volume: Fewer, higher-quality impressions reaching real humans can be more valuable than maximizing cheap reach. Keep the human in the loop: Automation can make traders more efficient, but critical thinking, QA, and active optimization remain essential. Optimize toward business outcomes: Ultimately, campaign success should connect back to real results, not just what looks good in a DSP report.   About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn't a one-time thing, it's the Foull vault plus all Fouture trainings, recordings, and guides. Access it here: https://www.heleneparker.com/library 🪶 Timestamps and Topics 00:00 | Introduction & Welcome 01:30 | From Chemical Engineering to Ad Tech 05:45 | The Beginning of Fou Analytics 08:00 | The View-Through Attribution Problem 12:30 | AI in Digital Advertising 15:15 | Can AI Optimization Amplify Fraud? 18:30 | The Challenges of AI Fraud Detection 22:30 | Where AI Can Help Traders 25:15 | Mobile App Fraud & Ad Quality 29:30 | Frequency Caps Need Human Context 34:45 | How Traders Can Audit Their Campaigns 39:00 | Domain Spoofing & Seller IDs 45:00 | What Happens When You Remove Bad Inventory? 48:00 | Georgia-Pacific Case Study 51:30 | Building a Healthier Programmatic Strategy 👤 Meet the Guests: Dr. Augustine Fou - FouAnalytics  Dr. Augustine Fou is an ad tech expert and founder of Fou Analytics who brings a scientific, data-driven approach to digital advertising and ad fraud. With a PhD in chemical engineering and experience spanning McKinsey, American Express, IPG, and Omnicom, he has worked in digital advertising since its early days in the 1990s. Today, through Fou Analytics, he helps advertisers independently measure ad quality, identify fraud, and better understand where their digital media dollars are going. https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustinefou/    About FouAnalytics: Fou Analytics is an independent ad-quality and verification platform founded by Dr. Augustine Fou. Built around a deterministic, data-driven approach, the platform helps advertisers identify ad fraud, verify where their ads are actually running, and better understand the quality of the audiences their media dollars are reaching. Through post-bid verification, placement analysis, and Seller ID tracking, Fou Analytics gives advertisers greater transparency into their programmatic campaigns and helps them optimize toward real human audiences and business outcomes. https://fouanalytics.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fouanalytics-practitioners-6882693009914253312/  🎓 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: https://heleneparker.com/library  Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://heleneparker.com/newsletter  Be the first to find out about free programmatic training workshops: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/

  2. Aug 4

    202. Mastering Audience Optimization & DSP Transparency with Jenn Ha and Ed Hackney from Pearl Diver

    In part two of this special episode of the Programmatic Digest podcast, host Hélène Parker welcomes back Ed and introduces Jenny, the Head of Customer Experience at Pearl Diver  Building on the previous episode's focus on audience discovery, this conversation dives deeply into audience optimization and the critical role of true partnership in ad tech.  Jenny and Ed share insights on the optimal times to introduce new audience segments, highlighting that the best time to test an adjacent audience is actually when current campaigns are already performing well They also discuss their "chameleon" approach to customer service, where data partners deeply embed themselves to support overwhelmed traders who are managing up to 100 campaigns The episode emphasizes the necessity of transparency between buyers and data providers, the realities of onboarding versus optimization timelines, and concludes with valuable career wisdom for programmatic professionals   In this episode, we cover: From Discovery to Optimization: Transitioning from finding your audience to actively optimizing your programmatic campaigns. The "Chameleon" Approach to Client Services: How true ad-tech partners seamlessly embed themselves into your agency to support overwhelmed traders who are managing up to 100 campaigns. The Perfect Time to Test New Audiences: Why you shouldn't wait for a campaign to fail before exploring new segments, and why a winning campaign provides the perfect low-risk environment to test. Why DSP Transparency is Non-Negotiable: The importance of sharing your screen and DSP setup with data partners to prevent overlapping targeting (like double geo-filters) and restrictive parameters. Onboarding Speed vs. Optimization Patience: Breaking the misconception that setting up a new data partner takes months (it can take just 45 minutes!), while emphasizing the patience required for an audience to actually optimize. Career Wisdom for Ad-Tech Professionals: Ed and Jenny share the best career advice they've received, including the importance of "always be testing" and why you should "never want to be the smartest person in the room".   About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn't a one-time thing, it's the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides. Access it here: https://www.heleneparker.com/library 🪶 Timestamps and Topics Introduction & Guest Background: Welcoming Jenny and Ed Explaining Ad-Tech to Friends and Family The "Chameleon" Approach to Client Services Sales Pitches vs. True Partnerships The Best Time to Introduce New Audiences The Critical Need for DSP Transparency  Screen-Sharing for Better Reporting  Onboarding Speed vs. Optimization Time  Final Career Wisdom 👤 Meet the Guests: Jenny Ha – Pearl Diver Jenny Ha is the Head of Customer Experience at Pearl Diver. With 10 years of prior experience in traditional advertising client services, she deeply understands the challenges of her agency clients Jenny leads a hands-on team that acts as a "chameleon," embedding directly into clients' daily operations to build audiences and even join sales callsShe champions human connection in a tech-driven era and guides her career by the philosophy that "you never want to be the smartest person in the room," prioritizing continuous learning and transparency. Connect with Jenny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-ha-/   Ed Hackney – Pearl Diver Spent 25 years in advertising, including time as a creative director and ECD for Digitas New Zealand. Fascinated by personalizing the customer journey at mass scale, he transitioned into the software and data side of ad tech to help build tools that empower agencies to discover better audience segmentation. Connect with Ed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nomorepapercuts/    About Pearl Diver Pearl Diver is an audience intelligence platform built for the agentic marketing era. It helps marketers discover high-intent audiences, uncover hidden buyer personas through Reality Clusters, and activate real-time audience segments directly in platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok, and leading DSPs. With its dedicated MCP connector, Pearl Diver also brings real-time audience insights into AI workflows, helping marketers make faster, smarter campaign decisions. https://www.pearldiver.io/meet-michael-at-pearl-diver  🎓 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: https://heleneparker.com/library  Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://heleneparker.com/newsletter  Be the first to find out about free programmatic training workshops: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/

  3. Jul 28

    201. Activating High-Intent Audiences with Ed Hackney and Trinity Lawry from Pearl Diver

    Most advertisers focus on people who are ready to buy today. But what happens when that audience runs out?  In this episode, I chat with Ed Hackney and Trinity Lawry from Pearl Diver about how to find high-intent audiences, why balancing every stage of the marketing funnel matters, and how AI is making audience discovery easier for media buyers. This podcast was made possible thanks to the incredible support from Pearl Diver. In This Episode Why focusing only on conversions can quickly exhaust your audience. How behavioral data helps identify where consumers are in their buying journey. How Pearl Diver's AI tool, Reality Clusters, helps uncover new audience opportunities using simple prompts. Why combining third-party data with your DSP's native audiences can improve performance. Why asking questions about your data and being transparent with your partners leads to better campaign results. This is like fishing in the same pond every day. If you never let new fish grow or explore new waters, eventually you'll stop catching anything. Remember: The best programmatic strategies balance today's performance with tomorrow's growth. About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn't a one-time thing, it's the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides. Access it here: https://www.heleneparker.com/library 🪶 Timestamps and Topics Welcome and Guest Introductions Trinity and Ed's Career Journeys Identifying High-Intent Audiences and Data Providers The Full Marketing Funnel and Avoiding Audience Burnout Common Media Buying Mistakes and Democratizing Data with AI (Reality Clusters) Best Practices for Audience Activation and Blending Data Translating Data into Insights for Leadership Partner Transparency and the "Going to the Doctor" Analogy Words of Wisdom: Embracing Change and Trusting Your Gut / Closing Remarks 👤 Meet the Guests: Trinity Lawry – Pearl Diver Began her career in social media and digital agencies like DDB and Dentsu before transitioning to a global marketing team on the client side. She used this diverse background to help shape the vision for Pearl Diver, with a passion for democratizing data so that anyone can analyze audiences without needing a data scientist. Connect with Trinity: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinity-lawry-55ba6586/  Ed Hackney – Pearl Diver Spent 25 years in advertising, including time as a creative director and ECD for Digitas New Zealand. Fascinated by personalizing the customer journey at mass scale, he transitioned into the software and data side of ad tech to help build tools that empower agencies to discover better audience segmentation. Connect with Ed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nomorepapercuts/  About Pearl Diver Pearl Diver is an audience intelligence platform built for the agentic marketing era. It helps marketers discover high-intent audiences, uncover hidden buyer personas through Reality Clusters, and activate real-time audience segments directly in platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok, and leading DSPs. With its dedicated MCP connector, Pearl Diver also brings real-time audience insights into AI workflows, helping marketers make faster, smarter campaign decisions. https://www.pearldiver.io/meet-michael-at-pearl-diver  🎓 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: https://heleneparker.com/library  Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://heleneparker.com/newsletter  Be the first to find out about free programmatic training workshops: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/    #programmatic #adtech

  4. Jul 21

    200. Behind 200 Episodes: The Real Work, the Real Joy, and the Real Impact with Manuela Cortes and Hélène Parker

    Celebrating 200 Episodes: Community, Representation, and the Future of Programmatic Digest Reaching 200 episodes is more than a milestone. It's a celebration of the incredible community that has supported Programmatic Digest from day one. In this special episode, Hélène Parker and Manuela Cortez reflect on the journey that brought them here, the lessons they've learned along the way, and the vision they're building for the future. From expanding the podcast into Spanish to creating opportunities for more diverse voices in ad tech, this conversation is a reminder that meaningful change happens one conversation at a time. Whether you've been listening since Episode 1 or you're just discovering Programmatic Digest, thank you for being part of this community. In This Episode Why launching Spanish-language episodes has helped amplify voices across Latin America and made programmatic education more accessible. How podcasting has transformed our own careers by helping us become better listeners, stronger leaders, and lifelong students of the industry. Why representation isn't just a goal. It's a responsibility. We discuss our commitment to featuring more women and underrepresented professionals across every area of ad tech. The reality of producing an independent podcast, including the time, financial investment, and consistency required to reach 200 episodes. Why creating a safe space for honest conversations has always been at the heart of Programmatic Digest. What's ahead for the second half of the year, including meeting in person at Programmatic I/O New York, growing our Latin American community, and expanding new ways to connect with listeners. Key Takeaways Every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new. Representation creates opportunity and helps the next generation see what's possible. Community will always be more important than competition. Consistency isn't always easy, but it's what turns a vision into something lasting. The best ideas often come from people who simply have the courage to share their voice. Looking Ahead As we celebrate 200 episodes, we're just getting started. Our focus for the next chapter includes: Growing both our English and Spanish podcast communities. Building meaningful partnerships with sponsors who believe in education and representation. Creating more opportunities for in-person networking and learning. Continuing to spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of programmatic advertising. Thank you to every guest, listener, sponsor, and community member who has been part of this journey. We couldn't have reached this milestone without you, and we're excited for what's next. Connect With Us 🎙️ Subscribe to Programmatic Digest wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube. 💼 Follow Hélène Parker and Manuela Cortez on LinkedIn for podcast updates, industry insights, and upcoming events. 🎧 Interested in being a guest or partnering with the podcast? We'd love to hear from you. Send us a message and join the conversation. Memorable Quote "Everybody has a voice. Everybody should have a podcast, in my opinion. The most important thing is asking yourself: How are we helping someone learn?"Hélène Parker     🧠 About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn't a one-time thing, it's the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides. Access it here: https://www.heleneparker.com/library     ⏱ Timestamps: [00:00] – Welcome and Host Introductions [02:18] – The Impact of Spanish-Language Content [03:41] – Downloads and Audience Growth [04:47] – Career Evolution and Professional Impact [06:33] – Curation of Information in the AI Era [09:30] – Plans for Meeting at Programmatic IO [10:14] – The Struggle with Female Representation [13:17] – Uplifting Diverse and Minority Voices [15:58] – Meaningful Campaigns and Social Good in Ad Tech [17:28] – Professional Expression and Finding Your Calling [20:12] – The Financial Reality of Independent Podcasting [23:08] – Future Vision and Goals for H2 [25:01] – Closing and Call to Action     👤 Meet the Co-Hosts: Manuela Cortes – Programmatic | AdTech | Speaker | Programmatic Digest Podcast  is a programmatic advertising professional with more than eight years of experience in digital media strategy, performance marketing, and AdTech. Based in Argentina, she is the Spanish-language co-host of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, where she amplifies voices from across Latin America and helps make programmatic education more accessible to a global audience. She is passionate about building community, advancing representation in AdTech, and empowering the next generation of programmatic professionals 📎 Connect on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-/ Helene Parker –  Programmatic Media Expert | DSP Whisperer | Corporate Training | Podcast Host | Speaker is a programmatic advertising sales leader, educator, and founder of Helene Parker Consulting LLC. With more than a decade of experience in digital advertising, she has helped agencies, brands, publishers, and technology partners grow through programmatic strategy, business development, and education. Hélène is the host of the Programmatic Digest Podcast, where she brings together industry leaders to share practical insights, elevate diverse voices, and make programmatic advertising more accessible for professionals around the world. 📎 Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker/  🌐 heleneparker.com     🎓 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: https://heleneparker.com/library Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://heleneparker.com/newsletter Be the first to find out about free programmatic training workshops: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/     📲 Follow Us: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@programmaticdigest

  5. Jul 14 ·  Video

    198. Performance Advertising in Programmatic

    The Programmatic Digest

  6. Jul 14 ·  Video

    199. How To Be A Performance Marketer in Programmatic Media

    The Programmatic Digest

  7. Jun 27 ·  Video

    197. July Focus: WTF is Programmatic Performance Media

    I attended a performance advertising workshop hosted by Infillion MediaMath and it reminded me of something I truly believe: The best way to learn something is to teach it. So this July, I'm dedicating all of our content to one topic: Programmatic Performance Advertising. Predictive targeting. Identity resolution. Dynamic budget allocation. Attribution. And more. New content every week. All month long. About Us:  We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Our mission is simple: DSP access and education should be for everyone, not just a few. That's why we teach new talent and support independent agencies and brands through my work at Infillion (MediaMath), helping more people access the MediaMath DSP. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn't a one-time thing — it's the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides. Access it here: heleneparker/com/library  💻 Meet The Team: Hélène Parker – Chief Programmatic Coach 🌐 heleneparker.com 🔗 LinkedIn Manuela Cortes – Co-Host, Programmatic Digest en Español 🔗 LinkedIn 🎓 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: heleneparker.com/library Subscribe to the Newsletter: heleneparker.com/newsletter Be the first to find out free programmatic training workshop: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/

  8. May 22

    196. AI Meets Programmatic: How Media Buyers Can Optimize with AI

    In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, Hélène Parker and Assetou Kone dive into the evolving role of AI in programmatic advertising and campaign optimization. The conversation explores how media buyers and traders can use tools like ChatGPT and Claude to streamline workflows, analyze campaign data more efficiently, and uncover deeper optimization insights. Hélène opens the session by reframing optimization as more than simple "bid up, bid down" tactics. Instead, she explains how successful optimization requires hypothesis testing, strategic thinking, and understanding how DSP algorithms redistribute spend based on performance signals. Using practical examples, she demonstrates how removing underperforming inventory can improve overall campaign efficiency by reallocating budget toward higher-performing placements. Assetou walks through the fundamentals traders need before introducing AI into their workflows, emphasizing the importance of understanding campaign objectives across awareness, consideration, conversion, and loyalty stages. She explains how campaign goals directly influence which metrics traders should prioritize and optimize toward. The heart of the workshop focuses on prompt engineering and practical AI usage. Assetou demonstrates how traders can use AI to analyze site lists, identify inefficient domains, generate allow/block lists, surface top-performing inventory, and extract geo-level insights tied to real-world audience behavior. She also highlights how combining AI-generated insights with industry knowledge creates stronger strategic recommendations for clients. Throughout the discussion, Hélène and Assetou address common fears around AI and job security, explaining why traders who learn how to leverage AI tools will become more valuable — not less. They close by discussing the future of agentic AI within DSPs and how automation can help traders spend less time buried in spreadsheets and more time focusing on strategy and insight generation.     🧠 About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Our mission is simple: DSP access and education should be for everyone, not just a few. That's why we teach new talent and support independent agencies and brands through my work at Infillion (MediaMath), helping more people access the MediaMath DSP. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn't a one-time thing, it's the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides. Access it here: https://www.heleneparker.com/library     ⏱ Timestamps: • [00:00] – Welcome and workshop introduction • [03:45] – Why optimization is more than bid adjustments • [08:20] – Thinking like a scientist in programmatic optimization • [13:10] – Understanding awareness, consideration, and conversion KPIs • [19:30] – Optimization workflows and prioritization strategies • [25:00] – Introduction to AI prompt engineering for traders • [31:40] – Using ChatGPT and Claude for campaign analysis • [38:15] – Building allow lists and exclusion lists with AI • [44:50] – Geo insights and audience intelligence using AI • [50:20] – AI, automation, and the future of programmatic trading • [56:00] – Final thoughts and Q&A     👤 Meet Our Guest: Assetou Kone – Programmatic Marketing Specialist and Consultant Assetou Kone is a programmatic marketing expert with experience across multiple industries, including pharmaceuticals, retail, gaming, finance, and e-commerce. Her expertise focuses on campaign optimization, data analytics, audience strategy, and helping brands use AI-powered workflows to improve media buying efficiency and performance. 📎 Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assetou-kone     💻 Meet The Team: Hélène Parker – Chief Programmatic Coach 🌐 heleneparker.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker/ Manuela Cortes – Co-Host, Programmatic Digest en Español 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-/     🎓 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: https://heleneparker.com/library Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://heleneparker.com/newsletter Be the first to find out about free programmatic training workshops: https://www.heleneparker.com/waitlist/     📲 Follow Us: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/programmatic-digest-podcast ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@programmaticdigest

    196. AI Meets Programmatic: How Media Buyers Can Optimize with AI
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About

The Programmatic Digest, hosted by Helene Parker, is a 25-45 minutes weekly podcast rounding up fresh, top programmatic and digital headlines from our preferred digital media sources. It is also going to feature educational interviews with experts in the industry, like yourself.

Information

  • Creator
    Helene Parker and Co-host: Manuela Cortes
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    225
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Helene Parker Consulting LLC 2019-2025
  • Show Website
    The Programmatic Digest