The 37 | A Podcast for Marketing and Media People

Chris Pyne
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Weekly

Welcome to the 37, a show for media and marketing people, where we remove the real from the rhetoric.

  1. 14h ago

    The Big Idea Is Dead: Betting on a New Future | The 37

    At one point, $78 million was riding on a single game on Kalshi, and Chris put a small bet on it himself.   Chris Pyne and Jayde Chiaravalle open with the news. Meta's revenue is up 26% year over year while ad impressions grew 10%, Omnicom lands Coca-Cola's North American media business, 47% of US digital shoppers haven't used a retail AI chatbot, Walmart opens up to AI agents, and Salesforce agrees to buy Braze for about $5.66 billion. The main topic is prediction markets. They cover how Kalshi and Polymarket make money, why the ad spend that used to come from sports betting brands now comes from them, and how creator culture reaches young audiences. They finish with what marketers should do about it: be distinctive, not disruptive, and build brands that adapt to culture.   In this episode:   00:00 Intro   00:58 Meta's Q3 results: revenue up 26%, ad impressions up 10%   03:47 Coca-Cola goes to Omnicom   04:42 Forrester's agency forecast   06:41 47% of shoppers haven't used a retail AI chatbot   08:51 Walmart opens up to AI agents   10:47 Salesforce, Braze and the "SaaSpocalypse"   13:17 Main topic: betting on everything   13:51 What prediction markets are   16:26 Where the sports betting ad money went   17:49 Chris's Kalshi bet and the $78 million game   20:38 Parlays and how the platforms profit   21:51 Creator culture and the Miami Corolla   23:33 Casino logic: the top 1% take the winnings   25:33 Insider trading concerns   27:14 Who do you trust now?   29:53 What influencers cost   32:03 Pay your dues versus easy money   33:44 Quick-fix products and TikTok Shop   37:49 Lovemarks and brand loyalty   40:43 Be distinctive, not disruptive   44:07 The Atlantic survey: operations beat creative   45:17 Culturally adaptive brands   48:19 DCO explained   53:56 Sign-off   Topics covered:   Meta Q3 2026 results (Meta investor relations): https://investor.atmeta.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2026/Meta-Reports-Third-Quarter-2026-Results/default.aspx   Coca-Cola's media business goes to Omnicom (Digiday): https://digiday.com/media-buying/omnicom-lands-coca-colas-north-american-media-business/   Forrester's agency forecast (MediaPost): https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/418896/forrester-predicts-indie-agency-sector-will-shrink.html?edition=144249   Walmart and Amazon on AI agents (TechCrunch): https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/21/while-amazon-blocks-ai-agents-walmart-rolls-out-the-welcome-mat/   Salesforce to acquire Braze (Salesforce): https://www.salesforce.com/news/press-releases/2026/10/20/salesforce-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-braze/   The Atlantic marketing survey: https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/contentful-2026/   The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they're still in the weeds doing the work every day.   Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don't miss next week.

  2. Oct 26

    With All Due Respect: The Email Phrases That Mean the Opposite | The 37

    A political campaign’s digital ads meant for Portland, Maine ran in Portland, Oregon for four days. About $25,000 of spend was gone before anyone noticed.  Chris Pyne and Jayde Chiaravalle open with the news. Ferrero commits more than $50 million, including Super Bowl ads for Kinder Bueno and Nutella. Google adds about 400 news publishers to AI Overviews. Meta takes away placement controls. They also cover Dunkin’s unhinged social account, the new Tesla Roadster and the deposits behind it, and a chatbot that turned out to be one person typing. The main topic is email: the phrases that sound polite and mean the opposite, including “with all due respect,” “per my last email,” “let’s take this offline” and “just checking in,” and which ones to stop using.  In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:36 Super Bowl 61 and Ferrero’s Kinder Bueno spot 01:47 Ferrero moves into sports marketing 02:46 Google adds about 400 news publishers to AI Overviews 08:07 Meta removes placement controls 10:27 Meta and the first impression of the day 12:35 Nielsen’s portable people meter and 24 markets 15:51 A campaign’s ads run in the wrong Portland 19:10 Robitussin’s award-winning campaign 20:58 Dunkin’s unhinged social account 23:52 The Tesla Roadster: real or vapor? 27:07 ChatTJB: the AI chatbot that was a person typing 29:25 Main topic: With all due respect 30:22 How email length changes with seniority 32:25 The passive-aggressive phrases we all use 33:06 “With all due respect” 33:34 “Per my last email” 35:14 “Let’s take this offline” and “CC” 36:34 “Friendly reminder” and “As you no doubt are aware” 39:58 “Please see attached” and the reply-all heroes 43:07 “Just checking in” and why it weakens your position 45:13 Sign-off  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

  3. Oct 19

    The Confidence Game: Can Brands Fix Consumer Confidence? | The 37

    Fortune reported that Meta allegedly used 60 trillion tokens in 30 days. At a blended $3.60 per million tokens, Chris puts that at about $221 million.  Chris Pyne and Jayde Chiaravalle start with the news: the cost of AI tokens, the leaderboard of “Token Legends” at some companies, Coca-Cola’s media review, Amazon merging its DSP with sponsored ads, and Super Bowl 61 selling out. Then the main topic: consumer confidence is at record lows, yet people keep spending. They read the numbers, talk through shrinkflation and the push to private label, and land on three things brands can fix.  In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:29 Mighty Mike’s dad and a $100,000 Google Ads bill 01:40 Tokens are real money 02:13 Meta’s 60 trillion tokens 03:18 The token leaderboard 05:06 Token maxing and the $1,500 cap 07:18 Coca-Cola’s media review 08:47 Amazon merges its DSP and sponsored ads 11:49 Super Bowl 61 on Valentine’s Day 16:22 Holiday ad fire sales 18:51 Main topic: can brands fix consumer confidence? 21:13 Skint but still spending 23:06 The Omnisend survey 24:01 Fix one: explain the price 26:04 Shrinkflation 28:14 Private label and the race to the bottom 31:40 Why premium brands win 34:34 The three fixes 36:16 Coke and Pepsi 37:52 What gives us confidence 39:50 Sign-off  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

  4. Oct 15

    Advertising Week Special: When Did We Stop Asking Questions? | The 37

    A TikTok panel promised a 50% time savings based on two advertiser accounts. Then it announced a new ad network with one billion users and said almost nothing else about it.  Chris Pyne talks with Kayla Stass, Jr. Partner, Social / Performance at Junction 37, about what Advertising Week actually delivered. Kayla says most sessions felt like intro marketing seminars, the crowd was mostly agency people, students and creators, and AI and tech salespeople cornered her between sessions. They ask who is buying those pitches, why vague claims get a pass, and whether she’d go next year. Kayla also shares the one session that taught her something and the one she liked most.  In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:05 Chris’s welcome and Kayla’s intro 00:54 How was Advertising Week? 02:29 Who was actually there? 04:14 The AI and tech salespeople 05:02 Who is buying these pitches? 06:31 What Kayla learned: group creative by the problem it solves 10:01 The hype: a vague TikTok ads network announcement 13:28 When did we stop asking questions? 14:55 Chris’s theory: how one quote moves a whole industry 16:06 Would you go next year? 17:36 The session she loved: live social commerce 19:42 How does a regulated brand go live? 22:09 Sign-off  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

  5. Oct 14

    Advertising Week Special: Build What Matters, Download the Rest | The 37

    A multi-step campaign build dropped from 40 hours to 10 with an agentic workflow. It was one of the few hard numbers at Advertising Week, and Jordan Broihier says only about 15% of the sessions were great.  Chris Pyne talks with Jordan, Marketing Engineer at Junction 37, about what he took away. They cover why AI tools that look essential today may be built into the platforms next year, whether faster work means better work, and what hyper-personalized ads inside chatbots could mean for consumers. They also ask how much was vendor pitch, where the robots, the Teletubbies and a DeLorean fit in, and the three things Jordan is bringing back to the team.  In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:38 Jordan’s role at Junction 37 00:57 How was Advertising Week? 02:02 Sherlocking: when a platform absorbs your tool 02:40 Don’t build what you can download 05:13 Should you wait for the next model? 07:10 Is any of this tangible? 40 hours down to 10 07:54 Faster work or better work? 10:26 What was actually new: hyper-contextual ads in LLMs 12:12 Personalization’s track record and what changes 13:32 The skeptic’s view: slop emails and chatbot brand moments 16:03 The vendors, and where the value was 17:03 The pie chart: great, meh and okay 18:52 The weird stuff: robots, Teletubbies, a DeLorean 20:02 Any snake oil? 21:02 Three things Jordan is taking back to work  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

  6. Oct 13

    Advertising Week Special: Why Attention Isn’t Enough Anymore | The 37

    A panel at Advertising Week showed a campaign with three times its expected add-to-cart rate, higher household penetration and higher ROAS. It won on strategy. Nobody explained why it worked.  Jayde Chiaravalle sits down with Adrienne Mireau, Partner, Strategy at Junction 37, who went to seven to ten sessions on creators and came back with a question. Brands and creators both say creators need more freedom, so why isn’t it happening? Adrienne explains why attention isn’t enough anymore and fandom is, what the Bose CMO said about fixing performance before rebuilding the brand, why the Teletubbies stuck with her, and why the same shopper wants different things on Tuesday at 8 a.m. and Friday at 9 p.m. They close on which brands will break through.  In this episode:  00:00 Intro  00:41 Adrienne’s role at Junction 37  01:43 Creators and brands both say give creators the reins  03:55 Attention isn’t enough anymore. Fandom is.  06:05 The panel that won on strategy and never said why  07:55 The Bose CMO: shore up performance, then build the brand  10:16 Teletubbies and the shiny object problem  11:19 Luck isn’t a strategy  13:20 Same shopper, different intent: Tuesday 8 a.m. vs Friday 9 p.m.  14:15 AI is a shiny tactic. What actually helps brands win?  15:56 Who breaks through?  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

  7. Oct 13

    Advertising Week Special: Who Wins When AI Runs Retail Media? | The 37

    Conversions will double. Cost per click will drop 25%. Those are the claims from platform-run beta tests, and Joe has a name for them: controlled experiments designed to make the platform look good.  Jayde Chiaravalle sits down with Joe Mefford, Senior Partner, Performance at Junction 37, fresh from Advertising Week in New York. They ask whether an AI agent can plan your kid’s birthday party (Jayde would let it get three quarters of the way), what guardrails to set before you hand an agent your budget, and why brand versus retail is turning into brand through retail. Joe explains why he thinks the platforms win when they take the controls. Plus the session that named an agency by dropping a vowel from a random word, and ads on robots, twenty years later.  In this episode:  00:00 Intro  00:39 Joe’s role: retail media at Junction 37  01:18 Advertising Week: the good, the bad and the ugly  02:57 Amazon Unboxed, Prime Days and Walmart Deal Days  03:23 Would you let an AI agent do your grocery shopping?  06:39 AI agents for marketers: handing over the budget  07:34 What guardrails do you set before you hit spend?  09:26 The sessions that hit the mark, and the ones that didn’t  11:11 Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper and “brand through retail”  12:31 Amazon wants the controls: DVA+ and the full funnel  15:22 Who wins when platforms run the budget?  18:09 The ugly: platform beta tests and AI that won’t say why  20:03 Ads on robots: everything old is new again  21:50 Was it a successful Advertising Week?  22:57 Walmart’s moves: Vizio, Vibe.co and The Trade Desk  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Chiaravalle, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

  8. Oct 12

    The Dwight Schrute Test for Marketers: Would an Idiot Do That? | The 37

    CPM means cost per thousand. Reach isn’t impressions. Demand Gen isn’t Lead Gen. And a bibliography at the end of your POV tells the client exactly who wrote it.  Dwight Schrute has a decision-making test: would an idiot do that? If so, don’t do that thing. Chris and Jayde run the media industry through it. The terms people throw around without knowing them, the “insights” that are just a reading of the weather, and the AI-generated decks, emails and question lists that are quietly costing agencies their accounts.  Plus: Advertising Week in New York, where they sent four employees to find out what’s real. Omnicom discovers that people avoid ads, then announces a fix that’s twenty-year-old technology with fresh paint. And Acxiom hosts a webinar on tracing results back to who you targeted, in 2026.  In this episode:  00:05 Intro  00:31 Advertising Week: long lines, no clients, and four employees sent to investigate  01:26 Omnicom says 65% of consumers avoid ads, then partners with Rembrand  02:51 Mirriad renamed: two-decade-old tech, reskinned for 2026  03:19 Acxiom’s webinar on things we’ve done for years  05:39 Main topic: the Dwight Schrute test  06:33 The creator who thinks CPM means cost per million  08:23 SEO, SEM, AEO, GEO and GAIA are five different things  10:25 Reach is not impressions  11:29 Demand Gen is not Lead Gen  12:30 An insight is not a reading of the weather  14:04 The detergent story: asking why five times  15:03 Why “best practice” is generic advice for someone else’s budget  16:02 eMarketer: 61% use AI for media buying, 86% for creative  17:02 You can spot an AI deck a mile off  18:33 Show your work  19:27 “I’m training it to sound like me.” No, you aren’t  19:59 How to use AI without outsourcing your judgement  22:05 The bibliography tell  22:35 AI-written emails to a client you’ve had for years  24:09 Getting AI-generated questions back about your own deck  25:46 Remove critical thinking and you’ll get fired  The 37 is a show for media and marketing people where we remove the real from the rhetoric. Hosts Chris Pyne, founder and CEO of Junction 37, and Jayde Levesque, Chief Client Officer, have 50+ years in the business between them. Unlike most, they’re still in the weeds doing the work every day.  Questions or topics you want us to cover? Leave a comment or email chris.pyne@junction37.com. Follow the show so you don’t miss next week.

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Welcome to the 37, a show for media and marketing people, where we remove the real from the rhetoric.

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