Radically Candid: Learn about Streaming TV advertising.

[cognition]
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  • TV & FILM

Welcome to [radically candid] the podcast that takes you behind the scenes with the people, personalities, and perspectives shaping how we think about Streaming TV and how we approach solving challenges for agencies trying to build an owned and operated ad tech stack.

  1. Account Management 101: Manage, Retain, and Scale with Ilka Pritchard, Director of Account Management

    3D AGO

    Account Management 101: Manage, Retain, and Scale with Ilka Pritchard, Director of Account Management

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Ilka Pritchard, Director of Account Management at [cognition], to dig into one of the most critical parts of the business: client relationships. From onboarding through long-term partnerships, this conversation covers what it takes to manage, scale, and retain the accounts that keep everything moving. Who's This Conversation For? This conversation is for anyone who wants to understand how strong client relationships are built and maintained in the programmatic and Streaming TV space. Whether you're in account management, working alongside it, or just curious about how [cognition] approaches partnership, this one's for you. What You'll Learn By Listening 1) From Choir Tours to Ad Tech (0:45) Before [cognition], Ilka spent 11 years organizing international choir tours. That same instinct, building trust and helping people succeed, carried directly into her pivot into ad tech. Great AM skills aren't industry-specific. Curiosity and relationship-building translate anywhere.2) The AM Team Is the Voice of the Customer (2:40) Day-to-day account management runs on constant communication, internally and externally. Ilka explains how the team brings client feedback to product and tech, advocating for clients in every internal room. 💡 Key Takeaway: Great AMs have their clients' backs internally. That advocacy turns a vendor into a partner.3) Responsiveness Without Instant Answers (4:30) Being responsive doesn't mean having an immediate solution. Acknowledging the request, communicating progress, and following up when promised builds far more trust than a half-formed response. Trust is built in the follow-through, not the first reply.4) Retention Comes From Active Listening (5:26) Three months or three years in, complacency is the killer. Ilka makes the case that retention hinges on active listening and tying every interaction back to value. Sometimes what a client asks for isn't what will actually solve their problem. Clients renew when they feel heard. The questions you ask matter as much as the answers you deliver.5) The Lifecycle Starts Before the Contract (7:13) The client journey begins well before signature, sales discovery, internal and external kickoffs, and a cadence built around what success looks like for that client. A great kickoff sets the tone for everything that follows.6) You Don't Need Every Answer, You Need to Care (9:04) Ilka looks for people who like working with people, bring curiosity, and have demonstrated respect and collaboration.  The biggest mistake? AMs who think they need every answer themselves instead of leaning on the team. Authenticity is the filter. If someone shows up willing to learn and stay themselves, the rest can be built.7) Data Only Matters in Context (14:49) Reporting is essential, but only when tied to what the client cares about. The team surfaces trends, raises flags proactively, and connects every number back to the client's broader goals. Data without context is noise. The value is in the connection.8) Programmatic Misconceptions Worth Addressing (16:27) From "I didn't see my ad, but I know it's working" to preamp vs. FAST, Ilka shares the misconceptions she hears most and why education is core to the AM role. The clients seeing the most success aren't asking whether to do programmatic. They're asking how to integrate it. Connect with Ilka on LinkedIn here!

    18 min
  2. Behind the Build of Q1 Product Innovation with Michael Lieberman, VP of Innovation at [cognition]

    APR 8

    Behind the Build of Q1 Product Innovation with Michael Lieberman, VP of Innovation at [cognition]

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Michael Lieberman, Vice President of Innovation at [cognition], to recap what the team has been building in Q1 and where innovation is headed for the rest of the year. Who's This Conversation For? This conversation is for anyone who wants to understand the technology and strategy behind [cognition]'s platform. Whether you're a partner looking to get more out of your measurement capabilities or someone in ad tech curious about how cross-channel measurement and Streaming TV attribution are evolving, this one's for you. What You'll Learn By Listening 1) What the Headless Analytics Tag Actually Does Michael walks through how HAT connects the dots across the entire customer journey, from a Streaming TV impression to on-site activity to a form fill. Using a real-world example of someone watching Amazon Prime, searching on their phone, and landing on a dealer site, he explains how HAT stitches that full path together in a way traditional attribution tools can't. HAT isn't just another pixel. It's two components working together, on-site tracking and a pixel on the creative, to give clients a direct line from impression to conversion.2) Cross-Channel Visibility Is Expanding HAT doesn't just measure Streaming TV. Because of the on-site tracking layer, clients are also gaining visibility into how search, social, and other channels are performing alongside their streaming campaigns. Michael explains how combining all of those signals is becoming a bigger part of what clients expect and leverage. Measurement isn't siloed anymore. Clients are starting to see the full picture of how every channel contributes, not just the ones [cognition] executes on.3) OEM Programs Are Getting Smarter A big Q1 effort focused on helping clients who run OEM programs better manage, filter, and report on those campaigns. Michael shares a fun insight about how customer paths don't always go in a straight line, sometimes a tier-three ad sends someone to the OEM site first before they end up exactly where the ad intended. The data tells a story. Customers get where the ad wants them to go, but the journey is more complex than most people assume, and now clients can see that.4) Media Execution Is Getting Faster On the execution side, Q1 was about making the managed service team more efficient and effective. Michael explains why speed of execution is one of the biggest pieces of value [cognition] brings to partners, and why a lot of behind-the-scenes work went into making that faster this quarter. Not every innovation is client-facing. Some of the most important work is operational, helping the team move quicker so clients see results sooner.5) DV360 and Beyond [cognition] has been enhancing its DV360 offering with plans to integrate and support more platforms in the months ahead. Michael frames this as part of a larger mission: providing measurement and insight across every channel and DSP clients are working in, not just the ones [cognition] started with. The vision is platform-agnostic measurement. As new channels and DSPs are added, clients should expect consistent insight no matter where their media runs.6) What's Next and Why Michael Is Excited Looking ahead, Michael points to new technologies, clean room capabilities, and the speed at which the team can now bring new products to market. At its core, the goal is the same: give partners the tools and insights they need to grow their business, because when they grow, [cognition] grows. The pace of innovation is accelerating. What's coming in Q2 and beyond is going to give partners yet another reason to lean into the platform.

    13 min
  3. How Design Drives Real Business Growth with Renuka Lakra, Senior UX Designer at [cognition]

    APR 1

    How Design Drives Real Business Growth with Renuka Lakra, Senior UX Designer at [cognition]

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Renuka Lakra, Senior UX Designer at [cognition], for a conversation about why design is one of the most undervalued growth levers in business. Renuka shares her perspective on how great UX closes the gap between a product and the people using it, why function always comes before aesthetics, and how a single design decision can move millions in revenue. Who's This Conversation For?  This conversation is for startup founders who want to understand how design drives real business outcomes, anyone building or managing a software product who wants to invest in UX the right way, and designers looking for language to advocate for the strategic value of their work. What You'll Learn By Listening 1. UX Design Is Function Before Aesthetics Renuka reframes what UX design actually is and why it belongs at the start of the software development process, not the end. A product is a tool, not a piece of art, and if it doesn't function the way users expect, no amount of visual polish will save it. Learn why the word "design" creates confusion and why terms like UX strategy or UX architecture better communicate what the work really involves.2. Empathy Is the Designer's Most Important Tool Renuka walks through two everyday examples, Gmail's forgotten-attachment reminder and Canva's template library, to show how the best products anticipate user needs before users even realize them. Gmail isn't showing you a beautiful screen when it catches a missing attachment. It's preventing a mistake and building trust. Canva's templates aren't there to look pretty, they're there to remove the paralysis of a blank page so someone with zero design skills can produce professional work in five minutes.3. One Design Decision That Doubled Airbnb's Revenue In 2009, Airbnb was nearly dead at $200 a week. The founders flew to New York, knocked on doors, and found the problem, terrible listing photos. They rented a camera, took professional shots, and revenue doubled in a single week. Same platform, same listings, same city. Just better photos. From 2010 to 2012, bookings went from almost nothing to nearly 5 million nights. 4. Amazon's One-Click Checkout and 300% Conversion Lift People already knew what they wanted to buy. The problem was the checkout process had too many steps, and that's exactly where the drop-off was happening. Amazon reduced the entire flow to one click. Conversion rates went from 2.5% to over 10%. More people who wanted to buy something actually completed the purchase.5. Give Designers Goals, Not Tasks Give your UX designer a North Star goal, not a feature to design. Make them part of your product strategy and let them understand your business. Airbnb's goal was to increase bookings. Spotify's goal was to keep users listening longer. Duolingo's goal was to bring users back every day. None of those are feature requests. They're real business problems, and that's exactly where design should start.6. Dark Design and Why Values Come First Renuka opens up about dark design patterns, the manipulative UX tactics some companies use to make it harder for users to cancel, unsubscribe, or leave.  If your values don't align with designing against the user, don't do it. As a UX designer, Renuka's stance is clear: she advocates for users, always.Connect with Renuka Lakra on LinkedIn here!

    16 min
  4. How Culture Is Built Not Just Talked About with Bill Schomburg

    MAR 17

    How Culture Is Built Not Just Talked About with Bill Schomburg

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Bill Schomberg, one of [cognition]'s founding advisors, to go all the way back to the beginning and explore how culture, values, and relationships built the foundation for everything the company is today. Who's This Conversation For? This conversation is for anyone who wants to understand what makes [cognition] different from the inside out. Whether you're a new hire trying to understand the DNA of the company, a long-time team member who wants to hear how it all started, or someone on the outside curious about what a values-driven ad tech company actually looks like, this one's for you. What You'll Learn By Listening 1) How It All Started Before It Started Bill wasn't looking for an advisory role, he didn't even know it was a possibility. After connecting with Carson at a digital dealer meeting and having a two-hour conversation, an unexpected email and phone call changed everything. He joined [cognition] before most people knew it existed. The Payoff: Sometimes the most important roles aren't ones you apply for. Community and genuine connection open doors you didn't know were there.2) The Founders Learned to Disagree In the earliest team conversations, Bill noticed a problem: nobody pushed back. Everyone agreed, which meant most of the room wasn't adding value. Today, that dynamic has completely flipped. Different opinions are welcomed, and that shift is one of the biggest reasons the company has scaled the way it has. 💡 Key Takeaway: Agreement isn't alignment. Real growth starts when people feel safe enough to challenge each other.3) DIRT Values and the SOIL Framework Dare, Innovate, Respect, Trust, the core values that spell DIRT aren't just a poster on the wall. Bill connects them to his own framework, SOIL (Signs of Intelligent Life), drawing on his upbringing around Nebraska farming to explain why healthy culture, like fertile soil, has to be intentionally tended season after season. Culture isn't maintenance. It's constant effort, accountability, and expectation, and [cognition] treats it that way every day.4) Failure Is the Fastest Way to Learn Bill shares the image of a brick wall where the failure bricks far outnumber the success ones, and that's exactly how it should be. At [cognition], failure isn't a setback. It's expected, encouraged, and treated as the engine behind innovation. The company is on a rocket ship trajectory, and the people who thrive here are the ones who let go of the idea that failure is a negative.5) You Can't Teach Someone to Care When it comes to hiring, Bill and Ava land on the one quality that matters most: caring. Skills can be taught, products can be learned, but showing up every day wanting to make an impact is something a person either brings with them or they don't. That's the filter. If someone cares, everything else [cognition] needs from them can be built.Connect with Bill Schomberg on LinkedIn here!

    28 min
  5. Account Management 101: What It Means and How It Works with the Account Management Team

    MAR 4

    Account Management 101: What It Means and How It Works with the Account Management Team

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds goes deep into the world of Account Management with four Enterprise Account Managers at [cognition]. From what the role actually looks like day-to-day to the soft skills that separate good AMs from great ones, this episode is an honest, inside look at what it takes to build lasting client relationships in the ad tech space and why the shift to Streaming TV is changing everything about how value gets proven. Who's This Conversation For?  This conversation is for anyone considering a career in account management, agency and brand partners who want to understand what makes client relationships actually work, and anyone curious about how Streaming TV is reshaping the way advertisers measure success and ROI. What You'll Learn By Listening 1. What Account Management Really Means AJ Gardner and Annie Monaghan break down the hybrid nature of the AM role, part strategist, part consultant, part advocate. Before any recommendation gets made the best AMs start with one thing, listening. Learn why understanding a client's business, differentiators, and gaps matters more than pitching a solution and how that approach shapes every interaction from onboarding forward.2. The Full Client Lifecycle Annie walks through what it looks like to bring a new client into the platform, from onboarding to ongoing optimization. Getting a client in the driver's seat isn't just about platform access, it's about making sure every internal team, from Operations to Finance to Product, understands what success looks like for that partner.3. Proactivity as a Retention Strategy AJ shares a real example of how noticing a pattern across a handful of dealership requests led to a fully packaged live sports and CTV bundle shared proactively with agency partners before they ever asked. This is the mindset the whole team operates with, don't wait for the ask. Stay on the pulse, anticipate the need, and show up before the client has to.4. Trust Is Built in the Hard Moments Kirsten Scutaro and Kelly Bourbonnais get candid about what client retention really comes down to and it's not perfection. When something goes wrong, how you show up to fix it matters more than never making a mistake. Clients stay because they trust you, and trust is built through transparency, in-person connection, and accountability.5. The Streaming Shift And Why the Data Changes Everything The team breaks down why the move from traditional TV to Streaming TV isn't just a media trend, it's a measurement revolution. From [cognition]'s Headless Analytics Tag to real-time attribution that connects ad exposure to actual consumer action, streaming unlocks insights that traditional TV never could. Go-to-market time is cut in half, and reporting can be set up and delivered in real time.Connect with the Guests AJ Gardner (Enterprise Account Manager)Annie Monaghan (Enterprise Account Manager)Kirsten Scutaro (Enterprise Account Manager)Kelly Bourbonnais (Enterprise Account Manager) Interested in joining the team?  Account Manager and Account Coordinator roles are currently open.  Reach out to Alex Mills or visit [cognition]'s careers page. Click here to get a demo

    26 min
  6. How Feedback Becomes The Next Feature with Alex Bronkar, Product Enablement Specialist @ [cognition]

    FEB 25

    How Feedback Becomes The Next Feature with Alex Bronkar, Product Enablement Specialist @ [cognition]

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Alex Bronkar, Product Enablement Specialist at Cognition, to pull back the curtain on what it really means to be the bridge between Product, Development, and the rest of the organization. Who's This Conversation For? This conversation is for anyone who wants to understand how ad tech products get built, refined, and rolled out across a growing team. If you've ever wondered how client feedback actually turns into a new feature, or what [cognition]'s six products do and how they connect, this episode is for you. What You'll Learn By Listening 1) Why the Bridge Role Exists Alex traces his path from Operations Analyst to Account Manager to Product Enablement, a role that was born out of necessity. As [cognition] grew, someone needed to translate between the Development team building the tools and the people using them every day. The Payoff: Faster onboarding, fewer miscommunications, and a direct line from client needs to product improvements.2) The Feedback Loop That Builds Products Not all feedback is created equal. Alex breaks down the three categories every request falls into: bug, user error, or enhancement, and explains how that classification determines what happens next. 💡 Key Takeaway: If the team ships a product and no one says anything, they've failed. The feedback loop is the engine behind every product improvement at [cognition].3) From Manual Creative Swaps to a Full Ad Server One of the best examples of that feedback loop in action, creative swaps used to mean downloading and re-uploading videos across multiple platforms. That pain point evolved into a file transfer system, which eventually became [cognition]'s own ad server. Start with the manual process, identify the friction, then build the tool that eliminates it.4) A Crash Course on All Six Products Alex walks through every product in the [cognition] suite: Media Studio for campaign management, Measurement Studio for performance and attribution, Data Studio for audience creation, Creative Studio to create advertisements, Ad Serving for multi-platform creative delivery, and Planning & Insights for tying it all together into a media plan. Headless Analytics is the connective tissue that will increasingly tie all six products together, giving clients a unified view of the customer journey across touch points.5) What's Next? Faster, More Dynamic, and Fully Connected Alex sees the product roadmap heading toward speed and scale, think 100 videos uploaded in 10 minutes, with Headless Analytics as the key to making the entire suite work as one cohesive platform. Connect with Alex Bronkar on LinkedIn here!

    14 min
  7. Breaking The $40B Streaming TV Black Box with Adam Holt, Collin Davis, Tim Daher, and Amber Daniel

    FEB 4

    Breaking The $40B Streaming TV Black Box with Adam Holt, Collin Davis, Tim Daher, and Amber Daniel

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds goes deep into the mechanics of Streaming TV advertising with the leadership team at [cognition]. From the technical how-to of dynamic creative to the strategic shift from demand capture to demand generation, this episode pulls back the curtain on how dealers and agencies can finally see inside the black box of Streaming TV. Who’s This Conversation For? This conversation is for anyone looking to move beyond vanity metrics and master the technical side of Streaming TV. Listeners will discover how to navigate fragmented data across Walled Gardens like Amazon and Google while shifting from search-heavy budgets to a holistic attribution model.  What You’ll Learn By Listening 1. The Why vs. The How of Streaming Ads Adam Holt (Vice President of Product) and Collin Davis (CTO) explain that while streaming feels like a new medium, the core strategy remains: Being the Translation Layer. [cognition] acts as the bridge between complex DSPs (Demand Side Platforms) and the end goal, selling a vehicle. Learn how [cognition] uses a library of B-roll and automated tech to get campaigns live in minutes, solving the "I don't have video content" pain point.2. Creative Studio & The Power of Dynamic Tags The team breaks down how Creative Studio and Media Studio work in tandem. By using a certified ad server, [cognition] can update offers and inventory within a video ad dynamically. If a car sells or a price changes, the ad updates automatically without needing a new video file.3. Measuring the Black Box: Overlap & Attribution Tim Daher (Vice President of Sales) and Amber Daniel (CRO) tackle the transparency issue in programmatic buying. Tim reveals that even when buying across different platforms, there is often only a 10% overlap in audience reach, meaning incremental reach is higher than most marketers realize.The team discusses why relying solely on Search is dangerous and you are letting the market dictate your future. Streaming TV doesn't just capture demand, it creates it.4. The 90-Day Clock While most dealers are obsessed with the 30-day sales cycle, the [cognition] team argues that success is driven by the 90-day clock. By influencing the consumer journey earlier through streaming and programmatic video, the 30-day bottom of the funnel results take care of themselves. Key Takeaways Using Data Clean Rooms to match impression data with sales records without exposing PII.A sneak peek into [cognition]’s roadmap, including deeper integration with DV360 and YouTube to complement their Amazon DSP expertise.For agencies that struggle to get weekly data from dealers, [cognition] leverages third-party registration data (like Polk) to prove ROI automatically.Connect with the Guests Adam Holt (Vice President of Product) Collin Davis (CTO)Tim Daher (Vice President of Sales)Amber Daniel (CRO) – Reach out at amber@cognitionads.com Click here to get a demo of the first unified streaming media activation and measurement platform for agencies and enterprise teams.

    31 min
  8. How Your Data Actually Gets Managed with Aqua Bailey, Operations Support Lead @ [cognition]

    JAN 20

    How Your Data Actually Gets Managed with Aqua Bailey, Operations Support Lead @ [cognition]

    In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Aqua Bailey, Operational Support Lead at [cognition], to pull back the curtain on how data actually moves from a dealership’s sales floor to a high-performing digital campaign. Who's This Conversation For? This conversation is for anyone looking to understand the technical back end of attribution. If you’ve ever wondered how to prove an ad actually sold a car, or what exactly happens inside a Data Clean Room, this episode is for you.   What You'll Learn By Listening 1) Why Lower Numbers Can Mean Better Data Aqua explains the critical role of de-duplication. In the DSP, numbers might look inflated because one person saw multiple ads. By using Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), Aqua’s team identifies the unique individual behind the clicks. The Payoff: You get a true metric of reach and a realistic ROI, rather than vanity metrics that count the same person five times.2) Understanding Data Clean Rooms (DCR) Data privacy is non-negotiable, but data access is essential. Aqua breaks down the DCR as a secure, private filing cabinet that stores inventory, impressions, and sales data while protecting PII (Personally Identifiable Information). 💡 Key Technical Takeaway: [cognition] leverages a 95-day backfill window, a massive advantage over other platforms for tracking long-term trends and maintaining client trust.3) How to Track Sales Without Sharing Sensitive Data For clients hesitant to share first-party sales data due to privacy concerns, Aqua introduces the Polk/DMV integration. By pulling registered buyer data directly from the DMV, [cognition] can aggregate matchbacks to prove campaign effectiveness without the dealer ever having to export a customer list.4) Turning Past Data into Future Audiences Data isn't just for reporting, it’s for targeting. Aqua discusses how segments, built from either first-party sales data or previous conversion events, are pushed back into the DSP to create high-intent audiences. The Strategy: If you have over 2,500 impressions, you can turn that data into a retargeting powerhouse to reach the people who almost bought. Connect with Aqua Bailey on LinkedIn here!

    13 min
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Welcome to [radically candid] the podcast that takes you behind the scenes with the people, personalities, and perspectives shaping how we think about Streaming TV and how we approach solving challenges for agencies trying to build an owned and operated ad tech stack.

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