1. How does modular technology enhance flexibility and scalability in retail media networks?

Modular technology replaces the rigid, all-in-one retail media stack with a flexible architecture designed for change. Instead of locking retailers into a single solution for both sell-side and buy-side needs, modular systems decouple those layers so you can plug in a new DSP or update your ad server without rebuilding your entire tech 

For example, when The Home Depot launched Orange Apron Media, they didn’t settle for an out-of-the-box platform. Instead, they built a modular retail media stack around Pentaleap’s technology prioritizing interoperability, customization, and control.

This kind of setup makes it easy to scale. Need to add a new DSP? Add a new offsite partner? You can do it, and without disrupting everything else. That’s the power of a modular approach: faster upgrades, smoother integrations, and future-proof flexibility.

2. How does this approach compare to traditional retail media platforms, and what advantages does it offer?

Traditional retail media platforms were built as closed ecosystems—bundled tools, limited interoperability, and one path to monetization. That model may have been serviceable early on, but it limits innovation and control.

A modular approach changes the equation.

• Best-in-breed components: Retailers can select the strongest tech for each part of the stack.

• Reduced lock-in: No dependency on a single vendor’s roadmap or timelines.

• Lower total cost of ownership: Competitive pressure drives down costs and keeps margins healthy.

Again, when The Home Depot launched Orange Apron Media, they didn’t buy a monolith—they built a modular platform with Pentaleap at the core. This allowed them to customize the UI, optimize for supplier experience, and scale onsite and offsite offerings at their own pace.

With modular retail media, retailers aren’t limited to a fixed toolkit they build the platform that fits their business, not the other way around.

3. How can advertisers and brands maximize their ROI through modular retail media solutions?

With modular retail media, more of a brand’s budget reaches actual media, not middlemen. Lower ad tech fees = higher media efficiency and ROI.

It also opens the door to tighter integration with a retailer’s own site; search, personalization, and AI can all feed directly into ad delivery. 

That means more relevant placements, better shopper experiences, and higher conversion rates. It’s performance marketing with native intelligence built in.

4. How does this technology improve targeting, attribution, and measurement in retail media?

Retail media thrives on search—because intent is clear. Someone searching “dog food” is already halfway to checkout. That kind of context-based targeting consistently outperforms audience-based methods that guess at intent.

But targeting alone isn’t enough. What really matters is how ads are served.

Most platforms disrupt the shopper's journey with ads that feel bolted on. Their strategy is to push more, better, above-the-fold placements, but often at the cost of relevance.

Pentaleap’s Fluid Ad Server takes a different approach.

If a sponsored product is relevant and likely to convert, it earns top placement. If it’s not, it doesn’t show. Simple as that.

Some clients have told us that this approach makes it feel like your search algorithm was built to handle ads.

And the result is a native, seamless experience where paid content feels like part of the journey—not an interruption.

And because Fluid understands both organic and paid signals, high-quality ads naturally rise to the top. Poor performers are filtered out; not just by bids, but by relevance.

This isn’t about cramming in more ads. It’s about serving the right ones, in the right places, at the right time.

That’s how retailers increase yield without compromising experience, and how brands get attribution they can trust.

5. What role will privacy-compliant data strategies play in the success of modular retail media?

Privacy is foundational. Retail media already has a major advantage here: it runs on first-party data. Add in modular infrastructure and you get even more control; particularly around how that data is used.

We double down on contextual targeting rather than relying on identity graphs or third-party cookies. That’s good for privacy, and it’s future proof by design. The result: sustainable advertising that respects the customer and scales responsibly.

6. What trends are shaping the future of retail media networks and their role in the broader digital advertising ecosystem?

As usual, the trends are predicted by the biggest obstacles. One of the biggest challenges right now for both retailers and brands is fragmentation. Many retailers build their own walled gardens, which makes it harder for brands to buy and harder for retailers to sell.

Real-Time Bidding (RTB) is a huge breakthrough trend positioned to solve fragmentation—but it’s not the RTB you remember. This isn’t about cheap remnant inventory, opaque auctions, or poor targeting.

This is a new wave of RTB, built specifically for on-site Sponsored Products with:

• Ultra-low latency (under 30ms response times)

• Cloud-native, co-located infrastructure for performance

• Relevance-first, dynamic ad serving tech

RTB is democratizing retail media in a few ways:

• Brands will access retailer inventory more easily, from platforms where they already spend.

• Retailers will unlock demand from a broader set of advertisers, including smaller brands that couldn’t access them before.

• And the entire ecosystem will move closer to a more open, standardized landscape—finally breaking through the walled garden deadlock.

Pentaleap has been RTB-native from day one. We’re already live with 17 retailers—and what we’re seeing is clear: this model works. It’s faster, fairer, and more flexible

1. What measures are in place to ensure brand safety and suitability when utilizing AI-powered platforms for podcast advertising?

Sounder is the cornerstone of our brand safety and suitability framework. Sounder's AI transcribes, analyzes, and categorizes conversations within podcasts, creating detailed topic maps and IAB analysis for each episode. This goes beyond basic keyword identification to understand context and appropriateness of content.

Sounder's brand suitability system also allows advertisers to establish customized parameters that align with their specific values and messaging guidelines, ensuring ads only appear in contextually relevant and brand-appropriate environments. Since acquiring Sounder in 2024, we've integrated the system into Triton’s full ad stack for direct sold and programmatic podcast advertising using pre-bid targeting – meaning that instead of simply observing and reporting on content once published, we’re able to ensure that content is classified before publishing and avoid targeting leakage or errors.

2. How has the integration of AI-driven contextual targeting impacted your organization's podcast advertising revenue streams?

While we don’t share specifics, the integration has positively transformed our revenue landscape in several ways. We've seen substantial inventory expansion as previously untapped content becomes viable for advertising. Content that might have been overlooked in traditional genre-based targeting can now be monetized at an episodic level when they contains relevant conversations, creating new advertising opportunities without requiring additional content production. We've also seen increased advertiser confidence and spending attributed to their use of tools like Sounder. Buyers appreciate the precision targeting capabilities and brand suitability assurances, leading to higher investment levels through our Audio Marketplace. For our podcast creators, this has translated to increased revenue streams as their content attracts a broader range of advertisers beyond their primary category.

3. How do you evaluate the potential of AI-enhanced podcast advertising in reaching new markets and audience segments?

Through Sounder, advertisers can reach relevant audiences regardless of podcast genre, significantly expanding their reach. For instance, an automotive brand can target tech podcasts discussing transportation innovation. We're also analyzing how contextual targeting helps advertisers connect with niche interests that transcend standard demographics. This creates opportunities to reach underserved audience segments with highly relevant messaging. Recently, Sounder expanded its capabilities beyond English to include Spanish content, opening new doors for advertisers looking to connect with the rapidly growing Spanish-speaking audience. We continuously measure Sounder’s impact through performance metrics, advertiser feedback, and market expansion indicators to refine our approach and maximize the potential of this technology, always keeping an eye toward identifying untapped opportunities where AI can connect advertisers with receptive audiences they might otherwise miss.

4. How does your organization assess the effectiveness of AI tools in maintaining brand integrity across diverse podcast content?

Sounder provides deep contextual understanding beyond simple keyword matching, which has proven particularly effective for content from diverse creators whose conversations might be misclassified by less sophisticated systems. The effectiveness of our approach can be seen in our partnership with Urban One, where our contextual AI analysis reduced content restrictions from 92% to just 11% of their catalog, dramatically increasing monetizable inventory while maintaining brand safety standards.

5. What role do you foresee AI playing in the evolution of your organization's podcast advertising strategies over the next 3-5 years?

AI will fundamentally transform advertising strategies over the coming years. We'll move beyond topic identification to more sophisticated analysis of conversation dynamics, emotional context, and cultural relevance. This will create even more nuanced targeting opportunities for advertisers.

AI also opens opportunities for better podcast advertisement creation, in response to briefs, or creation in other languages. It can streamline the production process, enabling rapid generation of localized or tailored ad creatives that resonate more deeply with diverse audiences.

Throughout this evolution, we remain committed to balancing technological advancement with human oversight to ensure responsible and effective deployment of AI in advertising while maximizing returns for both advertisers and content creators.

6. How is your leadership team preparing for emerging trends and innovations in AI-powered podcast advertising?

Our leadership team is focused on strategic expansion of our AI capabilities through targeted acquisitions and partnerships. Our acquisition of Sounder in March 2024 represents a cornerstone of this strategy, bringing sophisticated AI-powered audio intelligence to our ecosystem where Sounder is also being integrated into our CMS offerings for workflow enhancements.

We're continuously enhancing these capabilities, as evidenced by our recent integration of Sounder with Spreaker in March 2025, enabling advanced contextual targeting across our network of 260,000+ independent creator podcasts. Additionally, our expanded partnership with Audioboom to implement Sounder across their extensive catalog demonstrates our commitment to scaling these innovations industry-wide.

As we look ahead, we're continuing to invest in enhancing our audio intelligence platform while expanding partnerships across the industry, ensuring Triton Digital remains at the forefront of AI-driven podcast advertising innovation while creating value for both advertisers and content creators throughout our ecosystem.

1. How is your organization adapting its content marketing strategies to leverage AI-powered platforms ensuring alignment with brand voice and business objectives? 

At Skyword, we believe AI should work for your brand not the other way around. As more content starts to sound the same, standing out with a clear, authentic brand voice and a focused topic ownership strategy is more important than ever. So, when we think about using AI in content marketing, our priority is making sure it reinforces what makes our own brand and each of our clients’ brands unique its voice, tone, goals, audiences, and focus areas not just churning out generic content.

We engineered our AI-infused content marketing engine, Accelerator360™, to do this with our Configure tool. It’s designed to take in all those brand-specific inputs such as voice, tone, business goals, audience personas, and messaging themes and apply them across every AI-enabled function in the platform so that every piece of content aligns with the brand's identity and strategic objectives and the data that’s used to inform things like AI-generated assignment briefs and campaign plans is relevant and specific to the brand.

To make it easy, brands can simply input their website URL, and Accelerator360™ will automatically pre-fill their Configure fields. It analyzes how the brand is currently presenting itself, identifies inconsistencies or opportunities for improvement, and surfaces where conversations are happening around the topics the brand wants to influence. It also maps out key themes and offers strategic guidance on how the brand should show up in those conversations to lead, not just participate. All of this information is editable, but it’s another way we can use AI-powered insights to actually improve and refine brand identity and strategy rather than copy/pasting inputs from a brand book that might be dated and lack context.

We’re really focused on removing the friction that often comes with getting AI tools to stay ‘on-brand’. If your team has to spend more time fixing the output than it would’ve taken to create it themselves, the tool’s not doing its job. So our goal is to make brand alignment not just possible, but effortless. That way, marketers can spend less time rewriting or re-prompting and more time actually moving the strategy forward.

2. How are you integrating cross-channel content atomization into your marketing efforts to maximize ROI and maintain consistency across platforms? 

This is where the right AI can be a game-changer for marketing teams. It all starts with strategy. We don’t treat cross-channel content atomization as an afterthought it’s something we plan for from the beginning. We identify the high-value, “hero” content we want to lead with, knowing it’ll serve as the foundation for an entire ecosystem of supporting content.

Historically, scaling that ecosystem required a lot of manual effort from marketers and content creators. But with Accelerator360’s Atomize tool, we’ve dramatically changed that. Once we have expert-created, high-quality source material, we run it through Atomize, which instantly generates platform-native content tailored for social, email, blogs, PR, sales enablement, and more. It even adapts tone and messaging based on different audiences and use cases.

What really sets this apart is that it’s not just about automation it’s about relevance. Because we’ve baked in brand-specific inputs and understand how each channel behaves, every asset still feels true to the brand and the environment it lives in.

The impact on ROI is huge. You’re getting more like 10 to 20 times the output from a single asset, and it’s hitting the market faster without needing multiple teams to manually recreate content for each touchpoint. It’s more efficient, more consistent, and ultimately, more effective.

3. How does your organization track and analyze the performance of content assets, and how are these insights used to inform future content strategies? 

At Skyword, performance tracking is baked into everything we do, and it starts well before anything goes live. We pull from a mix of audience insights, channel data, and client-specific intelligence to shape our content strategies from the outset so we’re not guessing what will resonate, we’re informed by where there’s actual interest and intent. Some of that data comes from us and some from analyzing our clients’ existing analytics. 

Once content is in market, we track performance across all key touchpoints SEO and AIO rankings, social engagement, web traffic, email metrics, and how content is converting and influencing sales. This gives us a clear view of how the full content journey is working, from awareness to conversion. We like to track how content is driving key events in this process—so specific audience actions we set out to impact—which tends to help brands stay more focused on the big-picture than if we were to get stuck on optimizing for leading indicators. 

Those insights directly inform the next wave of strategy. We look at what topics and formats are landing, which channels are converting, how seasonality impacts engagement, and where we can fine-tune the message to better speak to the audience’s needs. All of that data gets fed into our system, so that the system and the strategy keeps getting smarter and more effective over time.

4. In what ways are you leveraging AI-generated briefs and performance-enhancing recommendations to improve content quality and efficiency? 

At Skyword, we’re using AI not just to create content faster—but to make it smarter from the start. And we do that with AI-generated briefs and recommendations in a few ways beyond initial content planning and ideation: 

With Accelerator360™, every AI-generated brief is fueled by a mix of the brand-specific intelligence I mentioned earlier and real-time competitive analysis. As the brief is being built, the AI scans the top-performing content for the topic, then crafts a brief designed to outperform it—while automatically adjusting the angle and tone to match the brand’s voice, audience, and strategy. It’s not just about ranking; it’s about standing out and being more helpful than what’s already out there.

Marketers can also access AI-powered suggestions in the content editing and review process—whether it’s for improving quality, adjusting tone, or fine-tuning formatting. And when it’s time for a final polish, our AI Copyedit option is available to give the content that last layer of refinement.

We’re just as focused on helping teams get more from the content they already have. In real-time, Accelerator360’s Audit & Optimize tool can scan all the content across a domain, subdomain, or specific URL, analyze its performance, and make both technical and qualitative optimization recommendations, based on the latest SEO best practices and what’s currently top-ranking on the topic. Our AI can then optimize the content for you automatically or you can choose to implement changes manually. So, even content refreshes are data-informed to ensure content is more competitive and aligned to what audiences are searching for at the moment. 

5. How is your organization preparing for emerging trends in content marketing, such as the integration of interactive and video content formats? 

At Skyword, we’re keeping a close eye on how AI can further enable and improve the creation of content formats like interactive media and video, but we’re doing it with a disciplined, client-first approach. While AI has made incredible strides, there are still some quality and governance hurdles when it comes to fully generating interactive and video content. We govern our adoption of this technology based on the quality of output, governance protecting our clients’ data, and ensuring what’s produced is authentic and ownable.

Right now, we use AI to support the content creation process for interactive designs and video where it makes the most sense. For example, we leverage AI and data to develop video scripts and design guidelines, which are then handed off to our global talent network of expert human creatives to bring to life. This hybrid approach ensures the final product meets the high standards our clients expect.

Looking ahead, we're preparing to accelerate this process even further. Soon, we’ll be able to atomize human-crafted source content into short-form visual stories instantly—giving brands even faster ways to amplify campaigns across multiple channels, without sacrificing quality or originality.

In short, we’re ready to adopt emerging formats as soon as the technology meets our standards and in the meantime, we’re making sure our clients have the best of both worlds: the efficiency of AI plus the creativity and craft of top human talent.

6. How are you ensuring that your content marketing approaches remain adaptable to changes in consumer behavior and technological advancements?

Adaptability is at the core of our content marketing approach. When we built Accelerator360™, we didn’t just design it to work with a single AI model or a fixed creative workflow—and we certainly didn’t leave out the human element. We intentionally built in the flexibility to tap into our global network of expert creative talent wherever it's needed. Having both AI and human-driven options isn’t just nice to have—it’s critical to staying adaptable in today’s environment.

On the AI side, Accelerator360™ leverages a dynamic mix of large language models currently more than nine each selected for their strengths in specific applications. This "plug-and-play" approach allows us to constantly match the right technology and talent to the task, whether it’s boosting creativity, ensuring brand consistency, speeding up production, or responding quickly to shifts in consumer behavior. As models improve or new ones become available, we are ready to make them available to our clients.

We understand that modern content marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s about balancing creativity, differentiation, quality, speed, modularity, audience insights, and brand authenticity while also managing time and budget realities. We are committed to giving our clients access to the best and latest technologies, but we always keep creativity and brand integrity at the center of everything we do.

1. How do you see AI-powered search evolving in the next 3-5 years?

AI-powered search is evolving fast, and we’re just getting started. The way people search is already shifting, thanks to AI models that don’t just return links but summarize, expand, and refine queries in ways that make searching way more intuitive.

Over the next 3-5 years, we’ll likely see search engines becoming more specialized. Google has a massive advantage in real-time indexing and location-based search, while newer players like Perplexity are leaning into research-heavy use cases with built-in citation tools. Just like we already turn to different platforms for different needs Google for general searches, Amazon for products, YouTube for videos we’ll see AI-powered search engines carve out their own niches.

For businesses and marketers, that means adapting. AI-driven search engines prioritize authority, so it’s more important than ever to be a trusted, go-to source in your domain. High-quality, insightful content that establishes expertise is key because AI models will be surfacing and citing the most credible sources.

That said, AI-driven search also brings challenges. With platforms licensing data from sources like Reddit to train models, questions around content moderation, bias, and misinformation will only grow. AI engines aren’t just retrieving facts anymore they’re presenting perspectives, which means credibility and accuracy are critical.

The bottom line? The next generation of search will be smarter, more conversational, and more fragmented across different AI platforms. If businesses want to stay ahead, they’ll need to focus on authority, adaptability, and making sure they show up where it matters.

2. What are the biggest challenges organizations face in adopting AI-driven search solutions?

In my view, AI-powered search is changing the game just like mobile did years ago. The way people find information is shifting from traditional search to AI-driven experiences, where AI agents are doing the searching for them.

For brands, this means a new playbook. It’s no longer just about ranking on Google; it’s about showing up where AI models pull their information from AI Overviews to ChatGPT and Perplexity. In the past, if you ranked well, you had a shot at telling your story when someone clicked on your site. But now, AI decides which brands to feature, how they’re ranked, and sometimes even what to buy. The real challenge for brands today is figuring out how to adjust their marketing strategies for this new AI-driven world.

Enters BrightEdge’s new tool, AI Catalyst, to help brands see how they’re showing up across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity—and gives them the insights they need to stay visible and relevant. Everything’s in one place, so teams can stop guessing and start acting.

Just like we optimized for mobile, now we have to optimize for AI.

3. What are the key data security and privacy challenges associated with AI-powered search tools?

When I look at the AI search industry and speak with brands, user privacy and data collection consistently emerge as top concerns. Another major challenge is the need for sensitive company data to train AI models, which makes many businesses hesitant to adopt these technologies due to security, accuracy, and compliance risks. 

AI is still evolving, and we are actively refining solutions for content moderation and bias to ensure information remains accurate and credible. While progress is being made, there’s still work to do to get it right. Platforms like DeepSeek are introducing more transparency into how they generate answers, but many AI models still operate as black boxes. Brands need to prioritize AI-driven search solutions that provide clarity on how data is processed and surfaced.

4. How do organizations differentiate themselves in a market increasingly influenced by AI-driven search capabilities?

There are a couple of key ways organizations can stand out in an AI-driven search landscape, starting with building authority and trust. AI-powered search prioritizes credible sources, so brands that consistently publish expert-driven, well-structured content will surface more often. 

Second is optimizing for AI-driven search. Unlike traditional SEO, AI search engines rely on contextual understanding. Structured data, schema markup, and multimedia formats help AI interpret and categorize content effectively. The goal isn’t just ranking but ensuring AI can synthesize and serve your insights in meaningful ways.

Finally, search is fragmenting. Different AI models prioritize different search behaviors, so brands must ensure visibility across platforms like Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Optimizing for one platform isn’t enough anymore. In sum, it's not just about ranking—it’s about becoming the source AI trusts.

5. How can AI-driven search be effectively integrated with other technologies like automation, analytics, or personalization engines?

The future of search is deeply interconnected with automation, analytics, and personalization and can be extremely powerful when well-integrated into these other areas of a business. For example, automation streamlines SEO workflows by handling tasks like keyword research and performance tracking, freeing up marketers to focus on strategy. And personalization engines use AI to understand user intent and deliver tailored content, experiences, etc., which boost engagement and conversions. By blending automation and analytics, businesses can refine their strategy dynamically, which in turn creates hyper-relevant, hyper-personal experiences that drive engagement and conversions.

6. What are the key metrics businesses should track to evaluate the effectiveness of AI-powered search?

You can start with the basics how you're performing in traditional search. Then, look at how visible you are in AI-generated responses and how people engage with them. Forget just tracking clicks; with AI doing most of the answering, that doesn’t tell the full story. Focus on metrics like impressions, share of conversation, and sentiment in those AI results. The first step is understanding where your brand shows up in AI responses, what the sentiment is, and how it compares to competitors. 

While clicks still matter in traditional search, with AI, it’s about how your brand is reflected in the answers. Tracking query refinements—whether users adjust their searches after an AI response—could be useful, but it's tough since only AI engines have that data. By understanding which metrics are available and then focusing on the ones that directly impact your brand presence, you can refine your strategy and stay ahead in the AI search landscape.

7. Do you believe traditional search engines will remain dominant, or will AI-driven alternatives redefine the search landscape?

With new AI-powered search platforms emerging every week, it may seem like AI-driven alternatives could overtake traditional search engines. But it’s still too early to tell. In reality, I believe traditional search engines and AI-driven alternatives will coexist, each serving distinct and evolving user needs. We’re already seeing this unfold with the rise of specialized, vertical search engines designed for specific industries and content types. Our latest research highlights the potential of DeepSeek’s "do it for me" approach where AI thinks first, searches second to redefine how users engage with search. There’s no question that AI-driven search is fundamentally reshaping the landscape, impacting both brands and consumers. Yet, Google still commands 92% of the market, and AI-powered search continues to rely on established SEO principles. As this transformation accelerates, the key for brands is to stay agile and optimize for visibility across all AI-powered search experiences.

1. How are you leveraging insights from industry events like the Marketing Procurement iQ Conference to inform your agency management practices?

Our industry is in a transformative learning phase an era defined by partnership capital. We’re no longer operating in silos; strength now lies in how deeply we collaborate. That means forging tighter bonds not just between brands and agencies, but also between marketers and procurement teams. The energy is palpable at every industry event, where real-world practitioners take the stage to share bold ideas and hard-won lessons. Their insights are the compass points guiding us forward. Because in this business, if you’re not learning, you’re not evolving—and if you’re not evolving, you’re falling behind. Collaboration is the new currency. Growth is the reward for those willing to invest.

2. In what ways are you redefining success metrics in agency partnerships beyond cost and delivery timelines? 

Delivering work on time and on budget is table stakes a tactical necessity, not the finish line. It’s merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to measuring true success in client/agency partnerships. Today’s brands demand more. They look to agencies not just for execution, but for strategic firepower, bold ideas that cut through the noise, and breakthrough innovation that transforms how they engage their audiences.

With such a broad spectrum of agency contributions, the definition of performance is expanding—and so is the list of KPIs. From effectiveness and efficiency to creativity and collaboration, we must measure what we truly treasure. Because in modern partnerships, value isn't just delivered—it's demonstrated.

3. What innovations have you implemented that enable your brand to lead rather than follow in agency collaboration? 

In today’s fast-paced economic landscape, innovation isn’t optional it’s a mindset, a method, and a mandate. Brands and agencies alike are in constant pursuit of smarter, faster, and more impactful ways to operate. Whether it’s harnessing technology to streamline workflows, reimagining processes to unlock efficiency, or driving productivity through more structured and collaborative team dynamics—innovation is the fuel that powers progress. As a leading software platform provider, we don’t just follow innovation—we build it. Our solutions are designed to elevate partnerships by enhancing collaboration, sharpening communication, and simplifying reporting. Now, we’re going a step further—embedding AI to supercharge these tools for marketing, procurement, leadership, and agency teams alike. Because true innovation doesn’t just improve how we work it transforms what’s possible.

4. How are you balancing central oversight with regional autonomy in managing diverse agency ecosystems across geographies? 

Today’s brand advertisers navigate extraordinary complexity spanning multiple business units, brands, regions, and audiences. Some operate with a centralized command, others empower local markets with greater autonomy. This intricate landscape demands an equally sophisticated agency model one that flexes, adapts, and scales with precision. To succeed, the agency ecosystem must be carefully calibrated to reflect these diverse realities. Often, brand strategy is centralized for alignment, while execution is decentralized to honor regional nuance. In this model, a lead agency may serve as the strategic anchor coordinating across markets and agency partners to ensure a unified brand voice, wherever the message lands. Because in a world of complexity, clarity—and the right collaboration model is everything.

5. With the growth of agency relationships in Europe and other international markets, how are you tailoring your agency strategies regionally while maintaining global consistency? 

Every advertiser must architect an operating agency model that aligns global vision with regional realities and local ambition. It’s a delicate balance—where the global team sets strategic direction, while regions are empowered to adapt and execute within tailored guardrails. The degree of flexibility varies by market and mandate, but the goal remains the same: relevance without sacrificing consistency. In response, agencies must flex with purpose adapting their approach, structure, and team composition to mirror the client’s organization. By doing so, they ensure alignment, responsiveness, and impact at every level. Because true partnership isn’t one-size-fits-all it’s custom-built to serve global goals and local genius.

6. How is your organization ensuring continuous improvement in agency relationships to drive long-term marketing ROI?

Feedback is the heartbeat of every high-performing relationship. It fuels growth, fosters trust, and drives continuous improvement. The most effective partnerships embrace it—not just at the finish line, but throughout the journey. That’s why most leading brands conduct year-end client/agency performance reviews, with many adding mid-year check-ins to ensure alignment and avoid surprises. These touchpoints open the door for honest reflection on what’s working, what’s not, and how the partnership can evolve. But feedback doesn’t stop there. Quarterly business reviews offer a regular pulse check on performance, while post-mortem meetings provide space for candid conversations and lessons learned. Because when feedback flows, relationships grow—and great work follows.

1. What are the most common signs that indicate a lead might be fraudulent?

A lot of businesses first realize something’s wrong when they spot obviously fake or incomplete info in a lead. That part’s easy to catch. But what tends to slip through the cracks are unusual patterns in user behavior - stuff that normal users just wouldn’t do. We’ve seen cases where fraud came from competitors or even unknown attackers. That’s actually one of the reasons we created our Fake Lead Protection service to help tackle this problem from the ground up.

2. What methods are currently used across the industry to verify and authenticate leads in digital marketing?

There are some go-to methods out there—things like lead scoring tools, call validation, double opt-ins, and data verification systems. But honestly, the reality is that a lot of companies still can’t fully connect their ad data to what’s happening with actual leads. Because of that gap, fake leads can sneak in, mess with your metrics, and waste your marketing spend. What’s really needed is a setup that ties everything together—so ad data and lead data actually talk to each other—and makes lead verification more precise.

3. What role do AI and machine learning play in detecting and preventing ad fraud in lead generation?

AI and machine learning have really changed the game. They’re great at catching things like botnets and attribution fraud that older methods might miss, and they work in real time. But they’re not a silver bullet. To really be effective, you need to mix AI with more traditional, rule-based approaches—like using blacklists or behavior-based detection. It’s that combination that gives you a reliable fraud defense.

4. How do evolving data privacy regulations influence the approach businesses take toward lead verification and fraud prevention?

It’s true regulations like GDPR or CCPA have definitely made things trickier when it comes to verifying leads and preventing fraud. But that doesn’t mean fraud prevention is off the table. Just like laws don’t stop crime entirely, these rules don’t make fraud go away. What’s important is that businesses work within those boundaries to reduce fraud and keep their marketing practices clean and transparent.

5. What emerging ad fraud tactics should businesses be aware of, and how can they proactively mitigate these risks?

Fraud is getting more and more sophisticated lately. Traditional countermeasures just don’t cut it anymore. One wild example we’ve seen is with brick-and-mortar businesses—fraudsters actually hire people to walk into stores just to trigger “store visit” conversions. On paper, it looks like a successful ad result, so advertisers end up paying out. But it’s fake. These kinds of scams are hard to catch just by looking at lead info. That’s why it’s so important to dig deeper—analyze user behavior, be selective about ad placements, and use solid fraud prevention tools. It’s the only way to run smarter, cleaner campaigns.

6. What key factors should businesses consider when selecting a fraud prevention solution for their digital campaigns?

As ad fraud keeps getting more advanced, picking the right solution is critical—not just to protect your brand, but also to make sure you’re actually getting a return on your ad spend. Transparency is a big one. Some tools are basically black boxes—you don’t really know how they’re detecting fraud, which makes it tough to trust the data. You want a solution that clearly explains what metrics it uses, offers real-time data visualization, and presents everything in a way your marketing team can understand. Tools like Spider AF do a great job of that—it’s all about giving teams the visibility they need to take action confidently.

7. What are the most relevant KPIs for evaluating the success of fraud detection and mitigation strategies?

To really know if your anti-fraud strategy is working, you can’t just look at the number of leads—you need to look at the quality. One key metric is conversion rate: if that improves after filtering out fake leads, it’s a good sign your lead quality is up. Another is the fraudulent lead rate—how many of your leads are actually fake? And of course, there’s the cost angle: are you spending less time and money chasing bad leads? If all three of those are heading in the right direction, your strategy’s probably on point.

8. How do you see fraud prevention evolving over the next five years, and what innovations could reshape the industry?

We’re already seeing fraudsters using AI to optimize their tactics—they’re even building their own SSPs and manipulating ad placements and IPs to maximize profits. It’s only going to get more sophisticated from here, and that means traditional rule-based detection just won’t be enough. But it’s not just about upgrading the tech. Everyone involved in digital business needs to level up their awareness and make fraud prevention part of their everyday mindset. As an industry, we’ve got to treat marketing security as a shared responsibility if we want a healthier, more trustworthy ecosystem.

Spider AF is a globally recognized, real-time ad fraud protection tool. They are currently offering a free trial for their service. For more information, go to: https://spideraf.com/

1. How is innovation in digital marketing being redefined through the integration of new technologies like AI, AR/VR, or automation?

Innovation in digital marketing is undergoing a significant shift, driven by the rapid adoption of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), and automation. These tools are allowing businesses to create more personaliszed, efficient, and impactful marketing strategies than ever before.

AI, in particular, is transforming the way we approach data-driven marketing. It enables us to analyse vast amounts of data to understand consumer behaviours, predict trends, and optimise campaigns in real-time. At Phantom Digital, we’re leveraging AI to build bespoke marketing automation solutions that streamline workflows, enhance customer experiences, and drive measurable results for our clients. Whether it’s creating intelligent email customer journeys, optimiszing content to keep pace with the changing face of SEO, or generating leads, AI allows us to work smarter and deliver highly targeted solutions.

Automation is another game-changer, particularly for scaling marketing efforts. By automating repetitive tasks, businesses can focus on strategy and creativity. At Phantom Digital, we specialise in creating tailored automation customer journey workflows that save time and resources while ensuring consistent, personaliszed communication with customers.

While these new technologies are impressive, they are tools to enable greater creativity and efficiency. They allow businesses of all shapes and sizes to connect with their audiences in ways that are more meaningful, engaging, and results-driven. As a digital marketing professional, I’m passionate about staying at the forefront of these innovations and helping businesses make the most of this exciting new landscape.

2. How important is industry recognition (such as awards or nominations) in building credibility and momentum for digital agencies or marketing teams?

Industry recognition through awards and nominations plays a significant role in building credibility and driving momentum. In a competitive landscape like digital marketing, these awards help you stand out from the crowd. They also help build trust and confidence with potential clients, partners, and even your internal team.

Awards and nominations also help build momentum by attracting new opportunities. They enhance visibility, open doors to new collaborations, and often lead to organic referrals. For clients, it’s a reassurance that they’re working with a team that has a proven track record of success. Internally, recognition boosts morale and motivates the team to continue pushing boundaries.

That said, while awards are important, they are not the sole measure of success. At Phantom Digital, we balance recognition with tangible results client satisfaction, measurable ROI, and long-term partnerships. Industry accolades amplify our credibility, but it’s the consistent delivery of results that really drives growth and builds lasting relationships.

3. How do awards and accolades influence internal culture, client confidence, and talent acquisition?

Receiving awards also have an impact on our internal culture and talent acquisition. 

For internal culture, recognition is a powerful motivator. It boosts morale, fosters pride, and reinforces the belief that the team’s efforts are making a real difference. At Phantom Digital, we’ve seen how celebrating wins whether through awards or client milestones creates a sense of shared achievement. It energises the team to continue innovating and striving for excellence, which ultimately reflects in the quality of work we deliver.

For clients, awards act as a trust signal. They demonstrate that your agency is not only capable but also recognised by industry peers for its expertise and results. This reassurance is invaluable, particularly in industries like ours where clients often rely on referrals and reputation. Awards can also serve as a conversation starter for potential clients who are seeking proven expertise.

In a competitive job market, top talent wants to align themselves with companies that are leaders in their field.  So, for us, it’s about attracting people who are the right fit to complement our team dynamics.

4. What strategic balance should digital teams aim for between creativity and performance when developing campaigns for modern audiences?

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, creativity captures attention, while performance ensures measurable results—both are equally important and interconnected.

Creativity is at the heart of any campaign. It’s what makes your message stand out amid the noise and resonate with your audience on an emotional level. However, creativity without strategy is not enough. To be effective, creative ideas must be rooted in a deep understanding of your audience, their needs, and their behaviours. At Phantom Digital, we ensure our creative concepts align with data-driven insights, so every campaign is not only engaging but also relevant and impactful.

Measuring, performance ensures that the campaign achieves its intended goals, whether that’s driving engagement, generating leads, or increasing conversions. This is where tracking, analytics, and optimiszation come into play. For instance, we use tools like A/B testing, tracking codes, and unique URLs to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and refine them in real-time. By constantly monitoring performance, we can ensure that our creative efforts are delivering tangible results.

Modern audiences expect campaigns that are both visually and emotionally engaging while also offering value and relevance. At Phantom Digital, we believe in starting with clear objectives and using data to inform creative decisions. This approach allows us to design campaigns that not only capture attention but also deliver measurable success. 

5. How have client expectations shifted in the past few years in terms of digital strategy, storytelling, and ROI delivery?

They’ve evolved significantly, as a result of advancements in technology, changes in consumer behaviour, and the increasing demand for measurable results.

Clients now expect digital strategies that are not only innovative but also highly targeted and data-driven. They want campaigns that are tailored to their specific audience, leveraging tools like AI and automation to deliver personaliszed experiences at scale. At Phantom Digital, we’ve seen a growing demand for marketing automation solutions that streamline processes and ensure consistent communication with audiences. Clients are also more focused on omnichannel strategies, ensuring their messaging is cohesive across all platforms, from social media to email and beyond.

Storytelling has become more important than ever, but expectations have shifted towards authenticity and relatability. Modern audiences are savvy—they can spot inauthentic marketing a mile away. Clients now want stories that resonate with their audience on a deeper level, reflecting their values, mission, and human side. It’s not just about selling a product or service; it’s about creating a connection. At Phantom Digital, we focus on crafting stories that align with our clients’ brand identity while addressing their audience’s needs and aspirations.

Perhaps the most significant shift has been in how clients understand and expect ROI. Today, clients demand transparency and measurable outcomes for every campaign. It’s no longer enough to simply deliver creative work; clients want to see tangible results like increased engagement, lead generation, and sales. At Phantom Digital, we measure ROI using tools like Google Analytics, social analytics, and client feedback. For industries such as financial services and renewable energy, we focus on metrics like user engagement, interaction, and sales to demonstrate the value of our work.

It’s our responsibility to adapt to these changing demands by staying ahead of trends, leveraging data, and delivering campaigns that not only look great but also drive meaningful results.

6. How are agencies and creative teams preparing to deliver value in a world driven by personalisation, sustainability, and purpose?

In today’s digital-first world, personalisation is no longer optional—it’s essential. Consumers expect tailored experiences that reflect their needs, preferences, and values. Agencies are leveraging data-driven insights, AI tools, and automation to create hyper-targeted campaigns that speak directly to individual audience segments. At Phantom Digital, we focus on building bespoke automation systems and workflow tools to deliver personaliszed content at scale. This approach ensures that every touchpoint feels relevant and meaningful, ultimately driving better engagement and loyalty.

Sustainability has become a key factor in consumer decision-making, and agencies are stepping up to help brands communicate their eco-conscious efforts authentically. Creative teams are prioritising sustainable practices in their own operations, such as reducing waste in production processes or using digital solutions to minimise environmental impact. Beyond that, they’re helping clients craft transparent messaging around sustainability initiatives, ensuring it resonates without coming across as performative. At Phantom Digital, we’re mindful of how we can align with sustainable practices while helping our clients do the same.

It’s the agency's job to help clients define and communicate their purpose in ways that connect authentically with their audience. For example, we work with clients to highlight their contributions to their communities, industries, or the environment, ensuring these messages are integrated into their broader marketing strategies.

By combining personalisation, sustainability, and purpose, we can help businesses not only stay relevant but also build deeper, more meaningful connections with their audiences.

1. With legacy PR platforms often catering to large enterprises, how are emerging solutions addressing the needs of startups and small businesses?

Legacy PR platforms have traditionally catered to and been priced for PR agencies and in-house communications teams. The result of this is that it’s been almost impossible for companies to tell their own story to the press without using a firm or having an in-house team. This has consolidated distribution power in the hands of PR agencies and the software companies as opposed to founders and executive teams. This ‘pay to play’ mentality has soured a lot of people to the PR industry.

Press Ranger is changing all of this by removing the cost and knowledge barriers to running your own PR campaigns. By making PR tools accessible to everyone, Press Ranger levels the playing field and makes it easier for everyone to tell their own story.

Legacy PR software tools have also been slow to adapt to the changing AI landscape and integrate newer technologies. By operating a smaller team and focusing on innovation and solving our customer’s problems, Press Ranger has been able to give the megaphone back to more than 10,000 businesses with a set of new, cutting edge tools in the PR landscape.

2. What benefits do the Integration of CRM systems with PR platforms bring to managing media relationships and tracking engagement?

If it can’t be measured, it’s not worth doing. Tracking outreach, distribution, mentions, and attribution are all critical parts of any digital marketing strategy. PR campaigns are no different but the PR industry is extremely relationship driven. Every founder should be reaching out to the top journalists in their niche, building rapport, and pitching stories at all times. Those relationships are the difference between success and failure when it comes to launching new products and driving news cycles.

CRMs are the glue that holds campaigns and relationships together. Using a CRM for your outreach campaigns is integral to measuring and achieving success.

3. What role do podcasts and audio media play in PR strategies in modern media outreach?

Podcasts and audio media have become essential components of modern PR strategies for several reasons:

They offer exceptional audience engagement. Podcast listeners typically consume content for extended periods (often 30+ minutes) and with high attention levels, creating deeper connection opportunities than many text or video formats. This builds trust and credibility that can transfer to featured brands and spokespersons.

From a practical standpoint, podcasts often present lower barriers to entry than traditional media. Many podcast hosts welcome guest experts and are more accessible than journalists at established publications, making them ideal targets for startups and smaller businesses with limited PR resources.

Podcast appearances generate versatile content that can be repurposed across multiple channels. A single interview can be clipped for social media, transcribed for blog content, quoted in newsletters, and featured in email marketing, extending the impact of a single media placement.

Podcasts can also be extremely helpful for SEO. In the age of AI, the more surface areas your company shows up the better. Press Ranger is one of the only press release distribution services that automatically transcribes your press releases to audio and distributes them to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. 

4. With the rise of affordable, user-friendly PR tools, what implications does this have for the future role of traditional PR agencies?

While new tools like Press Ranger are changing the PR landscape, PR agencies still play an extremely important role and will continue to for quite some time. Just because a tool is available or more accessible does not mean that everyone has the time, skillset, and desire to dive in. Businesses without PR as a core competency will still benefit from using PR agencies especially in specialized niches, geographies, and contexts where an expert is needed.

No software is “set it and forget it” and while tools like Press Ranger make the campaign process easy, PR agents still can add value via creative ideation, strategic counsel, crisis management, etc.

5. How can companies effectively tailor their messaging for diverse global audiences with access to international journalist databases?

Cultural contextualization is everything. Running PR campaigns in geographies where you’re not familiar with the customs can have disastrous consequences. Companies should research how their industry, products, and messaging concepts are perceived in target markets. This includes understanding local business practices, cultural values, and communication norms that influence how news is covered and consumed.

Localization goes beyond translation. Effective international PR adapts stories to highlight aspects most relevant to each market, references regional trends or challenges, and connects to local events or priorities rather than simply translating standard global messaging.

Relationship building remains essential despite technological access. Companies should invest time in understanding the media landscape in each target market—identifying influential publications, respected journalists, and preferred communication styles before reaching out through databases.

6. How should PR professionals adapt to changes in media consumption and journalist engagement?

First, content formats are evolving beyond traditional press releases. Campaigns should now have content strategies that include visual assets, video, infographics, audio, and social media-ready content that journalists can easily repurpose for digital audiences.

Second, relationship building requires more personalization and value exchange. With journalists receiving hundreds of pitches daily, PR professionals must develop genuine relationships by demonstrating deep understanding of a journalist's beat, providing exclusive insights or data, and helping them create compelling content—not just promoting company news.

Third, storytelling approaches need adaptation for fragmented attention spans. PR professionals should lead with clear, concise impact statements rather than corporate messaging, focusing on authentic human interest angles and unexpected perspectives that capture attention in crowded information environments.

Fourth, measurement focus should shift from quantity to quality and engagement. Rather than counting clips or calculating advertising equivalency, PR effectiveness should be measured through metrics like audience engagement, message pull-through, referral traffic, and contribution to business objectives.

Finally, PR professionals must develop cross-platform competency. Understanding how stories flow across traditional media, social platforms, podcasts, newsletters, and other channels and how to optimize content for each is essential for maximizing reach and impact in today's fragmented media landscape.