Who's This Conversation For?

This conversation is for anyone curious about how software engineering teams actually operate, professionals thinking about a move into development or ad tech, and those who want an honest look at how developers turn product requirements into real-world solutions.

What You'll Learn By Listening

1. Planning Takes Up More Time Than Coding While it might seem like developers just sit down and hammer out code, the reality is much more iterative. The team explains that a large majority of their time is spent planning out the architecture and running through proofs of concept.

• Building small, step-by-step iterations and running them by the product team ensures they build what is actually needed.

2. Less Is Always More When Building New Features A common misconception is that because it's "just code," everything should be built in at once. The developers emphasize a minimalist approach when starting out. 

• It's much cleaner and more efficient to start small and add complexity only as it's truly needed.

3. AI is a Massive Accelerator, But Not a Replacement Tools like Claude have revolutionized the team's workflow by automating repetitive tasks, performing safety checks, and acting as a sounding board to summarize unfamiliar codebases. 

• However, the team warns against relying on it to code for you if you don't understand the underlying architecture. AI can easily send a developer down a rabbit hole of over-complex, unoptimized code if they don't know how to evaluate or fix its output.

4. Context Switching is the Hardest Daily Problem Developers are often juggling multiple applications, workspaces, and codebases simultaneously. 

• An interruption or a high-priority bug fix means mentally resetting and remembering how different repositories and architectures are handled.

5. Curiosity is Your Best Career Asset For anyone looking to break into development, the team’s biggest piece of advice is to be wildly inquisitive. You don't have to know everything before you start, in fact, knowing everything is impossible. 

• Thriving in this role means asking a million questions, daring to fail during trial and error, and taking the time to deeply understand the business side of ad tech so you can build better solutions.

Who's This Conversation For? 

This conversation is for anyone curious about how product gets made, professionals thinking about a move into ad tech or product management, and those who want to understand how client feedback turns into real platform features.

What You'll Learn By Listening

1. Being a Former User Makes a Better Product Manager Travis spent years managing advertising campaigns before moving into product, and that background shapes how he builds. He keeps the user top of mind and works to make their journey as easy and frustration-free as possible.

• When you've been the person inside the platform, you understand why a clunky workflow makes someone not want to come back. That empathy is what turns features into experiences people actually use.

2. How an Idea Becomes a Feature Travis explains the path from feedback to launch. The team gathers input from internal and external users, looks for commonality, and prioritizes the changes that make the biggest impact.

• Sometimes one user flags a small fix that turns out to affect everyone. Other times pattern emerges, like several people struggling with attribution because their list sizes are too small, and that theme points toward a bigger vision for the platform.

3. Product Enablement Is in the Room Early Travis breaks down how he collaborates with developers and product enablement throughout the build. Enablement helps scope requirements up front and returns once there's a working shell to run through use cases.

• Bringing enablement in early means that when a feature rolls out, the sales team and account managers already understand it well enough to apply the new capabilities for clients.

4. Internal and External Releases Need Different Mindsets Travis describes why an internal release and an external launch call for different playbooks. Internal users often get early access and a chance to help expand how a feature is used.

• External releases require more communication. Users should never discover a new feature without being aware it's coming, so external launches lean into detailing exactly what's new.

5. QA Is Where the Edge Cases Surface Travis walks through the testing process, from basic unit tests on the code to users running happy path flows and a few edge cases. The goal is to catch the weird stuff before it reaches broader clients.

• Sometimes a user tries a tool in a way it wasn't designed for, and a bug appears. That moment matters. Maybe the tool could be used that way, and catching it early is what keeps the external experience clean.

6. Attribution Is the Industry's Biggest Shift Travis points to privacy and customer attribution as the most significant change in advertising. Eight years ago it was click attribution. Now the work is getting down to user attribution and pulling it into a unified view.

• This is where HAT (Headless Analytics Tag) comes in. While clean rooms inside Google and Amazon handle attribution from sales lists, HAT helps stitch together the full customer journey across different platforms and devices, so the whole picture comes back into one report.

Who's This Conversation For? 

This conversation is for job seekers who want to stand out in a competitive streaming TV market, early-career professionals breaking into ad tech without a traditional background, and hiring leaders thinking about how to scale a team without losing what makes their culture work.

What You'll Learn By Listening

1. Soft Skills Can Matter as Much as Your Resume Alex explains why [cognition] looks past the black-and-white of what's on a resume. Your skill set and background help, but how you show up as a human is just as important.

• A candidate without prior experience can come in with fresh eyes and learn how the team actually works.

2. Authenticity Beats AI-Generated Polish Alex revisits her own advice from last year, know thyself and be authentic, and applies it to a world where most applicants are using AI to some degree. The tool isn't the problem. Replacing yourself with it is.

• The tells are easy to spot: robotic phrasing, generic copy, the same opening line everyone else uses. Use AI as a companion to express your authentic self, not as a substitute for it.

3. Your Digital Footprint Should Tell One Story Alex uses the "one shoe" analogy to explain why your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile all need to be cohesive and updated. You wouldn't show up to work missing a shoe, so don't show up online with a piece of you missing.

• Cover letters are often optional, but Alex recommends including one. What stands out in the sea of templates is a specific reference to the company's website or work, or a genuine personal story that ties to how you'd show up in the role.

4. The First Three Seconds Set the Tone Alex can tell a lot about a candidate by how they open the call. Energy and warmth go a long way, and nerves are completely human.

• Saying "I'm a little nervous, but I'm so excited to learn about this" lands far better than a flat "hi, nice to meet you." Caring is the through-line and a flat open sets the tone for the rest of the conversation.

5. The Interview Is a Two-Way Street Alex encourages candidates to interview the company right back. Asking thoughtful questions doesn't read as ungrateful, it signals you're serious about the role.

• No questions are off limits. Ask about benefits, the day-to-day, your future manager, expectations, and next steps. The best interviews feel like a conversation you don't want to end.

6. Bet on Potential, and Protect the Culture as You Grow [cognition] is intentional about taking chances on people who don't have the perfect background but show real potential. Alex points to her own role, which didn't exist until she pitched it.

• The company doubled in the last year, but the goal isn't a headcount number, it's growing strategically. That means promoting internally, rewarding hard work quickly, and keeping the small things sacred, from Friday lunches to office candy-tasting contests.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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

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!  

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.

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!

Who's This Conversation For?

This conversation is for anyone looking to redefine their career path or stand out in a crowded marketplace...of any sort - whether its as a career, as an agency, or within the programmatic or streaming media space. 🚀 

What You'll Learn By Listening

1) Why Audience Matters More Than Your Ego 

Matt’s first radio show originally covered both baseball and NASCAR. But when he and his co-host realized the audience only wanted to hear about NASCAR, they pivoted to an all-NASCAR format. 

And the payoff?

By putting the audience first, the show was picked up by an ESPN affiliate station. Proof that true success comes from listening to your audience.

2) How to Design Your Dream Job (even when it doesn’t exist…yet)

Don’t wait for the opportunity, create it.

Matt shares his story of inventing roles for himself that didn't exist yet, the importance of working hard to build a reputation, and why "everyone is in sales"- especially when you are the product.

💡Key Career Takeaway: Show your strengths, be enthusiastic about the work you want, and back it with hard work (“just get it done mentality”). 

3) No one-size-fits-all strategy

Every client is unique. Different goals, different problems, different definitions of success.

The right approach isn't, "Here's our playbook." 

It's, "Let's talk about your goals and how to achieve them."

4) Streaming TV is powerful, but education & proof matter most

Matt explains that the key is to educate clients and prove value from the start. SilverBack Advertising's highest-performing campaigns use tools like retargeting and smart identity solutions to provide undeniable proof that the ads are working on a smaller scale.

The job to be done is creating "investment confidence," and that comes from education. 

See also: #3 No one-size-fits-all strategy, be consultative and prescriptive.

5) Being “Seen” vs “Effective” 

Seeing is believing, but this game is about dollars and cents.

"Why haven't I seen my own ad?" is the most common question Matt hears when talking about Streaming TV advertising.

And the answer?

You are not your target audience.

So if you don't see your own hyper-targeted streaming ad...that might be a good thing. It means your system is working and is optimizing for impact (vs vanity metrics). 

Ready to get all of the lessons?

Listen to the Full Episode Now!

We are given three options:

• Be in denial 
• Run for the hills when change occurs 
• See it on the horizon and plan ahead 

In this episode of [radically candid], Whitfield Athey, Chief Operations Officer at [cognition], discusses these changes and how to plan for the disruptions AI will cause in the next 2-3 years with Tim Rowe.

Who's This Conversation For

This is an important conversation that businesses (and families alike) should be having and taking into account during decision-making. AI has become the sharpest knife in the drawer and is evolving both entry-level and senior positions in a business. Given the magnitude of complexity this technology will have, it's more important now than ever to understand it quickly and get ahead.

Why?

The way you can get ahead with your team is by accepting that "the only constant is change" and putting a focus on how you can help your clients successfully navigate it themselves.

Want to connect with Whitfield? Find him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitfieldathey/).

This week on [radically candid], Tim Rowe sits down with [cognition]'s Chief Revenue Officer, Amber Daniel, to break down the massive shifts rocking the advertising world—from the streaming takeover to the rise of AI search.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways:

• Streaming Drives Search: Did you know? As much as 30% of all website traffic originates from someone seeing a Streaming TV ad.
• AI is Changing Search: According the Pew Research Center, 26% of all searches end after being presented an AI summary.
• Creative is the New Targeting: In a world of data, an emotional connection is what wins. Pro-Tip: Dynamic, personalized creative that resonates is more powerful than targeting alone 💡

Want to connect with Amber? Find her on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/amberdaniel/) or email her at amber@cognitionads.com.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways:

• People vs. HR: "People" isn't just the new HR—it's about fostering a holistic, supportive ecosystem.
• Authenticity is Key: In the age of AI, being your authentic self in resumes, cover letters, and interviews is your biggest advantage.
• Cover Letters Matter: A tailored letter that shows you've done your homework makes a huge difference.
• The Interview is a Two-Way Street: Come prepared to ask questions and see if the company is a true fit.
• Culture in High-Growth: Building a great culture relies on trust, communication, and "psychological safety."

🎙️ Episode Deep Dive:

• Standing Out (08:45): Find out what's actually being standing out to recruiters reviewing your resume (and how to do more of the right stuff)
• Acing the Interview (14:50): Be prepared, but not robotic. Remember you are interviewing them, too—don't be afraid to ask about compensation, benefits, and team dynamics.
• Building Culture (19:28): Alex discusses navigating hyper-growth while maintaining a strong culture through psychological safety and living the D.I.R.T. values (Dare, Innovate, Respect, Trust).
• AI & Hiring (28:45): Learn how AI is changing recruiting and how to leverage connections to get noticed by a human.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways (2-min read)

• The Stigma: Demystifying M&A—it's strategy, not failure.
• The Timing: Why exit planning should start from day one.
• The Prep: Early document & financial hygiene is non-negotiable.
• The Mindset: Business management focus over founder entrenchment.
• The Wins: Proactive planning creates M&A success.

🎙️ Setting the Stage (00:00:00)

• Meet Brian Dukes: M&A expert, Exitwise Managing Partner
• Episode Focus: Navigating Mergers & Acquisitions for founders

💡 M&A: Opportunity, Not Failure (00:01:01)

• Shifting founder perspectives on selling your business
• Viewing M&A as a strategic growth path, not an end
• Overcoming fear and hesitation around exit conversations

⏳ The Exit Timeline (00:03:21)

• M&A prep isn't just for late-stage companies
• Integrating exit strategy considerations from day one
• The power of proactive planning vs. reactive decisions

📂 Document Hygiene Essentials (00:05:40)

• Critical records: Employee agreements, client contracts, IP
• Streamlining due diligence before it officially starts
• Clean paperwork = smoother, faster M&A process

📊 Crafting Your Financial Story (00:07:33)

• Key elements: Revenue history, customer concentration, projections
• Presenting a clear, compelling value proposition to buyers
• Making financial assessment easy and attractive for acquirers

🧠 Founder to CEO Mindset (00:11:00)

• Moving beyond startup hustle to structured, scalable growth
• The role of delegation, process, and sustainable systems
• Enhancing overall business attractiveness for potential M&A

🚧 Navigating M&A Hurdles (00:13:14)

• Common obstacles: Valuation gaps, due diligence deep dives
• Managing the emotional rollercoaster of negotiations

⚠️ Avoiding M&A Pitfalls (00:14:43)

• Recognizing signs of poor preparation & unrealistic expectations
• Keeping emotional decision-making in check
• The danger of neglecting core business operations during talks

🏆 M&A Wins: The Power of Prep (00:19:57)

• Real-world examples of founders achieving favorable exits
• How platforms like Exitwise facilitate successful outcomes
• Strategic planning directly leading to strong buyer interest

🎯 Serving the Lower Middle Market (00:22:36)

• Addressing the unique M&A needs of this often-underserved segment
• Tailored support, strategies, and opportunities

🔬 The Value of Sector Expertise (00:25:21)

• Deep industry knowledge as a significant deal advantage
• Understanding specific sectoral trends and buyer motivations

🔗 Resources & Next Steps (00:28:00)

• Accessing valuable tools on the Exitwise website (e.g., free valuation)
• How to connect with Brian Dukes and his team for guidance
• Continuing your M&A education journey beyond the episode

🎬 Listen to the Full Episode A deep dive into the preparation, mindset, and strategies demystifying M&A and unlocking successful founder exits.

From ingesting massive data sets and inventory feeds to serving personalized, performance-driven creative—Colin shares how his team moves fast without breaking things, why ad serving is the future, and how clean architecture, collaboration, and a culture of curiosity drive innovation at scale.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways (2-min read)

• The Role: Why Colin sees CTO as conductor—not coder
• The Speed: Weekly sprints, daily standups, and rapid iteration
• The Culture: Problem-solvers over perfectionists
• The Stack: Serving dynamic video + display with real-time feedback
• The Impact: Closing the loop between impression, action, and attribution

🧠 What a CTO Actually Does (01:00)

• Orchestrates priorities across dev, product, and client feedback
• Stays hands-off with code but deeply involved in architecture
• Emphasizes outcomes over output—building what users actually want
• “Dev is the how. Product is the why.”

⚙️ Engineering Velocity at Scale (03:00)

• Weekly sprints + instant feedback cycles
• Rapid prototyping—without sacrificing long-term vision
• Team structure: Culture-first, then skillset
• Full-stack devs preferred for flexibility across projects

🧱 Building with Purpose (05:00)

• Passionate problem-solvers > people who say “no”
• Hire for attitude, upskill for everything else
• Cross-functional collaboration enforced through mentorship + code review
• “Dare to fail” is a core company ethos

📊 Closing the Attribution Loop (12:00)

• Headless Analytics Tag (HAT) connects impression to website activity
• Works across platforms: Amazon, The Trade Desk, Basis, and more
• Goes beyond QR: real measurement without flawed proxies
• “It’s not about last click—it’s about assisted outcomes”

🤖 Automation Everywhere (15:00)

• “We make creative the easiest part of your workflow”
• How to turn a  data feed into dynamic display + video creative at scale
• How VAST and HTML tags replace the need for DSP switching  
• Helps creative teams and agencies spend less time producing content

🎯 From Targeting to Tag Delivery (17:00)

• Matching inventory + offer data to media strategy in minutes
• Creative updated mid-month or mid-campaign automatically
• Clients gain time and insights, while focusing on business outcomes

🧠 Decisioning at the Edge (23:00)

• Ad serving = ability to react to data, not just pre-plan
• Dynamic creative optimized mid-flight based on real-time signals
• Helps DSP partners increase performance + campaign ROI
• “We’re not just a source of content—we’re a source of outcomes”

🧩 Tech That Connects It All (27:00)

• Challenges: Hiring the right culture fits, integrating with evolving platforms
• Flexibility is key: especially with fast-evolving AI tools
• Cognition is often first in to test alpha/beta products with partners

💥 Final Hot Takes + What's Next (29:00)

• Clean rooms = worth it for better retargeting + clearer profiles
• Ad server = most exciting tech at Cognition
• Future = faster time to value, higher fidelity signals, real outcomes
• “MP4s don’t tell you anything. Our creatives do.”

🎬 Listen to the Full Episode
A deep dive into the architecture, attitude, and automations powering Cognition’s ad tech ev

John shares what it really means to build, grow, and eventually hand off something bigger than yourself—with timeless advice for anyone charting their own course in business or life.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways (2-min read)

1. The Beginning: Why Amazon’s spotlight was just the start of Cognition’s real story
2.  The Evolution: From one product to a robust streaming tech stack in under 2 years
3.  The Blueprint: How John built the account management function from scratch
4.  The Advice: Ask better questions, stay curious, and lead with value
5.  The Legacy: Growth is good—but knowing what matters is better

🚀 Amazon to Ad Tech: The Pivot Story (03:00)

• Cognition was featured at Amazon Unboxed for dynamic display + sales matchback
• Early focus on Amazon media, but that was just the beginning
• "Half the products we have today didn’t even exist back then"
• Pivot driven by an internal discomfort with complacency

🧱 Building the AM Org (09:00)

• John’s background: Managed multimillion-dollar GM accounts at Cobalt Group
• Brought enterprise discipline + startup agility to Cognition
• Focused on scalable frameworks and rigorous client-centric thinking
• Emphasized listening, empathy, and empowering clients

💬 Account Manager’s Playbook (15:00)

• “Ask good questions. Then follow up.”
• Be the most prepared person in the room
• Goal: Help the client become the smartest person in the room
• Every relationship is about shared growth and trust

🎯 From Startup Chaos to Strategic Clarity (19:00)

• Cognition's shift from reactive scrappiness to proactive strategy
• "Our best days are ahead, and the rocket ship is taking off"
• Creating real value through integration of new acquisitions
• Positioned not just as a solution—but as the platform

🏔️ Final Advice from a Leader Who’s Been There (26:00)

• Don’t go into debt. Live below your means.
• Say yes to experiences, not stuff.
• Plan your life like you’d plan a pitch—always ask “what’s next?”
• And when you retire… enjoy it. Bus driving, yard work, family time—it’s all part of the reward

🎬 Listen to the Full Episode

In this insightful episode of [radically candid], Tim Rowe sits down with Matt Burk, Product Manager @ [cognition], to unpack the complexities—and surprising simplicity—of dynamic creative and ad serving. Matt reveals how marketers can achieve highly personalized campaigns at scale without the usual headaches, wasted time, or blown budgets.

If dynamic creative or ad serving are priorities in your marketing roadmap, this episode offers practical wisdom to transform your approach in 2025 and beyond.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways (2-min read)

1. The Promise: Dynamic creative doesn’t have to be difficult
2.  The Efficiency: Automate your ad ops with intelligent ad serving
3.  The Workflow: How to simplify video, display, and audio at scale
4.  The Impact: Free your teams to focus on strategy—not just execution
5.  The Optimization: Why better creative leads to better performance

🚀 Dynamic Creative, Done Easy (03:00)

• Traditional dynamic creative is often complex and expensive
• Cognition’s solution streamlines creative by automating inventory feeds
• Easily scale across video, display, and audio channels with minimal friction

⚙️ Why Ad Serving Matters (08:00)

• One-time creative uploads eliminate daily manual work
• Real-time creative swaps through tags—no delays or downtime
• Empowers media teams to run leaner, faster, and more efficiently

🔄 Scaling Personalization (13:00)

• Use inventory feeds to dynamically update messaging in real-time
• Showcase relevant, VIN-specific ads without drowning in busywork
• Easily tailor creative to market conditions, seasonal offers, and local variations

📈 Closing the Optimization Loop (18:00)

• Dynamic creative paired with advanced analytics drives real-time improvements
• Identify which messaging resonates, optimize mid-flight, and plan future campaigns
• Stop guessing—use insights to sharpen your strategy and boost results

✅ Who Should Use Dynamic Creative? (24:00)

• Automotive, retail, travel, and more
• Ideal for businesses managing complex inventory or targeted offers
• Perfect for teams looking to streamline creative and distribution workflows

🔮 What’s Next for Dynamic Creative (29:00)

• Continuous innovation—dynamic video, AI-driven customization, more automation
• Cognition's roadmap: making sophisticated ad serving accessible to everyone
• 2025 and beyond: simpler workflows, greater personalization, bigger impact

🎬 Listen to the Full Episode

In this deep-dive episode of [Radically Candid], Tim Rowe sits down with Michael Lieberman—Product Manager of Headless Analytics at Cognition and founder of the technology behind it—to break down how to finally solve your attribution blind spots.

From Shopify sites to CTV ads, this episode unpacks how modern measurement really works (and where everyone else is getting it wrong).

⏱️ Quick Takeaways (2-min read)

1. The Problem: Why most attribution models (especially last-click) are broken in 2025.
2.  The Solution: How Headless Analytics gives you raw, real-time behavioral data with almost no dev lift.
3.  The Magic: Collaborative game theory attribution that fairly assigns credit across media touchpoints.
4.  The Vision: A fully transparent, composable CDP you can set up in hours.
5.  The Application: Shopify plug-and-play, e-comm ROI clarity, CTV performance you can prove.

📊 From Clicks to Conversions (03:10)

• What Headless Analytics actually does (and why you need it).
•  Real-life use cases for tracking the full journey from ad exposure to transaction.

🔁 Attribution Meets Activation (09:30)

• How to close the feedback loop—using attribution to power smarter media buying.
•  Why analytics and activation teams are now one and the same.

🧠 Game Theory Attribution (16:45)

• Why traditional attribution rules are outdated and biased.
•  How Cognition uses collaborative game theory to distribute credit fairly (yes, it won a Nobel Prize).

💥 Real-World Applications (22:30)

• The scary simplicity of the copy/paste Shopify integration.
•  How automotive and e-commerce brands are unlocking actual ROI visibility.

🔧 Raw Data, Real Transparency (29:00)

• You don’t just get a dashboard—you get the database.
•  Plug directly into your reporting layer, build your own CDP, activate audiences at will.

🔮 Future-Proof Tech (34:00)

AI-generated creative based on behavioral signals.

•  Personalized ads that feel like they were made just for you.

🛠️ Fast Setup (38:10)

• 20-second implementation. No dev dependencies. Real-time tracking.

🔁 Feedback Loop to Growth (42:00)

• Use the data to make better creative.
•  Use the creative to drive better data.
•  Repeat.

🎬 Listen to the Full Episode

In this first installment of the [radically candid] podcast, Tim Rowe sits down with Carson Henry CEO @ [cognition] to talk about how a strategic pivot from competing with agencies has led to transformative ad tech for streaming TV advertising attribution.

⏱️ Quick Takeaways (2-min read)

1. The Pivot: How Cognition originally aimed to disrupt agencies but instead became their technology partner
2. The Discovery: 30% of search traffic should actually be attributed to video campaigns
3. The Game-Changer: Pixel-based CTV attribution that shows exactly which traffic, sales, and conversions came from streaming TV
4. The Scale Strategy: Finding one world-class partner per industry rather than many mediocre ones

🚀 Genesis & Pivot (03:15)

• Started in automotive retail, connecting with Amazon Ads
• Built automation tools for Amazon's ecosystem
• Key realization: "We solved more pain on the agency side than for dealerships"
• Pivoted to exclusive agency partnerships: "Where we were trying to dethrone them originally, now we were partnering with them"

🛠️ Key Technology Breakthroughs (07:00)

• Creative Suite: Zero to 60-second spots in an hour with real-time inventory
• Third-party ad server approval with Amazon DSP for dynamic creative updates
• Advanced attribution: Dropping cookies on CTV exposures to track the complete user journey

📊 The 30% Attribution Revelation (10:15)

"Roughly 30% of any search traffic is actually video, should be attributed to video."

• When viewers see a TV ad then search for the brand, traditional attribution gives all credit to search
• cognition's platform can identify and correct this misattribution
• Provides name-specific lead tracking from impression to conversion

🔍 The Ideal Partner Profile (15:00)

"If you want to do something that's not been done, and you're not afraid to do that, then you're probably a good fit."

• Agencies with "the spirit of innovation"
• Those ready to "go to battle" in a competitive space
• Partners who value truth and transparency in a "gold rush" environment

🤝 The Freewheel Partnership (17:45)

• Directly negotiates inventory deals with premium publishers (Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Roku)
• Overcomes minimum spend requirements that typically block smaller advertisers
• Enables custom-curated deals for specific agency clients

🔮 Looking Ahead (24:00)

• New UI/UX interface launching soon
• Focus on democratizing access to walled gardens
• Expansion beyond automotive into verticals with larger inventory feeds

🎬 Listen to the Full Episode