The Marketing Podcast

AI-generated images, copy and video are everywhere, and it's getting harder to tell what's real. What does that mean for who we trust and what we buy? Recorded live at the DemandGen Connect round table in Munich, this episode brings together two experts from academia Prof. David Finken and Dr. Susanne Adler, moderated by Ben Dietrich (CEO, Mediacharge) to discuss why authenticity is becomi...

Google has rolled out its fourth spam update this year, and this one goes after mass-produced AI content. In this episode we cover what that means for brands that have been scaling SEO with automation. We also look at McDonald's plan to sell ads inside its app, Lidl taking over a competitor's freshness USP with a strange (and very effective) influencer campaign, and why Netflix wants fewer...

Are creators the new TV stars? This week we look at how Universal Ads is putting creator-hosted, fully branded long-form shows on TV. Then we ask why AI shopping agents are causing so much friction among Amazon, Meta and the rest of big tech. We finish with fresh Marketing Week research showing that emotional storytelling now drives B2B buying decisions. Creator TV: Influencers have moved from rea...

Two topics this week: is the "AI slowdown" a real safety debate or IPO-season theatre? And what does Amazon plugging its ad network into ChatGPT mean for marketers? Plus Julius returns from sailing in Greece, where gyros shops have covered their walls in AI-generated menu posters — each one visibly a newer model than the last. AGI as a marketing claim. Why declaring AGI "reached&quo...

Brand strategist, university lecturer and Brand Like a Girl founder Raya joins us to talk about the gap between what companies want to be known for and what the market actually hears. We get into why "innovative" and "high quality" are not differentiators, why rebranding rarely rescues a failing business, and why AI-polished brands are increasingly beautiful and empty. Her clos...

Four stories that actually move budgets this week — a record settlement that rewrites how teens can be reached, a fund thesis that quietly buries software-only businesses, the smartest ad stunt of the year, and a targeting option B2G marketers have been waiting a decade for. 1) Meta's settlement — and the rules that come with it Meta has settled the youth-safety cases brought by all 50 US stat...

OpenAI is finally opening its ad business to Europe — and the timing matters more than the ad format does. Ben and Julius break down what's actually showing up in the data: around 10% of Mediacharge's inbound leads now come from ChatGPT organically, with no ad spend behind them, and B2B marketing leaders are reporting 20–40% for requirement-heavy solutions. Fewer clicks, but far better pre...

Social content is quietly becoming an SEO channel — and Google just gave us proof. This week Julius and Ben unpack Google Search Console's new social media integration, why AI Overviews increasingly favor fresh, human-sounding social posts over polished blog content, and what that means for how brands should be publishing. Then: a look inside Amazon's own $2.7B ad budget — where the platfo...

AI is changing marketing faster than ever — from ad platforms and content creation to how we consume media. In this episode, we dive into four major developments shaping digital marketing right now: 🤖 AI Disclosure Laws — New regulations are forcing marketers to disclose AI-generated content. Is this a threat for brands, or an opportunity for authentic creators to stand out? 🔎 Google AI Max — Go...

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Kishor Sridhar, a consultant and lecturer at the International School of Management (Munich), who combines engineering and psychology to help B2B businesses become more effective. Professor Sridhar, who once worked alongside Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman researching sunk cost effects in leadership, introduces the concept of 'emotional economics&...

What happens when customers prefer AI-generated content but are afraid to admit they use it? And how does virtual reality change the way B2B buyers form emotional connections with products they've never touched? In this episode, we sit down with Professor David Finken, Professor of Marketing × Technology at TUM (Technical University of Munich), to explore the fascinating intersection of AI, vi...

Meta Agents, Salesforce Adoption, Google AI Search & the Post-Click Wake-Up CallIn this episode, Julius and Ben unpack four big shifts shaping marketing right now: Meta’s business agents as a practical way to boost customer engagement through in-chat support and lead pre-qualification; Salesforce’s agentic AI push and what its reported 30% adoption says about messy CRM data, operational readin...

ChatGPT Ads Miss the Mark, Pink Boots Go Viral, and Publishers Push Back on GoogleThis episode covers four fast-moving marketing shifts: early performance data suggests OpenAI’s ChatGPT ad business is underperforming because ads don’t feel native, require expensive high-ticket buys, and face strong alternatives—raising questions about pricing, self-serve viability, and potential agency affiliate i...

Zoom Buys Common Room, ChatGPT Referral Dominance, and Why Marketing Must Reconnect to the Boardroom: Julius and Ben discuss Zoom’s acquisition of Common Room and why Zoom is moving beyond commodity video calls into the revenue ops stack by combining data enrichment, meeting transcription, and CRM-connected workflows. They unpack a Search Engine Land report showing ChatGPT driving 92% of AI referr...

OpenAI Ads, Microsoft Copilot, and Google’s AI Search Shake-UpIn this episode, Julius and Tristan discuss two big shifts in AI and marketing: OpenAI’s stated ambition at Cannes Lions to become a new marketing channel and Microsoft’s push to lead in AI through Copilot. They unpack OpenAI’s plan to build native-feeling ads inside LLM responses, citing major financial pressure, a 19-week pilot, expan...

World Cup Ads, Bing’s AI Reporting, Instagram on TV, and Reddit’s AI-Powered Ads. In this episode, Julius and Ben review standout 2026 football campaigns, starting with a Matthew McConaughey spot localized into 10 languages using ElevenLabs AI dubbing and where it still feels slightly synthetic. They discuss Bing Webmaster Tools expanding AI reporting with insights on intents, topics, citation sha...

This week Julius and Ben cover four stories shaping tech and marketing: SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO and the marketing machine behind it, including heavy storytelling, investor roadshows, Elon Musk’s personal brand on X, and scarcity from a small share float despite a sky-high revenue multiple. Next, they examine Salesforce’s acquisition of customer-service AI platform Fin as a sign of consolidati...

This week we explore how AI-driven search is reshaping SEO, arguing that classic “share of voice” and rank-tracking break down as results become personalized and conversational. We discuss alternatives like tracking “share of recommendations” and “share of narratives” (e.g., being framed as premium vs. budget) and review Google Search Console’s new beta reporting for AI Overviews/AI Mode traffic—u...

This week, Julius and Ben discuss how AI is reshaping advertising, focusing on Google’s push toward conversational ads and the challenge of making ads feel native in AI-generated answers. They compare current LLM ad placements to early Google AdWords, arguing relevance and creativity are still lacking and that platforms may be prioritizing revenue. They break down why Messi is a powerful (but expe...

In this episode, filmed remotely, Julius and Ben discuss Spotify’s move toward short-form discovery with new podcast clipping and narrated article features, debating whether it boosts engagement while pushing Spotify toward more addictive social formats. They then cover Google’s latest AI announcements, including native checkout across Google surfaces that could shift e-commerce dynamics with part...

This week Julius and Ben discuss Microsoft Advertising’s expansion of LinkedIn targeting into connected TV, co-branding as an underrated growth lever, and Google’s new guide for publishers optimizing content for the generative AI era (GEO). They explain how Microsoft can match LinkedIn audience attributes (company, role) to connected TV via network/IP signals, framing it as a major B2B opportunity...

This week Julius and Ben discuss how performance marketers are being pushed to rethink metrics as competition concentrates budgets in the lower funnel and suggest a broader shift back toward brand strategy as early digital advantages fade. They cover Google Ads integrating Tag Manager access to simplify tracking for small advertisers and tie it to Google’s AI-driven push to democratize advertising...

In this episode, Ben and Julius cover major shifts in AI and ad tech, starting with Microsoft’s “AI paradox” study on Copilot, which finds that many enterprises lack incentives, support, and recognition systems that would motivate employees to redesign processes with AI tools; they discuss giving teams small testing budgets, collecting feedback, and celebrating wins. They then unpack Google Analyt...

Julius and Ben discuss why positioning remains a crucial growth lever even as AI and fast-moving content trends challenge traditional marketing frameworks. Ben defines positioning as how an offer is perceived through selling, production, communication, identity, and product delivery—shaping the buyer’s comparison moment and clarifying why someone should buy from you. They explore how companies can...

Let's discuss whether hyper-targeting is overrated and when going broad in PPC makes sense. Julius shares a recent shift toward broader Meta targeting, relying on persona-specific creative hooks to let users and the algorithm self-select, noting early mixed results tied more to creative quality than targeting. Ben explains why platforms push broad targeting and argues it works best when conver...