Contrary to Popular Opinion

In this remix episode, Todd Juneau and Kelly Maguire revisit their sharpest takes on measurement, full-funnel growth, AI, agency accountability, and marketing mix modeling. They dig into why many brands are still relying on incomplete measurement, how lucky streaks and singular tactics can easily stall growth, and why the funnel still matters in a fragmented customer journey. They also explore whe...

In this episode, Todd and Kelly take on the marketing industry's obsession with AI tools, proprietary dashboards, and ever-expanding tech stacks. Fresh off a call with a tech partner showcasing a Bayesian MMM platform fused with an LLM, they dig into why so many agencies and in-house teams treat owning a tool as if it were the same as having an advantage. Their argument is simple and a little unco...

Todd and Kelly dive into a provocative Harvard Business Review article exploring how AI-powered commerce agents in China are already making purchasing decisions on behalf of consumers — and what that means for the entire marketing industry. Todd argues that these agents operate purely on algorithms, structured data, and utility signals, bypassing brand affinity and emotional connection entirely. K...

Todd and Kelly address the real trade-offs between bespoke, tool-agnostic agency work and “proven framework” agencies, and when bringing marketing agency work in-house actually helps or hurts. They debate why productized agency “machines” sell so well (trophies, repeatability, and perceived certainty), why truly custom solutions are operationally harder but often better aligned to business realiti...

Todd and Kelly address a growing tension in marketing: expectations that agency work should cost less because of AI, even as the cost of senior talent and modern tech stacks continues to rise. They argue that AI is powerful at improving the execution layer, including generating options, accelerating testing, and enhancing optimization workflows, but it cannot own judgment or decide what truly matt...

Todd and Kelly debate a widely discussed case study claiming an “agentic media buy” bypassed the DSP to reduce supply-chain costs and shift more budget into working media. They address what DSPs actually contribute, why headlines about “cheaper and faster” can be misleading, and how cost savings often reappear elsewhere in the ecosystem. The conversation moves from the mechanics of media buying to...

Todd and Kelly break down the practical difference between zero-party data (what people willingly tell you) and first-party data (what you observe from owned interactions), and why the industry’s privacy shift has not eliminated tracking so much as it has made measurement more fragmented and harder to interpret. They debate whether cookies will ever truly go away, why consumer behavior tends to de...

Todd and Kelly discuss the often confusing world of influencer and creator marketing, revealing why most brands still get it wrong. They break down the critical difference between creators (who produce content for your marketing engine) and influencers (who use their audience to drive direct sales), and explain how understanding this distinction can save you thousands of dollars in wasted marketin...

In this episode, Todd and Kelly talk about advertising and media budgets and why mid-market brands often struggle to get real attention from large agencies. Smaller accounts are frequently handed to junior teams, while senior talent focuses on nine-figure budgets that can afford mistakes. With $100 million, errors can be absorbed. With $15 million, every dollar matters. They also address the hype...

Todd and Kelly address the evolution of brand authenticity and marketing. They debate whether traditional brand building—where companies like Volvo owned "safety" and BMW owned "performance"—is dying in favor of personality-driven influencer marketing. The conversation explores how legacy brands built equity through mass media versus how modern startups leverage influencers and social commerce to...

Todd and Kelly sit down with Sami Akkawi, founder of Petra Labs, to explore the seismic shift from traditional SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Sami, who made the leap from Morgan Stanley investment banking to AI-driven marketing, reveals why brands must fundamentally rethink their digital strategy as AI models like ChatGPT become the new gatekeepers of consumer trust. The conversation div...

Todd and Kelly kick off 2026 with bold predictions about the state of AI in marketing and advertising. They discuss why many brands will discover they're nowhere near ready to utilize AI effectively, predicting that the year will expose the gap between AI hype and reality. The duo explore how AI-driven media buying could lead to wasted budgets and poor targeting, why creative fatigue will replace...

Todd and Kelly sit down with Jill and Jeff from Fuse.is to explore the evolution of marketing analytics in the age of AI. The conversation challenges conventional wisdom about dashboards, data warehouses, and the future of business intelligence. Jeff and Jill reveal why "good enough" data accuracy is no longer acceptable and how their platform eliminates the fragile ETL pipelines that plague tradi...

Todd and Kelly tackle the realities of marketing and performance measurement with marketing analyst and expert Jeff Sutelman, from Funnel.io. They discuss why the dream of perfect user journey tracking is dead, how platforms like Meta grade their own homework, and why ROAS isn't the holy grail most marketers think it is. Jeff shares why small brands stay small when they optimize only for last-clic...

Is AI democratizing creative work or just making everything look the same? Rebecca Rothstein, founder of The Shorts and Madison Avenue veteran, joins Kelly and Todd for a no-holds-barred conversation about AI's impact on creativity. Rebecca argues that while AI can be a useful tool, it can't replace human taste, emotion, and cultural intuition. From Stanley Cup's brand transformation to the loomin...

In this thought-provoking episode, Todd and Kelly dig into the complex world of virtual influencers and AI-generated content creators. They debate whether virtual influencers represent the future of advertising or an existential threat to human creativity and authenticity. The conversation explores the efficiency and cost benefits of virtual creators versus the irreplaceable value of real human en...

Matt, Todd, and Kelly address the realities of AI adoption in advertising and marketing agencies. Sparked by Deloitte's recent lawsuit related to delivering AI-generated work with hallucinations, the trio explores what clients should actually expect when agencies use AI tools. Contrary to popular belief, AI isn't making their work faster or cheaper - it's requiring massive investments in time, lea...

In this episode, Todd and Kelly address some of the controversial debates shaping marketing today. They tackle the age-old question: Does brand actually sell, or is it just a signal? As they explore the friction between brand-building and performance marketing, they challenge assumptions around consumer behavior, full-funnel marketing, and the relentless pursuit of ROAS. The conversation takes an...

Holiday shopping in September isn't consumer demand - it's retailer conditioning. In this episode, hosts Todd Juneay and Kelly McGuire are joined by e-commerce strategist Matt Crincoli to examine: how "holiday creep" trained shoppers to wait for discounts why the Big Five shopping days are losing power how mobile commerce collapsed the purchase journey into impulse-driven seconds. They explore the...

Todd Juneau and Kelly McGuire explore why 79% of shoppers abandon their carts due to delivery options, how Gen Z's social shopping is challenging Amazon's dominance, and whether brands can ever match the authenticity of influencers. This episode reveals what's driving consumer behavior and where marketers should focus e-Commerce efforts in 2025. Perfect for brand managers and anyone trying to unde...

In this episode of Contrary to Popular Opinion, hosts Todd and Kelly break down Media Mix Modeling (MMM) in simple terms. They explain how this sophisticated correlation analysis gives marketers a bird's-eye view of performance across all channels, moving beyond the tunnel vision of looking at each platform in isolation. Key topics covered: What MMM actually is  and why it's more than just fa...

In this episode, Todd and Kelly explore the cultural firestorm around  Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign. They explore the dynamics around the campaign and what it reveals about today's advertising environment. They debate whether Sweeney is a  good brand ambassador  or an example of the  double-edged sword  of celebrity endorsements. They analyze how  sex appe...

this week's episode, Todd Juneau and Kelly Maguire reflect on a recent Ad Age article on the rise of independent media agencies — and explore the strengths and nuances of indie agencies versus HoldCo agencies. They address one of the real differentiators: client priority. From “small fish in a big pond” dynamics to the willingness of indie agencies to do what it takes to achieve results for their...

You're Not Buying Media, You're Buying Outcomes Media buying is evolving faster than ever, and smart marketers are rethinking what they're actually purchasing when they invest in advertising. In this thought-provoking episode, Todd and Kelly explore a fundamental shift happening across the industry: the rise of principal media buying, where agencies and platforms pre-purchase inventory and resell...

In this episode, Todd Juneau and Kelly Maguire share why the most successful brands think like orchard owners. They nurture long-term brand value while still harvesting performance wins today. It's not about choosing sides in the brand vs. performance debate; it's about understanding that they're two sides of the same coin. What You'll Discover in This Episode: Brand Loyalty vs. Algorithm Loyalty&...