In an ad-tech world increasingly driven by AI, human connection remains the most powerful strategy we have. Join us as we explore the future of programmatic curation and supply-side decisioning with Fern Potter, SVP of Strategy & Partnerships at Multilocal.

In this episode, Fern explains how streamlining the audience experience is creating viable alternatives to the walled gardens. We also dive into fascinating consumer trends, unpacking why Gen Z is abandoning static images for video storytelling to filter out AI disruption. Finally, we cover the deeply human side of business, discussing the vital importance of setting psychological boundaries and separating personal ego from professional outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Power of Curation: How bridging audience experiences on the supply side makes programmatic advertising less expensive and more efficient.
2. Monetising Data Assets: How supply-side decisioning allows publishers to control performance and pricing directly.
3. Leadership & Boundaries: Why internalising the success or failure of a project can be damaging to your career.
4. Finding the Signal: Why futurists like Deborah Kantt and empathy experts like Brené Brown are essential guides for modern leaders.

Chapter Timestamps:

1. 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome
2. 00:31 - The Signal in the Noise: Futurism & Media Indicators
3. 00:43 - Gen Z Media Consumption & Filtering Out AI Disruption
4. 04:56 - Navigating People's Attention in Advertising
5. 05:22 - What is Programmatic Curation in Ad-Tech?
6. 07:58 - Standing Out in a Competitive Ad-Tech Marketplace
7. 10:43 - Monetising Data Assets via Supply-Side Decisioning
8. 14:22 - Leadership Hero: Brené Brown
9. 18:14 - The Importance of Psychological Boundaries in Business
10. 21:59 - Finding Community: Digital Leading Ladies & Panel Power

Links & Resources:

1. Watch the full video interview on YouTube:https://youtu.be/zW74gTDu74g
2. Connect with your host, James Welch, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswelch1234/
3. Connect with today’s guest, Fern Potter, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fp121/
4. Learn more about Multilocal: https://www.multilocal.media/

[00:15] James Welch: Welcome back to the show. Today I’m catching up with someone who is constantly on the move and absolutely killing it in the ad-tech world—Fern Potter, the SVP of Strategy & Partnerships at Multilocal. Our history goes back a bit; Fern actually hired me for a role back in 2019. Funny enough, her career took a major turn after she met her next boss at one of my dinner parties—the TNDP—so I like to think I played a small part in her trajectory! Since then, she’s been a force of nature, and today she’s here to talk about the future of curation, why ‘supply-side decisioning’ is the next big thing, and why—even in a world of AI—human connection is still the best strategy we have. Let’s jump in.

[01:05] Fern Potter: Hi James, great to see you.

[01:18] Fern Potter: It's a really great question actually. I was at IAB ALM last year, and there was a woman called Deborah Kantt who works for JP Morgan. She's a futurist, and she's all about finding signals within the population and media that are early indicators of something bigger to come. I loved her talk and definitely recommend checking her out; she’s written a book recently. But strangely enough, I was with my nieces for half-term—they’re 16 and 18—and you get a fascinating window into the future of media consumption and consumerism with teenagers. That age is really interesting because they have shopping habits, as I well know! We were talking a lot about social media and how they perceive advertising. My nieces were telling me that on Instagram, them and all their friends are using Stories and Reels. It's all very much video content. Not many of their circle of influence are around static imagery anymore. I asked them why, and they said, “Well, because of AI.” The intersect into over-produced content when it’s static is more questionable than video. Video of their friends is real-time storytelling; it’s a better opportunity to see genuine experiences. I thought that was a really interesting thought—that future generations are thinking about storytelling and genuine content as a way to filter out what is real versus what is AI disruption.

[04:54] Fern Potter: That again is interesting! My eldest niece loves vinyl. Back to vinyl! The artwork, the tangible experience of having a vinyl and collecting them. I guess to your point, she knows the artist is real.

[05:57] Fern Potter: Great question. I'm at Multilocal. We are curation specialists, and we've built an intelligence engine that bridges the audience experience an advertiser wants with the audience experience the media brand wants. Curation is making programmatic less expensive, more efficient, and driving better outcomes by bridging those audiences together. Previously, we defaulted to the open web because it was easier, but it hasn't necessarily driven the expectations we wanted. Curation streamlines the audience experience, creating a way of discovering audiences in a meaningful way outside the complexities of the technology. We spend a lot of time optimising on the supply side. You’ll have seen a lot of conversation around "supply-side decisioning." Getting the decisioning closer to the impression drives better outcomes for advertisers and gives them a safe marketplace to advertise within. By filtering audiences through to your DSP via supply-side decisioning, you get a cleaner, streamlined experience.

[08:44] Fern Potter: You're quite right. We've been in it six years; we were a first mover and built a category. Over the last two years, the category has started getting really noisy. Case in point: Xandr Curate was the first platform six years ago; now we are integrated into over 20 different SSP curate platforms. There is a lot more competition, especially in the last 18 months. Which is great, because if there was no competition, we'd be worried! It makes you better. It makes you understand where the gap is—that "blue ocean strategy"—that we can occupy. We focus on "Curation as a Service." That managed service on the supply side that can plug-and-play into businesses and meet them where they’re at. Whether you want to accelerate your programmatic curation offering or optimise yield, we can help you do that.

[11:22] Fern Potter: Yeah absolutely. So anyone with a data asset that might want to monetise on the supply side. Traditionally, if you have a first-party data audience segment, you’d pop it on the shelf of the DSP and hope it is discovered by a trader. What supply-side decisioning is enabling is businesses with a data asset—like a Start.io, a Permutive, a Lotame—to take that asset and integrate it into the supply side with media. This allows them to deliver and control the performance, pricing, and opportunity direct to the seller. It’s making sure tech is enabling audience discovery as opposed to disintermediating it through a supply chain. For an ad format, you might want to package all of that on the supply side so you’ve got better decisioning and control, and then you are looping back the DSP performance to the sell side. That loop back is what curation enables you to do within a Deal ID.

[13:44] Fern Potter: Absolutely. Outcomes are a more dominant conversation than ever, but there is a requirement to do that in a transparent way. You need insights on both sides. It gives advertisers a viable alternative to the walled gardens to fund this ecosystem we’ve built.

[15:11] Fern Potter: I mentioned Deborah Kantt earlier, but I also adore Brené Brown. She writes incredible books about vulnerability and empathy through leadership. She wrote Atlas of the Heart, which is about language and perception. She really pays attention to language, and I found that fascinating. She is a top hero of mine.

[17:23] Fern Potter: Entering my first role at a media agency. I started at The Search Works. When I started at a media agency, everything came together about how the whole advertising ecosystem worked. It was the best decision I made. I met so many people, and there was so much collaboration. Being exposed to the whole ecosystem within a combined media and creative agency was brilliant. The people never leave you.

[19:54] Fern Potter: Not setting boundaries. And I mean psychological boundaries when it comes to work. I’ve been reading about this a lot. Separating ego from the business in which you are involved. Nothing is personal. If something doesn't work, it's not just you. You can internalise the success or failure of a project, and it can shape who you are. I’m now more cognizant of understanding that the successes and failures aren't internalised to just be you—you are working as a business.

[21:30] Fern Potter: Trickily! No, I think it’s about having a plan. Having a plan and getting collaboration and alignment across that plan so that all the wins and losses are a collective. And teaching yourself good grace to separate the two.

[22:40] Fern Potter: Oh, so many! I can't pinpoint one, but I have to say... most recently, I had a wonderful experience at the Digital Leading Ladies Christmas Lunch. I think I laughed for about four hours. My face hurt! It was so enriching and necessary to just feel that extreme joy. It comes from community—knowing people for over 10 years, meeting new people, and being in an environment where you can bring your genuine self.

[24:34] Fern Potter: Zuzanna Gierlinska. She is excellent. She set up "Panel Power" with NDA. I just think it’s such an incredible initiative to reflect, learn, and get more wealth, weight, and intelligent people on panels. She is an incredible human.

[25:20] Fern Potter: See you soon! Thanks so much, James.