Behind The Numbers: Emarketer Podcast

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss whether AI slop is becoming a problem on YouTube, the ways AI is helping—and hindering—brand safety efforts for advertisers, and what marketers can do about AI’s influence on how their ads appear. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Jacob Bourne and Principal Analyst Bill Fisher. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.   Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities, contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information, visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/ podcast-ai-brand-safety-s-frenemy-behind-numbers   © 2026 EMARKETER

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the main reasons people return items, the different policies we would keep or curb to help get returns under control, and the number one way to reduce returns. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-returns-problem-how-keep-things-sold-customers-happy-reimagining-retail © 2026 EMARKETER

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what’s broken in how we evaluate media, the problem with reach, and what “quality inventory” actually means. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Arielle Feger and David Simon, Chief Revenue Officer of Verve and President of Verve Marketplace. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-media-quality-measurement-gap-between-seeing-knowing-behind-numbers © 2026 EMARKETER   Illuminate. Connect. Activate.  

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the stats that best explain how sports betting is taking over America, Americans’ sentiment toward how betting impacts sports and society, and how brands might be able to get involved in the betting space responsibly. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and Senior Forecasting Analyst Zach Goldner. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-america-love-hate-relationsh

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how this kind of energy-driven inflation shows up differently for retailers compared to what we saw with tariffs last year, the ripple effects that are being underestimated, and which of these changes we think are temporary versus those that will actually reshape how people shop. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Zak Stambor, and Analyst Rachel Wolff.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-how-war-impacting-american-consumers-w

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss: What if Meta keeps losing all these lawsuits? What if Meta bought Roku? What if Amazon’s new smartphone is a hit?   Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities, contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information, visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-what-if-meta-bought-roku-amazon-s-new-smartphone-hit-behind-numbers   © 2026 EMARKETER Made Possible by Illuminate. Connect. Activate.​ Verve’s global omnichannel advertising platform redefines what’s possible beyond walled gardens. Verve illuminates, connects, and activates high-fidelity signals that drive outcomes for brands, agencies, and publishers at scale. Learn more

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what if Apple delivers on its vision of Apple Intelligence? What if Abercrombie evolves beyond retail into a lifestyle brand? What if Google starts paying for the content its AI uses?   Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian, and Principal Analysts Nate Elliott and Yory Wurmser. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-what-if-abercrombie-was-lifestyle-google-s-ai-pa

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the difficulty of defining a department store, what to keep or discard from the old model, and how success should be measured. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Paul Briggs, and Analyst Rachel Wolff.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-department-store-reinvention-old-rules-vs-new-success-reimagining-retail © 2026 EMARKETER   Illuminate. Connect. Activate. Verve’s global omnichannel advertising platform redefines what’s pos

On this episode, we examine the challenges and best practices for measuring impact of commerce media advertising. We discuss discuss moving beyond platform-reported metrics, incrementality testing frameworks, clean room strategies, cross-network measurement and building internal capabilities. Arielle Feger, EMARKETER’s Senior Analyst, Media Content hosts Jack Kneuper, Senior Digital Performance Marketing Manager at Perdue Farms and Matt Barresi, President of Digital Commerce and Capabilities at Kimberly-Clark.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss the main takeaways from the recent social media harm trials, how much Americans are using social networks (and which ones they’re using the most), and the changes we expect to see as a result of this landmark verdict. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and Analyst Emmy Liederman. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-ruling-that-could-unravel-social-media-behind-nu

On this episode, we explore how leading brands are implementing successful offsite strategies. Focuses include data partnerships and clean rooms, audience targeting off-platform, measuring offsite incrementality, and balancing scale with signal quality. EMARKETER Senior Analyst, Minda Smiley hosts Jason O’Toole, Head of Connected Commerce & Media at Gildan and Ryan Verklin, Paid Media & Retail Media Senior Lead at Bayer.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-beyond-sponsored-products-what-offsite-means-media-plan-behind-num

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what’s most responsible for consumers’ current ad fatigue, why there’s an opportunity to capture attention immediately after a purchase, and what agentic commerce is—and isn’t—doing to the shopping journey. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Nate Elliott, and Senior Vice President of Rokt Ads at Rokt, Ashley Firmstone. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.   Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities, contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information, visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-click-buy-tune-in-ai-relevance-ends-ad-fatigue-behind-numbers   © 2026 EMARKETER   Rokt helps marketers reach hig

In this episode, we discuss digital screens and audio, connecting in-store exposure to purchase, attribution challenges, retailer infrastructure investments, and shopper experience considerations. EMARKETER Vice President & Principal Analyst, Sarah Marzano hosts Gabi Viljoen, Vice President & Head of eCommerce at Nestlé Health Science and Austin Leonard, Vice President and General Manager of DG Media Network.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-screens-shelves-signals-retail-media-s-in-store-opportunity-behind-numbers-spe

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the most interesting moments from ShopTalk, the three types of consumers retailers need to be thinking about, and whether retailers are overestimating or underestimating where AI is actually showing up in the customer journey. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Analyst Carina Lamb. Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-3-consumers-retailers-must-know-ai-era-reimagining-retail © 2026 EMARKETER Rokt helps

In today's podcast episode, EMARKETER Vice President & Principal Analyst, Sarah Marzano, examines what's holding in-store back, what it will take to overcome these constraints, and where the most meaningful opportunities lie as retailers work to scale the next stage of retail media. Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-in-store-unlock-retail-media-s-next-stage-behind-numbers-special-edition © 2026 EMARKETER

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss the various reasons why Americans consume news, how they receive information, and the evolving behaviors emerging from their growing distrust of the news media. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Vice President of Research Jennifer Pearson and Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center, Michael Lipka. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-america-rewriting-its-relationship-with-news-behind-numbers  

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss why YouTube is the “new king of all media,” the strategies most likely to help competitors catch up, and what—if anything—might trip YouTube up. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-king-youtube-who-s-coming-crown-and-how-behind-numbers   © 2026 EMARKETER Rokt helps marketers reach high-intent custom

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what “the endless aisle” means today, how to best organize it, how AI takes it to the next level, and why the Transaction Moment matters so much. Listen to the discussion between Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian and CEO of Rokt Catalog, Bennett Carroccio.   Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-endless-aisle-infinite-assortment-real-time-relevance-and-beyond-reimagining-retail     © 2026 EMARKETER Rokt helps marketers reach high-intent customers in the Transaction Moment™—when they’re actively completing a purchase online. Powered by AI an

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss why Americans are turning to social media for health advice, the kinds of help they are seeking, and how the information they receive compares with what they hear from their offline physicians. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.   Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities, contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information, visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-social-media-s-growing-role-healthcare-decisions-behind-numbers   © 2026 EMARKETER Rokt helps marketers reach high-intent customers in the Transaction M

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss where creators make their money, why nano-influencers are becoming increasingly sought after, why it’s getting harder for creator content to break through, and the biggest challenges in measuring the impact of influencer campaigns. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Minda Smiley and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.   Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-creator-marketing-gets-more-competitive-com