After Dinner Chats, Ripped Off Less Ep1: Truth, Talent & Transparency

Welcome to the After Dinner Chats series, where we connect with fascinating people, always a little bit senior, always a bit shinier than most, to see what’s coming around the corner in the vibrant, and sometimes bewildering, worlds of media, marketing, and ad tech.

These episodes will be triple-headers, diving deep into how we can all get 'Ripped Off Less' with insights from three industry powerhouses.

And a big thank you to our sponsor for this episode, jobsinadtech.com, the only jobs board dedicated to digital media and the ad tech industry – if you're hiring, use promo code JWPOD for a 10% discount. It’s where ad tech finds its next role.

First up, I chatted with Deborah Gbadamosi, a Global Client Lead at Mindshare. Deborah shed light on "TruthSets," a US initiative grading data quality to reduce media waste – a concept we'd love to see go global. She also championed using AI for genuine efficiency, making those non-working media dollars finally sweat, and shared her passion for DE&I, urging businesses to continue supporting underrepresented groups – not as charity, but as smart strategy.

Then, I caught up with Jon Walsh, the man behind the ubiquitous ad tech WhatsApp communities and founder of our sponsor, jobsinadtech.com. Jon’s North Star is efficiency, whether it's creating a focused, quality-driven job site to counteract LinkedIn's "spray and pray" approach, or fostering the 50+ ad tech chat groups that have become the industry's digital water cooler. He shared the origin story of these vital communities and his belief in the power of narrative, drawing parallels with the boxing world.

Finally, I was thrilled to speak with Julia Linehan, founder and CEO of The Digital Voice PR agency. Julia passionately discussed the ad industry's talent challenge, advocating for better investment in people to make it an appealing career path once more. As a founding advisor of the UK Stop Ad Fraud Coalition, she detailed their "Know Your Customer" initiative, a crucial step in cleaning up the ecosystem. Julia also champions an outputs-driven, transparent approach in her own agency, ensuring clients truly see value.

From data integrity and AI efficiency with Deborah, to community building and laser-focused recruitment with Jon, and tackling ad fraud and championing industry talent with Julia, this episode is packed with actionable insights. We explore the importance of authentic narratives, the drive for smarter spending, and the unwavering belief in the power of people and community to navigate our ever-evolving industry. Tune in for a dose of wisdom, wit, and a clearer view of what’s next.