Join Paul Schmidt, VP of Marketing at SmartBug, and Louis-Claude Martin, a seasoned paid media expert, as they unpack the real impact of AI on campaign strategy, targeting, and performance. From the power of first-party data to the evolving role of media managers, this episode reveals how to shift from manual guesswork to data-backed greatness in the age of AI.
📚 What You’ll Learn
- How AI transforms paid media—from bidding and targeting to testing and scale
- Why first-party data from CRMs like HubSpot is a goldmine for ad platforms
- Where AI still needs human direction—and what that means for paid media teams
- The time-saving benefits of AI tools for campaign buildout and creative testing
- Whether AI agents will replace media managers or just make them stronger
🔑 Key Highlights & Timestamps
[00:20] Intro: The rise of AI in paid media—what’s changed and why it matters
[01:45] What makes first-party CRM data (like HubSpot’s) so powerful in ad platforms
[03:30] A real-world example: feeding actual customer data into Google AI for mortgage ads
[05:15] How AI-driven platforms like Performance Max decide when to bid higher
[07:05] Targeting evolution: why Google knows more than you think (without PII)
[09:00] How AI helps scale creative testing with speed and precision
[11:25] The limitations of AI in campaign strategy—why human oversight is still key
[13:45] Garbage in, garbage out: why AI is only as smart as your input
[15:50] Will AI replace paid media managers? A breakdown of evolving roles
[18:10] How AI reduces time spent on repetitive campaign buildout
[21:05] Multivariate testing: from 20 hours a week to just 3
[24:00] Targeting vs. context: the importance of user behavior history in bidding
[26:30] Creative development at scale—what AI can (and can’t) do
[29:40] Why your CRM audience size matters when feeding platforms
[32:15] Navigating privacy while leveraging customer data in ads
[35:00] The future of paid media: hybrid AI-human decision-making
[38:45] Final thoughts: what marketers should do today to stay ahead
🔗 Want to Connect?
👉 Contact SmartBug: www.smartbugmedia.com/contact-us
👉 Contact Paul: pschmidt@smartbugmedia.com
Relevant Resources