Brian Burke Of AtData On The Future Of Adtech
An Interview With Kieran Powell
One of my former mentors helped me realize the importance of focusing on the ‘why’ — why should a customer buy something and why is it differentiated and better than the competition? I had a habit of starting with the ‘how’ and was coached to instead start with the ‘why.’ Instead of talking about a series of features and how they work, I like to focus first on the compelling reason for a product and work backwards into how it works.
Advertising technology is rapidly evolving, transforming the way brands connect with consumers. From programmatic advertising to data analytics, the adtech industry is driving innovation and efficiency in marketing. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Burke.
I am a 20+ year identity data and product development veteran and am currently vice president of product for AtData, the preeminent leader of email address intelligence. AtData is at an exciting phase of growth that aligns well with my experience developing identity-driven solutions. With increased data privacy regulations and changes to how third-party cookies can be used, the email address is well positioned to be the leading identity element for marketers.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My college degree is in Electrical Engineering. I liked the idea of building things but wasn’t too interested in working in industrial manufacturing or continuing post-grad studies to work with semiconductors. Along the way, I took a lot of software design and Unix systems classes. I found that I enjoyed coding and working with Technology but craved more social interaction and strategic focus. I’ve learned that Product is the ideal role for me, where I can leverage my technical background, and sit at the cross-section of Technology, Marketing, and Sales. As my career has evolved, I have found my way into working with large data companies, and I’ve been able to make data — and specifically data that helps drive advertising and marketing — my focus as we’re able to use it to improve the consumer
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Starting out in a technically focused role early in my career, my inclination was to focus on how something would work… what features to include and how it would be built. I have learned over time that the key to success is to focus first on the customer experience. Such as what problems do customers have and how can I make their lives better. I quickly learned the hard way that you can’t do that in a vacuum. While I enjoyed working in development, getting closer to the customer experience is what drove me to product.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I recently joined AtData to help extend their identity solutions with email as the core identifier. Name and address has been at the epicenter of identity. But as we look at programmatic, digital and the future of the cookie, the concept of a terrestrial based identity loses some of its meaning. This is where the value of an email address expands. Email intelligence and verifications are critical to today’s marketers.
As an example, when a consumer conducts business online, more and more they may not be giving a postal address or home location and there’s a general familiarity with consumers providing email. So I see email as the conduit between traditional marketing and the future in terms of targeting digital audiences and being able to reach consumers.
Thank you for that. Let’s now shift to the central focus of our discussion. What do you believe will be the most significant technological advancements in adtech over the next five years?
My background is in consumer identity, and I strongly feel that email is the future of the consumer identity landscape. Consumers are more comfortable with email and organizations generally seem to be accepting of embracing and investing in their first-party data to navigate today’s digital world. And I think with that trend, adtech providers serving organizations who have first party data will continue to enhance the ways they deliver rich intelligence to help brands optimize and manage their first party data.
How is artificial intelligence changing the landscape of advertising technology, and what potential does it hold for the future?
AI continues to be an interesting and evolving topic. In the immediate short term, there are a lot of opportunities for generative AI — even as simple as optimizing product marketing messages. Further out, as a product person, I am interested in cogeneration with AI. I look forward to the day that I can just say, “hey, build me an interface on X, Y and Z,” and AI performs the coding and developmental magic and you’re done. While likely an oversimplification, AI is going to continue to permeate, evolve and revolutionize what we do, as it pertains to data. I also believe there’s going to be more powerful tools for machine learning and discovery within datasets. That’s going to unlock all types of new signals and assets that are obscure to us today. I’m very optimistic about what AI is going to do for our industry.
We use machine learning and data science models on the fraud side, but there’s opportunities with marketing as well. As you might imagine, with fraud, there are all types of unusual things that you might be able to signal upon that the naked eye wouldn’t catch. Likewise, there are opportunities within marketing. Using data science and machine learning, we have incredible intelligence within our walls to help develop future offerings. For example, if a given consumer is engaged online, are they positively responding to receiving marketing materials? And then further using data science be able to answer if they would perhaps fit the profile of a consumer that would respond to a future offering.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing the adtech industry, and how can they be addressed?
I think that the challenge of how third-party cookies are used will continue to be a big obstacle and the aftermath if and when Google finally deprecates cookies remains to be seen. Also, what happens if data privacy restrictions get more sensitive such as restrictions on IP addresses or if there is a federal GDPR-like law that passes in the future. And for marketers and vendors alike, those are certainly things for us to keep abreast of and how an email-centered identity is affected. Thankfully, emails are not going away and consumers already have a history of understanding how to provide consent around their email. AtData’s email address intelligence is at the center of a future-proofed identity strategy.
How do you see the role of data privacy evolving in adtech, and what impact will it have on the industry?
Data privacy and data governance will continue to play an ever-increasing role in adtech. Businesses must put the consumer preference first, with consumer consent and opt-out. To succeed, organizations must take stewardship of consumer information seriously and focus on transparency.
Can you share a case study or example of a groundbreaking adtech innovation that has had a major impact on the market?
It sounds cliché to say, but I think AI is THE groundbreaking innovation, not just for adtech, but for all industries. Whether it is building better machine learning models to improve personalization and a consumer’s propensity to convert, optimizing ad copy and product marketing to best resonate with consumers, or using AI heuristics to intelligently link and merge identities and signals across disparate fractional datasets, AI is everywhere, and we are in the earliest stages of what is possible.
What are the “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Marketing and Advertising Industries?”
1 . Invest in yourself
The professional world is always changing. Whether it is learning about new technologies, programming languages, or new methodologies for product/project management, investing in your skillsets and base of knowledge through training, certifications, and seminars is very important. Several years ago, I went through Agile product management certification. Little did I know at the time that I would be shifting my career path from Development towards Product, but having the formal training was instrumental in my growth.
2 . Understand the landscape
The Marketing and Advertising landscape has been constantly evolving. When I started my career, my first exposure in the marketing arena was working with phonebook data. Of course, the ad dollars for that business shifted online to programmatic years ago. More recently, there have been large industry shifts and trends afoot regarding the use of third-party cookies as well as increased regulatory scrutiny around consumer data privacy. Keeping abreast of major industry trends and constantly digesting opinion and speculation about future direction is essential.
3 . Focus on the customer
I like to constantly seek out customer pain points and develop an understanding of their frustrations, to determine if there is something that can be done to improve their experience. Sometimes the pain points are highly technical and require development innovation, but sometimes it can be a simple matter of ‘low hanging fruit.’ While at a former employer many years ago, I learned through a series of discussions with customer prospects there was significant frustration in the market with one of our competitors. They were described as ‘difficult to work with’ and ‘hard to get on the phone.’ We immediately focused on contrasting ourselves with that experience and won many customers over as a result.
4 . Ask questions
When meeting with customers and prospects, it is easy to fall into the trap of talking a lot about the greatness of your products and all the bells and whistles. I have learned that it is much more productive to focus first on asking the customer questions and learning about their experience, the value they receive, and the challenges they face. There is a time and place for introducing a product and innovation discussion, but I have found it is helpful to start first with asking questions and building a better understanding of what is relevant for the customer.
5 . Lead with the ‘Why’
One of my former mentors helped me realize the importance of focusing on the ‘why’ — why should a customer buy something and why is it differentiated and better than the competition? I had a habit of starting with the ‘how’ and was coached to instead start with the ‘why.’ Instead of talking about a series of features and how they work, I like to focus first on the compelling reason for a product and work backwards into how it works.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I think access to quality education is a great equalizer that pays dividends for future generations. It allows for higher living standards and upward mobility across different socio-economic classes. If I could wave a magic wand, I would start a global movement for municipalities, states, and private organizations to invest more heavily in grade school education.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I recommend readers follow AtData’s News and Events on our website and follow us on Linkedin to stay tuned for some great developments to come!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About The Interviewer: Kieran Powell is the EVP of Channel V Media a New York City Public Relations agency with a global network of agency partners in over 30 countries. Kieran has advised more than 150 companies in the Technology, B2B, Retail and Financial sectors. Prior to taking over business operations at Channel V Media, Kieran held roles at Merrill Lynch, PwC and Ernst & Young. Get in touch with Kieran to discuss how marketing and public relations can be leveraged to achieve concrete business goals.
