EP146: Inside Mod Op’s $10M AI Investment: The Future Of Marketing Innovation

Oct 8, 2025

Eric Bertrand, CEO of Mod Op and seasoned PE/VC operator, describes leading a $10M AI bet to transform marketing. He discusses automating repetitive work, building ModHeat to merge brand and market data, and a people-first approach that upskills teams. They cover acquisitions to avoid commoditization, prioritizing fast-impact agents, and the roadmap toward integrated, personalized marketing systems.

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INSIGHT

AI Creates One-Shot Marketing Visibility

AI now ties together media, data, activation, and analytics to give a single, comprehensive view of marketing performance.
This unified view uncovers trends and delivers ROI that was impossible with disparate systems.

ADVICE

Reskill Instead Of Cutting Staff

Upskill tactical staff into strategic roles so they can use AI to drive higher-value outcomes.
Train teams on strategy and AI tools rather than cutting headcount to preserve and grow capability.

ANECDOTE

ModHeat Accelerated Shared Insights

ModHeat was built to move beyond social listening and give shared market insights to clients and strategists.
Tessa Burg says this shared data accelerates creative and campaign development in real time.

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What happens when a marketing agency invests $10 million in AI—not to replace people, but to empower them?

In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Eric Bertrand, CEO of Mod Op, to reveal how the agency’s bold investment is reshaping the future of marketing. Together, they break down how AI is transforming the work behind the work—from automating repetitive tasks to unlocking new levels of creativity, personalization and speed to market.

Listeners will get a behind-the-scenes look at Mod Op’s people-first approach to AI and hear how it’s helping clients move faster, think smarter and deliver more value than ever before. Eric shares insights on what it really takes to integrate AI responsibly, build connected data systems and evolve teams into strategic powerhouses.

If you’re curious about the real-world impact of AI in marketing — beyond the headlines — this episode offers an inside look at how a forward-thinking agency is transforming both its own operations and its clients’ success. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.

About Eric Bertrand:

C-level executive and entrepreneur having operated and managed Companies, including start-ups, growth stage and publicly traded Companies. PE/VC fund manager having invested over $400 million in 50+ companies over the past 20 years. Investments have been in multiple industries, with expertise in Media & Entertainment, Retail, Consumer Products, Business Services and Information Technology. Eric can be reached on LinkedIn or at Eric@ModOp.com.

About Tessa Burg:

Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.