Dave Penski | Publicis Groupe | Media in the Age of AI: PART 2

A CMO Confidential Interview with Dave Penski, CEO of Connected Media, formerly CEO of Publicis Media, COO of Publicis Groupe, and CEO of ZenithOptimedia. Dave shares perspective on how clients are managing through a challenging marketplace, how there's increasing "disruption" between consumers and advertisers, and why the future of media is based on "connected identity." Key topics include: why Publicis continues to invest in tech; why 2027 will bring increased challenges for marketers; how different business verticals are impacted by "the economic K curve;" and why sports is "as AI proof as it gets." Tune in to hear why you should know your customer as precisely as possible across all media types and thoughts on the potential impacts of gambling and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) on the golden goose of sports.

Dave Penski, CEO of Publicis Media (twice over) and former COO of Publicis Groupe, returns to CMO Confidential for a wide-ranging conversation with host Mike Linton on the forces reshaping marketing, media, and the agency business in 2026. Dave offers a rare economist's-eye view across verticals — from tariffs and consumer confidence to the K-economy, AI's real (and overhyped) impact on agencies, the in-housing cycle that never quite materialized as predicted, and why 2027 may be the toughest advertising year in recent memory.

Topics covered: connected identity, Publicis' $12B investment thesis, creative and engineering transformation via AI, streaming consolidation, the fragmentation of sports viewing, gambling regulation, and the one piece of career advice Dave still gives every mentee.

*This episode is brought to you by Scrunch . Learn more at scrunchai.com/cmo

🎙️ Host: Mike Linton — Former CMO of Best Buy, eBay, Farmers Insurance & Ancestry.com

👤 Guest: Dave Penske — CEO, Publicis Media

🔔 New episodes every Tuesday. Find our full catalog of 160+ episodes on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

## ⏱️ Chapter Markers

0:00 Welcome to CMO Confidential

0:23 Introducing Dave Penske & Today's Topic

1:13 State of the Business Marketplace: Volatility, Tariffs & Fragmentation

4:40 The Agency Landscape: Publicis vs. the Competition

5:23 Publicis' $12B Investment Strategy & Connected Media

7:42 What "Connected Identity" Actually Means

11:10 Forces on Agency Economics & Valuations

13:21 Why Agency Valuations Have Taken a Hit

16:48 The In-Housing Debate: 10 Years In, What's Really Happening

23:55 AI & Agencies: Creative, Production & Engineering Disruption

29:01 AI on the Buy Side: Faster Planning & Measurement

30:20 The Hollowing Out of the Middle Class & the K-Economy

34:00 2026 Marketplace Outlook: Midterms, Olympics Dollars & Risk

40:21 Streaming: Paramount/Warner Brothers & the New Big Six

42:37 Sports: AI-Proof, Must-See TV & the NIL Problem

44:45 The Fragmented Sports Viewing Experience

46:00 Gambling: Engagement Boost or Threat to the Game?

48:47 What CMOs Should Be Building Now for 2027

50:47 Closing Advice: The One Thing Dave Still Tells Every Mentee

```

CMO Confidential, Mike Linton, Dave Penske, Publicis Media, agency business, media industry 2026, connected identity, Epsilon, AI in advertising, AI and agencies, in-housing, media fragmentation, advertising marketplace, K-economy, middle class economy, streaming consolidation, Paramount Warner Brothers, sports advertising, sports gambling, NIL reform, agency valuations, Publicis Groupe, media planning, marketing leadership, CMO podcast, advertising trends, tariffs and advertising, media buying, retail media, influencer marketing, Sapient, AI creative production, upfront TV, Olympic advertising, World Cup advertising, midterm elections advertising, marketing strategy 2027, chief marketing officer

```

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.