Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast
EMARKETER
EMARKETER’s podcast, Behind the Numbers, helps marketers, retailers, and advertisers understand the rapidly changing landscape of digital media. EMARKETER analysts and industry experts come together to analyze a wide variety of critical topics, from the transformative influence of AI to the dynamic world of social media, and the evolving landscape of consumer shopping habits. Stay informed and stay ahead with insights and analysis that matter. Tune in to new episodes published Monday through Friday wherever you find podcasts.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 6, 2026 • 27min
What Will Spotify Do About AI Slop? Will Podcasts Catch On in Living Rooms? And More — The 3 Big Questions for Spotify | Behind the Numbers
Daniel Konstantinovic, senior editor who covers advertising and platform strategy, and Ross Benes, senior analyst focused on streaming and ad trends. They tackle Spotify’s AI-generated music problem. They dig into whether ads can match subscriptions. They debate if podcasts will become big-screen living room entertainment and Spotify’s video, audiobook, and pricing moves.
Mar 5, 2026 • 33min
The Big Creator Breakout in 2026 | Behind the Numbers Special Edition
New forecasts reveal where creator spending is accelerating and which categories will break out in 2026. The conversation explores shoppable content, CTV’s growing influence, and brands shifting to fuller-funnel partnerships. Topics include rising spend on smaller creators, repurposing creator content across channels, AI’s role in creator workflows, and the measurement and budget challenges marketers face.
6 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 22min
Does Every Retailer Need a Chief Entertainment Officer (Like GAP)? | Reimagining Retail
Blake Droesch, senior retail analyst focused on merchandising and e-commerce. Skye Canaves, principal analyst tracking retail, commerce and entertainment integrations. They debate Gap’s new Chief Entertainment Officer hire. They explore fashion-driven branded entertainment, how the role differs from marketing, risks of C-suite theatrics, LA production moves, and how to measure success and couple content with retail fundamentals.
Mar 2, 2026 • 29min
Are We Addicted? Breaking Down the Social Media Trials and America’s Media Habits | Behind the Numbers
Oscar Orozco, Senior Director of Forecasting who tracks media trends, and Ethan Cramer-Flood, principal forecasting writer focused on time-spent analysis, dig into the social media addiction trials and their industry fallout. They discuss legal remedies, internal platform documents, and why YouTube and TV still dominate attention. They also explore where Americans actually spend nearly 13 hours of daily media time.
Feb 27, 2026 • 30min
Inside 2026 Winter Olympics Advertising: Media Fragmentation, Creators & the Brands That Won Gold | Behind the Numbers
Jeremy Goldman, Senior Director of Content, breaks down creator marketing and broadcaster strategy. Peter Allen Clark, senior analyst, brings data-driven ad and streaming insights. They discuss NBCUniversal’s multi-platform push, creators and athlete storytelling, marketers’ omnichannel tactics for fragmented media, and which brand campaigns stood out at the 2026 Winter Games.
Feb 25, 2026 • 27min
The Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards for February: CeraVe Makes KD the 'Face of Legs', H-E-B 'Baby Wants Tortillas', and More | Reimagining Retail
Blake Droesch, senior analyst who tracks retail trends; Becky Schilling, senior director of media strategy; and Zak Stambor, principal retail and e-commerce analyst. They debate standout retail moves like CeraVe pairing Kevin Durant with a viral legs campaign, Nordstrom’s 125th anniversary activations, Walmart’s sushi bar test, Amazon’s large-format experiments, and H-E-B’s tortilla-forward Super Bowl ad.
Feb 23, 2026 • 31min
Will TikTok be battling bias this year? How big can TikTok Shop get? And More — The 3 Big Questions for TikTok | Behind the Numbers
Max Willens, principal social media analyst who tracks platform strategy and forecasting, and Emmy Liederman, analyst covering social, advertising, and commerce trends. They dig into perceptions of political bias, TikTok’s algorithm changes and reliability, and how big TikTok Shop could grow — plus trust, local search, and advertiser reactions.
Feb 20, 2026 • 25min
Can Amazon Maintain Its Ad Revenue Momentum? Is AI Spending a Problem? And More — The 3 Big Questions for Amazon | Behind the Numbers
Marisa Jones, newsletter analyst on advertising and media, breaks down Amazon's ad business and AI-powered ad solutions. Rachel Wolff, retail analyst, explains e-commerce, grocery and physical retail experiments. They explore Amazon's ad revenue momentum, AI capital spending, readiness for agentic commerce, and shifts in retail strategy and automation.
Feb 19, 2026 • 29min
When and How Will Google Monetize AI Search? Will It Reconcile Its AI Chatbots? And More — The 3 Big Questions for Google | Behind the Numbers
Jeremy Goldman, Senior Director of Content offering strategic takes on commerce and advertising. Nate Elliott, Principal AI analyst focused on business implications and data-driven forecasts. They debate when and how Google will monetize AI search. They weigh ad placement in AI responses, AI-driven commerce opportunities, and why Google runs two overlapping AI chatbots.
Feb 18, 2026 • 24min
What “Winning the Holidays” Actually Looks Like in 2026 | Reimagining Retail
Zak Stambor, principal analyst on retail and payments, and Skye Canaves, principal analyst on retail forecasting and AI commerce, dive into holiday shopping shifts. They cover returns and fit issues, Cyber 5 strength and muted 2026 growth, omnichannel complexity, personalization at scale, retailer AI strategies, TikTok Shop momentum, and tests for AI using smaller holidays.
