The MarTech Matrix

The MarTech Matrix Podcast is dedicated to helping brands and agencies discover technology without the hassles and time commitment of lengthy sales calls. There are over 17k MarTech solution on the market, in dozens of categories. Finding the right, best solution can take months from the beginning of the search until selection. This podcast, it’s content, and our platform are designed to help expedite the entire process because time is money and neither is more precious than the other.

The MarTech Matrix is a business podcast hosted by Sean Simon, with 31 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Sean Simon hosts The MarTech Matrix, a business show with 31 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #35

  Win on Reddit Without Getting Banned

  Sep 12, 202647 min

  Most marketers use Reddit personally and have no idea how to think about it professionally. This episode changes that. Jonny Waite is the co-founder of RECHO — one of only two full-service White Hat Reddit agencies in the US. With 17 years in digital and deep roots in SEO, paid search, and omnichannel strategy, Jonny has built Reddit programs for some of the biggest brands in the world. In this conversation, we break it down in three moves: how people actually behave on Reddit, how that translates into brand strategy, and why it's quietly shaping how AI tools like ChatGPT and Google surface your brand to the world. What you'll learn: → Why 62% of people fact-check AI answers on Reddit → The difference between paid and organic Reddit strategy → How to engage in subreddits without getting banned → Why brands that start now will be nearly impossible to catch by 2027 → The step-by-step process for getting started this week — not this quarter Whether you're a brand marketer, agency leader, or just trying to figure out where Reddit fits in your media mix, this one is worth your time. 1. REDDIT IS MAINSTREAM NOW — AND MOST BRANDS ARE BEHIND Reddit has been around for nearly 20 years but exploded in the last few years thanks to data licensing deals with Google and OpenAI. It's no longer a niche platform for tech enthusiasts. Half a billion weekly active users. 42% Gen Z. 40% Millennials. Most brands haven't figured it out yet — which is the opportunity. 2. PEOPLE GO TO REDDIT TO VALIDATE AI ANSWERS 62% of people who try to fact-check AI responses go to Reddit. That stat alone should change how brands think about the platform. It's not just a social channel — it's where trust is built or broken in the AI era. 3. AI SLOP IS DRIVING PEOPLE BACK TO HUMAN CONVERSATION The flood of AI-generated content has made people distrust polished brand content. Reddit's anonymity and self-governance make it feel real. Brands that show up authentically benefit from that halo. 4. PAID AND ORGANIC ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STRATEGIES Reddit ads are still cheap (spend is up 3x YoY but only 2% of overall media mix). Great test channel. Organic is where the real long-term value lives — but it's nuanced, time-intensive, and easy to get wrong. 5. MOST BRANDS GET BANNED BECAUSE THEY SKIP THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING The #1 mistake: jumping into a subreddit only when your brand is mentioned. Reddit communities see right through it. You need to be a consistent, helpful presence before you ever mention your product. 6. REACH OUT TO MODERATORS BEFORE YOU POST Moderators govern each subreddit independently. Being transparent about who you are and what you want to contribute goes a long way. Many will let brands engage if approached respectfully and honestly. 7. START SMALL — 3 TO 5 SUBREDDITS MAXIMUM Pick smaller, less mission-critical subreddits first. If you make a mistake and get banned, it won't tank your strategy. Use it as a learning environment before going after the big communities. 8. SOCIAL LISTENING IS YOUR FIRST MOVE Before posting anything, onboard Reddit into your social listening platform. Understand how your brand, your competitors, and your category are being discussed. That data tells you where to show up and what to say. 9. BUILD AUTHENTICALLY — THE BENEFITS FOLLOW Don't try to game Reddit like Google SEO. Brands that focus on genuine helpfulness — answering questions, sharing expertise, engaging in adjacent conversations — naturally accumulate AI citations, Google visibility, and qualified referral traffic. 10. THE WINDOW IS CLOSING Jonny's prediction: brands that invest seriously in Reddit now will have an 18-month head start on competitors by end of 2027. That head start compounds — both in Reddit reputation and in AI training data. It will be very hard to catch up.

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  Episode #47

  Why DTC Brands Lose Customers They Think Are Already Theirs | Agnes Seville, Little Sleepies

  Aug 23, 202647 min

  Most DTC brands aren't losing customers because they stopped caring. They're losing them because they started taking them for granted. Agnes Seville is the Head of Paid Media at Little Sleepies — a fast-growing DTC children's pajama brand with over 500,000 members in their community. In this episode of The Human Side of MarTech, Agnes breaks down the real drivers of DTC customer retention, why brand and performance marketing fail when siloed, how Meta's algorithm is forcing a creative strategy rethink, and what brands should actually measure to know if their paid media is working. Whether you're running a lean DTC team or trying to scale paid social without burning budget, this conversation is packed with grounded, practical insight from someone doing it at a high level. --------- WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE: --------- → How Agnes went from agency side to brand side — and what she learned making that switch → Why Little Sleepies built a 500K Facebook VIP community (and what "real" community actually means) → The customer loyalty mindset shift every DTC brand needs to make → Why brand and performance marketing teams fail when they compete instead of collaborate → How Meta's algorithm is penalizing creative repetition — and how to adapt → The attribution tools Agnes uses (Northbeam + platform data) and why nCAC is the metric that matters most → How to evaluate MarTech without getting burned by the implementation cost → What DTC brands consistently get wrong about vendors → The one piece of advice she'd give her younger self: "Be brave and do it scared." --------- TIMESTAMPS: --------- 0:00 — Introduction 1:16 — Agnes's career path: from agency to brand side 4:48 — Little Sleepies and what they actually sell 6:21 — How Little Sleepies builds a 500K-member community 8:29 — What most brands misunderstand about their customers 10:10 — The over-messaging problem (the Kuru shoes example) 13:28 — How brands earn trust vs. assume loyalty 14:55 — Performance vs. brand marketing: where does each fall short? 16:52 — Why silos between brand and performance teams hurt results 19:36 — How Agnes measures holistic media performance (Northbeam + platform data) 20:53 — Is revenue the right north star metric? 22:00 — Why new customer acquisition cost is the real metric for Little Sleepies 24:25 — If forced to choose: brand or performance? 26:24 — Meta creative fatigue and the algorithm problem 29:42 — What a great e-commerce experience actually looks like 32:16 — How to evaluate marketing technology on a lean team 34:10 — The hidden cost of new tools: human capital, not just subscription fees 36:24 — Data vs. intuition in marketing decision-making 38:28 — Why human judgment still beats AI in marketing 40:44 — One piece of advice for growing a DTC brand today 43:16 — What vendors consistently get wrong when selling to DTC brands 44:17 — Advice Agnes would give her younger self 45:34 — Closing thoughts --------- ABOUT THE SHOW: --------- The Human Side of MarTech shines a light on the people behind the technology — the brand and agency marketers navigating complex stacks, tight budgets, and constant change. Hosted by Sean Simon, co-founder of Blurbs (trustblurbs.com) and Cogent Collective. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe so you don't miss one. --------- CONNECT: --------- Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms: Read the full episode post: https://themartechmatrix.com/2026/07/04/dtc-brand-customer-retention-strategies/ Discover MarTech vendors without the sales pitch: https://trustblurbs.com --------- GUEST: --------- Agnes Seville — Head of Paid Media, Little Sleepies --------- TAGS --------- DTC marketing, paid media strategy, ecommerce customer retention, brand vs performance marketing, Little Sleepies, DTC brand growth, Meta ads strategy, creative fatigue Meta, Northbeam attribution, ecommerce marketing, marketing attribution tools, customer loyalty DTC, community building DTC brands, MarTech evaluation

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  Episode #48

  Why Your Retargeting Is Only Reaching 15% of Shoppers | Jason Blom, RTB House

  Aug 23, 202654 min

  Most ecommerce brands think their retargeting is handled. They're running Criteo or Performance Max, hitting their ROAS targets, and moving on. Here's the problem: their platform is only reaching 15–20% of the visitors who bounced from their site. The other 80–85% never see their brand again. In this episode of Inside the Blurb, I sit down with Jason Blom — VP of Strategic Opportunities at RTB House and former Criteo sales leader — to break down what deep learning retargeting actually does differently, and whether adding a second retargeting partner is worth it. We cover: ✅ Why no single retargeting platform can reach more than 15–20% of your eligible audience ✅ Deep learning vs. machine learning — what the difference actually means in practice ✅ Why 60%+ of RTB House-driven purchases happen on products shoppers never viewed or carted ✅ The exact framework for setting up a clean incrementality test ✅ What RTB House collects that standard retargeters don't (beyond the 5 standard pixels) ✅ How RTB House's creative philosophy differs from the ugly retargeting ads you're used to ✅ The question most brands forget to ask when evaluating a lower-funnel partner This isn't a pitch — it's a candid conversation between two former Criteo colleagues who know this space inside and out. Read the full breakdown + key takeaways: [INSERT POST URL] Check out RTB House on Blurbs: https://www.trustblurbs.com --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Introduction: How Jason and Sean know each other (Criteo origins) 01:14 — Why Jason spent 7 years evaluating RTB House before joining 04:11 — The moment Jason knew RTB House technology was real 05:46 — What it's like selling against your former employer 08:45 — The Shopkick detour and what retail roots taught Jason about retargeting 13:17 — Deep learning vs. machine learning — what it actually means 16:08 — Why standard DSPs can't replicate deep learning performance 18:11 — How RTB House bids differently than Criteo and Google 22:16 — Where AI is taking performance marketing next 25:41 — The 60% stat: why most purchases come from never-viewed products 30:10 — Consumer behavior online vs. in-store (and why it matters for retargeting) 31:45 — Making the case for running two retargeting partners 35:28 — How to set up a clean incrementality test 39:15 — What it takes to get started with RTB House 41:17 — The first-party data advantage: beyond the 5 standard pixels 43:29 — How RTB House clients eventually consolidate their spend 46:21 — RTB House's creative philosophy and why retargeting ads can look better 48:52 — Rapid fire: most common objection, best question to ask, advice to younger self 52:33 — Closing thoughts --- ABOUT INSIDE THE BLURB Inside the Blurb is a podcast by The MarTech Matrix where Sean Simon interviews founders and leaders from the vendor side of marketing technology. No buzzwords. No fluff. Just honest conversations about what these platforms actually do and how they do it. Website: https://www.themartechmatrix.com Blurbs: https://www.trustblurbs.com --- ## TAGS (paste into YouTube Tags field) retargeting, deep learning retargeting, RTB House, performance marketing, ecommerce retargeting, retargeting ads, incrementality testing, Criteo alternative, retargeting strategy, performance display advertising, machine learning vs deep learning, ecommerce marketing, DSP advertising, programmatic advertising, retargeting ROAS, martech podcast, inside the blurb, the martech matrix, Sean Simon, Jason Blom, product recommendation ads, DPA ads, ecommerce growth

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  Episode #49

  Why Enterprise MarTech Implementations Fail — And How to Fix It | Jean Guan | The Human Side of MarTech

  Aug 23, 202641 min

  Your marketing team is investing in technology — but the ROI isn't showing up. Tools go underused. Stacks overlap. Every new rollout feels like dragging people through mud. That's not a vendor problem. It's a structure problem. Jean Guan spent 15 years at CDW building the company's MarTech enablement team from the ground up — from a server sitting under someone's desk to a full governance function connecting marketing strategy with enterprise IT infrastructure at scale. In this episode of The Human Side of MarTech, Jean shares: ✅ How CDW built its MarTech team from zero (and why most large enterprises get this wrong) ✅ The enterprise vendor selection process — IT, legal, procurement, finance, AND security in the same room ✅ Why most MarTech implementations fail (hint: it's not the technology) ✅ How CDW used a Center of Excellence to drive AI adoption across the organization ✅ The 3 pillars every MarTech professional needs to master: Technology, Process, and People ✅ What agentic AI means for the customer experience — and the governance challenges ahead ✅ Rapid fire: the most overused MarTech buzzword, the biggest selection mistake, and the trend to watch If you're managing a marketing tech stack, evaluating vendors, or leading your team through AI transformation — this episode is required listening. ───────────────────────────── TIMESTAMPS ───────────────────────────── 00:00 — Introduction: Jean Guan's background and MarTech journey 01:00 — University of Wisconsin-Madison and getting into consulting 03:00 — Joining CDW: the server under the desk story 04:00 — Why enterprises need a dedicated MarTech function 06:00 — How enterprise MarTech vendor selection actually works 08:30 — The role of procurement, legal, and security in tool selection 10:10 — Governance and driving tool adoption inside large organizations 13:00 — Change management: why it's emotional, not just a project plan 17:00 — How CDW thinks about AI and the customer experience 20:00 — AI adoption internally: CDW's Center of Excellence approach 23:00 — MarTech stack overlap and the CDP problem 27:00 — Skills every MarTech professional needs to build 31:00 — Career advice: which path into MarTech is right for you? 35:00 — Rapid fire: buzzwords, mistakes, and trends 38:00 — Why AI agents and healthcare are Jean's ones to watch 39:00 — Closing thoughts NOTE: Adjust timestamps to match actual video timing before publishing. ───────────────────────────── ABOUT THE SHOW ───────────────────────────── The Human Side of MarTech is part of The MarTech Matrix podcast network — hosted by Sean Simon, founder of Cogent and Blurbs (trustblurbs.com). Each episode goes behind the tools to shine a light on the people who use them — marketers, marketing ops leaders, and technology practitioners inside brands and agencies sharing what actually works, what doesn't, and what the industry needs to know. Subscribe for weekly episodes Like this video if it was useful Drop your biggest MarTech challenge in the comments ───────────────────────────── LINKS ───────────────────────────── • Full episode post + show notes: https://themartechmatrix.com/2026/07/16/martech-vendor-selection-tips/ • Blurbs — discover marketing technology without the sales noise: https://trustblurbs.com • The MarTech Matrix: https://themartechmatrix.com • Connect with Sean Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seansimon

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  Episode #52

  AI Isn't Replacing Your Team — It's Exposing What You Never Fixed

  Aug 23, 202649 min

  Most companies are either racing to bolt AI onto everything or frozen because they don't know where to start. Angela Hill does neither. Angela runs e-commerce for Batteries Plus and has spent 20+ years in the industry — enough hype cycles to be skeptical of the next one. Her rule: test it, use it if it solves a real problem, fire it if it doesn't. In this episode of The Human Side of MarTech, Angela breaks down: ✅ Why AI doesn't create new problems — it exposes the ones you already had (messy data, disorganized content, broken search) ✅ Her team's 90/10 rule for using AI as an assistant, not a replacement ✅ How she filters vendor pitches using the "fitment" test in a market of 20,000+ MarTech vendors ✅ Why franchise e-commerce (BOPIS, franchise owners, urgent-need customers) breaks the standard MarTech playbook ✅ What separates a vendor pitch that earns her attention from one that wastes her time ✅ What she actually looks for in an "AI-native" hire This isn't hype or fear — it's a grounded look at how an experienced operator adopts technology on her own terms. Read the full breakdown + key takeaways: [INSERT POST URL] Compare MarTech vendors on Blurbs: https://www.trustblurbs.com ───────────────────────────── ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ───────────────────────────── 00:00 — Introduction: Angela's 20+ years in e-commerce 02:00 — The biggest surprise across every hype cycle: the fundamentals never change 05:49 — Walking into Batteries Plus: legacy tech debt and where to start 09:07 — How she audited the existing tech stack 10:56 — AI adoption: from resistance to "we have to test this" 13:15 — What AI is really exposing: messy data, disorganized content 14:22 — Agentic search and preparing the business to be found 14:43 — How AI is used day-to-day across the team 18:13 — Why franchise e-commerce is a different game 20:36 — The "fitment" test: how she filters vendor pitches 24:09 — Why standard personalization playbooks don't work for BOPIS 25:52 — From 250 vendors to 20,000: how to even know where to start 29:10 — Why she relies on conferences and peer networks over cold research 32:57 — How a lean team stays aligned on what tools everyone's using 34:20 — The difference between a pitch that respects her time and one that wastes it 38:17 — What trade shows get right — and where they could improve 42:24 — What she'd want every AI vendor to know before pitching her 44:40 — What an "AI-native" hire actually looks like 47:29 — Closing thoughts ───────────────────────────── ️ ABOUT THE SHOW ───────────────────────────── The Human Side of MarTech is part of The MarTech Matrix podcast network — hosted by Sean Simon, founder of Cogent and Blurbs (trustblurbs.com). Each episode goes behind the tools to shine a light on the people who use them — marketers, marketing ops leaders, and technology practitioners inside brands and agencies sharing what actually works, what doesn't, and what the industry needs to know. Subscribe for weekly episodes Like this video if it was useful Drop your biggest AI adoption question in the comments ───────────────────────────── LINKS ───────────────────────────── • Full episode post + show notes: [INSERT BLOG POST URL] • Blurbs — discover marketing technology without the sales noise: https://trustblurbs.com • The MarTech Matrix: https://themartechmatrix.com • Connect with Angela Hill on LinkedIn: [INSERT ANGELA'S LINKEDIN URL] • Connect with Sean Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seansimon

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