Read below for the DBC team’s takeaways from attending Marketecture Live II in October:
The event brought together some of the sharpest minds in media and advertising to unpack the industry’s favorite obsession: outcomes.
Every few years, marketing rebrands its metrics. Impressions became engagement. Engagement became attention. Now, the buzzword is outcomes. But this year’s conversations were less about the dashboard and more about decisions.
The “Outcomes Era” …Again?
Ari Paparo opened with a reality check: CMOs are under pressure to prove financial results, not just awareness or reach. Platforms have introduced tools for “outcome optimization,” reflecting the industry’s growing emphasis on results tied directly to business impact.
“It’s fashionable to talk about outcomes,” Paparo said. “But are we really trading on them…or just rebranding the same KPIs?”
While outcomes are shaped by many factors beyond a marketer’s immediate control, the opportunity lies in defining them clearly and aligning them with long-term growth objectives.
Outcomes: A Methodology, Not a Metric
One of the day’s liveliest debates challenged the idea that buying outcomes is revolutionary. And it’s true: outcomes aren’t inherently revolutionary. But what’s changed is the thinking around them.
Speakers pushed for a smarter definition of success, one that moves beyond campaign-level metrics alone and into strategic intent.
“Outcomes aren’t a KPI,” one speaker said. “They’re a methodology for connecting what media is supposed to do with what the business actually needs.”
In other words, outcomes aren’t just numbers to hit: they’re frameworks for guiding decisions. The goal is to design for lasting impact.
When Terry Kawaja Takes the Mic on AI
One of the most insightful – and quite entertaining – moments came during the live Marketecture podcast recording with Terry Kawaja of LUMA Partners. Equal parts analyst, comedian, and industry therapist, Kawaja used his session to riff on AI hype, ad tech déjà vu, and what he called the “fifth phase of ad tech.”
In classic Terry fashion, he highlighted the industry’s recurring fascination with the next big thing – from IoT to Web3 – then made the case that AI is fundamentally different.
“Every few years, we fall in love with something stupid,” he said. “But this one’s different. AI isn’t a sidecar. It’s the engine.”
Kawaja emphasized that his trademark mix of humor and spectacle is more than showmanship:
“Comedy opens the capillaries of the mind. Graphics get comprehension sixty times faster than words. That’s why people remember the message.”
His parting thought tied it all together: outcomes, AI, transparency – they’re all the same test. “Everyone’s talking about AI,” he said. “But in this industry, the only thing rarer than innovation is honesty.”
Bottom Line: Choose Your Outcomes
Throughout the day, speakers circled back to the industry’s addiction to short-term wins. True brand equity builds over years, not weeks. Campaigns that don’t convert immediately can still plant the memory that drives purchase months later.
If everything is an outcome, nothing is.
Marketecture Live left the audience with a challenge: how do we define outcomes in ways that truly matter? Are we measuring signals that build lasting brand equity, or chasing metrics that fade too quickly? Can short‑term performance and long‑term growth be balanced within the same framework?
That’s why it’s critical for players across the ecosystem to examine not just how outcomes are measured, but what we collectively agree they represent. Efforts like Affinity Solutions’ Outcomes Council are helping brands unlock valuable methodologies that improve measurement, optimize performance, and drive growth.
The future of advertising may depend less on finding the “right” outcome and more on asking the right questions about which outcomes drive real progress.