52. Strong Opinions, Loosely Held, with Lou Paskalis

He's never been the quietest person in the room, and that's exactly why we wanted him here. Lou Paskalis has spent three decades at the intersection of marketing, media, and accountability. He's launched Small Business Saturday at American Express, pioneered brand safety models at Bank of America, and now runs his own consultancy advising two dozen clients on go-to-market strategy.  This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Lou for a conversation that cuts through the noise and industry BS. They talk about why marketing is broken, how CFOs gutted brand budgets and now realize they made a mistake, and why artificial scarcity in the tech stack is holding everyone back. Lou also gets real about journalism, news deserts, and why brands are leaving money on the table by not advertising in news. He shares an optimistic take on AI, and what young people getting into this industry right now should be excited about. This is a conversation with someone who has strong opinions and isn't afraid to say what he thinks. If you're in marketing, media, or just want to understand how things got so messy, this one's for you.