Carly Foy on Programmatic Advertising (What Most Brands Get Wrong) | The Covert Code | EP 111

What if everything you’ve been told about digital advertising… is only half the story? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, I sit down with Carly Foy, Senior Technical Account Manager at StackAdapt, to break down what’s really happening inside programmatic advertising—and where it’s going next. With over a decade of experience, Carly shares how the industry has evolved from basic media buying to AI-powered targeting, and why brands need to rethink how they approach attribution, awareness, and performance. We dive into: • The evolution of programmatic advertising • Why data integrity matters more than ever • The truth about attribution models • How contextual AI is changing targeting • The rise of first-party data • Fraud, transparency, and brand safety • Why awareness + performance must work together If you’re running digital ads—or spending money on Google, Meta, or programmatic—this episode is a must-watch. 📖 GET THE BOOK: The Covert Code – Mastering the Art of Digital Marketing Amazon: https://rb.gy/wrht8 Barnes & Noble: https://rb.gy/vwev0a Target: https://rb.gy/jhpxri ✨ CONNECT WITH CARLY FOY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlylynnfoy/ StackAdapt: https://www.stackadapt.com/ 🎧 LISTEN ON ALL PLATFORMS Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UcnL4g4J2DckqMpZg4DdB Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-covert-code/id1733326615 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d15bb709-a4df-43bb-9284-9e479c8574a7/the-covert-code iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-covert-code-269144900/ YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCSU2Anqu1_yzb_D6IFd7i_Q 🌐 FOLLOW THE COVERT CODE Website: https://thecovertcode.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covertcodeofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecovertcode LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/covert-code-official/ 📚 ABOUT HOST ANNA COVERT Anna Covert is the host of The Covert Code Podcast and author of The Covert Code – Mastering the Art of Digital Marketing and The Solar Coaster. With over two decades of experience, she helps brands scale through advanced digital strategy. ANNA'S WEBSITES The Covert Code: https://thecovertcode.com/ Anna Covert: https://annacovert.com/ Covert Communication: https://covertcommunication.com/ Reactium: https://reactium.io/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Intro: Where digital advertising is today (and where it’s going) 01:20 – Meet Carly Foy (Career journey) 03:30 – The biggest shift in programmatic advertising 05:30 – What programmatic used to be vs what it is now 07:00 – Contextual AI explained (Java vs JavaScript example) 10:15 – Why relevance beats volume in advertising 12:00 – Awareness vs performance (why both matter) 14:30 – Attribution models explained (post-click vs post-view) 17:30 – Why marketers are overwhelmed with data 19:00 – First-party data strategy (the real advantage)