Episode 176: Alex Chatfield on How Influencers are Leveraging Data Technology

Alex Chatfield, Co-Founder and President of Endorsable, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss how data technology is transforming influencer and celebrity marketing. Drawing on his ad tech background from AppNexus, Alex explains how brands can move beyond traditional influencer metrics by leveraging fandom intelligence, audience data, and identity signals to build more effective endorsement partnerships. The conversation explores the growing intersection of influencer marketing, audience ownership, first-party data, programmatic advertising, and measurement. Takeaways Most creators and athletes don't truly own their audience data. Ticketing platforms, merch providers, social networks, and link-in-bio tools often control valuable fan information. Organic social reach continues to decline. Brands increasingly need paid amplification beyond social platforms to effectively reach a creator's fan base. Measurement remains a major challenge in influencer marketing. Many partnerships are still structured around content deliverables rather than business outcomes or audience performance metrics. Social platforms have an opportunity to improve influencer measurement. Platforms like Meta and YouTube could make campaign reporting more transparent and actionable for brands. Alex credits his AppNexus experience for shaping his entrepreneurial journey. His current business combines expertise in programmatic advertising, identity, and data with the entertainment and talent ecosystem. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and podcast preview  01:50 Meet Alex Chatfield and the story behind Endorsable  02:17 What is a "fandom intelligence engine"?  02:55 How Endorsable differs from traditional influencer marketing platforms 04:07 Understanding celebrity fandom and audience profiling  04:47 Why creators and athletes lack ownership of fan data 0 6:27 Lessons from fan databases and audience relationships  06:41 Building a modern fan database through digital platforms  07:44 How link-in-bio platforms generate audience identity signals  08:39 Why audience ownership matters for creators and athletes  09:10 How fandom data changes brand sponsorship negotiations  10:21 Extending influencer campaigns beyond social media  11:14 The impact of declining organic social reach  11:58 How brands and agencies currently discover influencers  13:20 The limitations of platform-native influencer discovery tools  14:06 The influencer negotiation process and talent representation  14:59 Audience data gaps in influencer marketing today  16:38 Why measurement remains difficult in influencer campaigns  17:36 Can Meta, YouTube, and social platforms solve measurement?  18:37 Lessons from AppNexus and becoming an entrepreneur  20:08 Bridging ad tech and Hollywood  20:50 Why talent should demand access to audience data  21:06 The significance of Ticketmaster data access for artists  21:32 Closing thoughts and where to learn more about Endorsable Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Alex Chatfield Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices