WFA's Better Marketing Pod with David Wheldon · 2026-05-06 · 32 min
Real people do not move neatly from awareness to consideration to purchase, they jump between searching, streaming, scrolling and shopping, sometimes all at once. That messy middle is where brands win or disappear, and it is exactly where AI-powered advertising and modern measurement start to matter according to the next guest on the WFA Better Marketing Podcast Dan Taylor, VP of Global Ads at Google. On this episode Dan speaks to David Wheldon to unpack what has changed over two decades of digital advertising and what is changing right now. They talk about how first-party data, CRM signals, and outcome-based optimisation help AI steer towards real business value instead of proxy metrics. Dan shares why the best marketers treat attribution, incrementality testing, and marketing mix modelling as a connected system that supports smarter budget decisions and clearer conversations with the CFO. The episode also get into the practical side of AI and creativity. Automation can shrink weeks of execution into hours, but it does not replace the need for sharp strategy and a strong idea.
Ep 51: Opella's Alberto Hernandez on the commercial payback from curiosity, courage and purpose75 / 100Ep 50: 50 episodes in David Wheldon reflects on conversations with the world’s top marketing minds
Ep 48: Judy Smith on why "be who you say you are" is the only crisis playbook that matters
Ep 47: HP's Antonio Lucio on leading through a CEO transition, an AI surge and 4 layers of disruption
Ep 46: Grab CMO Cheryl Goh's playbook on how to 'cross swim lanes' for commercial impact