In this episode, I talked to Brendan Norman, CEO and co-founder of Classify, about what it takes to bring a deeply technical product to market in an industry evolving in real time. Brendan shares how his experience scaling Facebook’s Audience Network shaped the way he thinks about product strategy, customer experience, and building in emerging categories.

We talk about the challenges of explaining complex technology without overwhelming buyers, why founders love to get deep into the mechanics of their product, and how product marketing can bridge the gap between technical innovation and customer outcomes. Brendan also breaks down why contextual advertising is having a resurgence in a post-cookie AI world, and how better content understanding could reshape the future of advertising across the open web.

Along the way, we talk about startup life, customer listening, product demos, thought leadership, and why understanding the customer’s problem matters more than showing off your technology.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Classify

01:53 The Evolution of Ad Tech and Classify's Role

06:42 Understanding Contextual Targeting and AI

08:34 Challenges in Explaining Classify's Value Proposition

12:32 Navigating the Ad Tech Ecosystem

15:52 The Future of Advertising and Industry Optimism

19:20 Go-to-Market Strategies and Product Demos

24:16 Personal Insights and Advice for Founders

Takeaways

• Most buyers care more about outcomes than technical architecture.
• Founders often struggle to simplify complex products into clear market narratives.
• Strong product marketing helps bridge technical depth and customer relevance.
• Contextual advertising is becoming more important in a post-cookie environment.
• AI is changing how content is understood, categorized, and monetized.
• Better ad relevance creates a better user experience for both advertisers and publishers.
• Interactive demos and calculators can make technical products more experiential.
• Emerging categories require equal parts education and selling.
• Great startup founders spend more time listening than pitching.
• The best go-to-market strategies balance short-term iteration with long-term vision.
• Understanding your own working style (startup chaos vs. corporate structure) is critical for career satisfaction.

Contact Brendan:

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendannorman/

Learn about Classify: https://tryclassify.com/

Check out Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/433567.Flatland

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Connect with Liza on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizachick/