In this episode of [radically candid], host Ava Hinds sits down with Michael Lieberman, Vice President of Innovation at [cognition], to recap what the team has been building in Q1 and where innovation is headed for the rest of the year.

Who's This Conversation For?

This conversation is for anyone who wants to understand the technology and strategy behind [cognition]'s platform. Whether you're a partner looking to get more out of your measurement capabilities or someone in ad tech curious about how cross-channel measurement and Streaming TV attribution are evolving, this one's for you.

What You'll Learn By Listening

1) What the Headless Analytics Tag Actually Does Michael walks through how HAT connects the dots across the entire customer journey, from a Streaming TV impression to on-site activity to a form fill. Using a real-world example of someone watching Amazon Prime, searching on their phone, and landing on a dealer site, he explains how HAT stitches that full path together in a way traditional attribution tools can't.

• HAT isn't just another pixel. It's two components working together, on-site tracking and a pixel on the creative, to give clients a direct line from impression to conversion.

2) Cross-Channel Visibility Is Expanding HAT doesn't just measure Streaming TV. Because of the on-site tracking layer, clients are also gaining visibility into how search, social, and other channels are performing alongside their streaming campaigns. Michael explains how combining all of those signals is becoming a bigger part of what clients expect and leverage.

• Measurement isn't siloed anymore. Clients are starting to see the full picture of how every channel contributes, not just the ones [cognition] executes on.

3) OEM Programs Are Getting Smarter A big Q1 effort focused on helping clients who run OEM programs better manage, filter, and report on those campaigns. Michael shares a fun insight about how customer paths don't always go in a straight line, sometimes a tier-three ad sends someone to the OEM site first before they end up exactly where the ad intended.

• The data tells a story. Customers get where the ad wants them to go, but the journey is more complex than most people assume, and now clients can see that.

4) Media Execution Is Getting Faster On the execution side, Q1 was about making the managed service team more efficient and effective. Michael explains why speed of execution is one of the biggest pieces of value [cognition] brings to partners, and why a lot of behind-the-scenes work went into making that faster this quarter.

• Not every innovation is client-facing. Some of the most important work is operational, helping the team move quicker so clients see results sooner.

5) DV360 and Beyond [cognition] has been enhancing its DV360 offering with plans to integrate and support more platforms in the months ahead. Michael frames this as part of a larger mission: providing measurement and insight across every channel and DSP clients are working in, not just the ones [cognition] started with.

• The vision is platform-agnostic measurement. As new channels and DSPs are added, clients should expect consistent insight no matter where their media runs.

6) What's Next and Why Michael Is Excited Looking ahead, Michael points to new technologies, clean room capabilities, and the speed at which the team can now bring new products to market. At its core, the goal is the same: give partners the tools and insights they need to grow their business, because when they grow, [cognition] grows.

• The pace of innovation is accelerating. What's coming in Q2 and beyond is going to give partners yet another reason to lean into the platform.