For many, the start of October means cooler weather, sweaters, and pumpkin spice lattes. But for leaders and learners from all corners of the advertising industry, it means coming together to share insights, connect over coffee and cocktails, and drive innovation at Advertising Week New York.
Throughout this influential week, Adformers took to the stage and across events to explore how brands can unlock incremental reach for revenue and harness respect as a strategic growth driver.
Beyond Clicks: Cracking the Code on Growth and Trust in Adtech
On Monday, Adform’s John Piccone joined Katie Ingram to address the 40% of internet users now invisible to advertisers.
He explained that while brands are strong at gathering first-party data, high match rates don’t necessarily translate to real reach. “You could have a 90% match rate but only reach 8%,” he said, highlighting the inefficiencies that lead to wasted spend and excessive frequency.
Piccone urged brands to regain visibility into the bidstream and demand transparency from their adtech partners. Adform, he noted, helps advertisers uncover inefficiencies and reallocate spend for greater reach, without increasing budgets. His parting challenge: “Does your match rate equal your reach rate?”
AWNY Pass Holders can watch the full panel here:
Future is Female Awards Ceremony
At the end of Monday, we were proud to sponsor the official Future is Female Awards, Advertising Week’s global celebration of the women and allies shaping the future of our industry.
Adform Sales Director Cassie Olson opened the evening by sharing Adform’s Culture of Respect, echoing our belief in recognizing talent, leadership, and the power of doing good business with integrity.
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners and thank you for the impact you’re making.
Respect as a Strategic Growth Driver
Closing out the week, Lola Bakare, Inclusive Marketing Strategist at be/co and Author, hosted a discussion with Adform’s VP Human Resources, Dovilė Buinickaitė, and Purpose Worldwide’s Lana McGilvray as they revealed how respect drives business performance and growth.
Buinickaitė shared that Adform “designs for respect,” embedding empathy and accountability into hiring, training, and team culture. McGilvray introduced the idea of return on respect (ROR), explaining how brands like Barbie turned authenticity into ROI by listening to audiences.
All agreed respect isn’t earned but actively practiced, by creating space for every voice, understanding intent, and holding leaders accountable. The result: stronger teams, loyal customers, and sustained business success.
AWNY Pass Holders can watch the full panel here.
Looking back on an incredible week
From transparency in technology to respect across teams, Adform’s presence at Advertising Week New York reflected a single message: growth today requires trust. Whether reclaiming the 40% of unreachable audiences or designing for respect, Adform continues to champion progress that connects performance with purpose, because the future of advertising is built on both.