For Zeta and Stagwell, Palantir is also a sales channel. In fact, Zeta’s seven-year term was a compromise, according to Steinberg.
“We ended up with seven because we wanted 10 and they wanted five,” he said.
Palantir takes a percentage of revenue on every deal Zeta closes. In return, Zeta can approach Palantir’s commercial clients, which number more than 600 per Steinberg, with a pitch to cut their marketing costs. Stagwell likewise goes to clients alongside Palantir, and its sales drive usage of Foundry.
This mutualism extends beyond revenue into education, according to Kahan. As Palantir grows its business into other data-intensive industries, such as shipping logistics and healthcare, it benefits from working alongside a partner that can help it navigate the unfamiliar nuances of those spaces.
“[Palantir] tells us regularly that [advertising] is not an area that they are familiar with,” Kahan said. “But they are learning.”
Talking Heds
The Times’ Advertising Annals (EXCLUSIVE): The New York Times celebrated its 175th anniversary on Friday, having originally launched on Sept. 18, 1851. To commemorate the occasion, the news publisher paid tribute to some of the brands that have advertised in the paper dating back to its earliest days. To do so, it ran a multipage print campaign, which was amplified across its standard channels, highlighting seven ads that both showcase the evolution of advertising since 1851 and mark key historical moments. Included in the spread are an 1851 text-only ad from Tiffany, a 1909 from Ford promoting its $850 Roadster, a 1994 Delta ad debuting its smokefree cabins, and a 1998 E*Trade ad assuring readers that it was safe to move money on the internet. To help me better understand the print product itself, The Times even invited me on a guided tour of its printing facilities in Queens, New York. We turned the campaign, as well as the tour, into a visually rich social video, which you can watch here.
CMO Row: In just the last week, three separate media and creator brands named new chief marketing officers. On Monday, Puck named Jenna Winchell, who previously ran marketing at The Athletic, as its new CMO, replacing Stacy Eisner, who held the role beforehand. The user-generated publisher Fandom also named a spate of new executive hires, including a new CMO, Peter Scanlon, while Patreon has promoted its former senior vice president of marketing, Mike McGarry, to be its first CMO. Reports of the death of the CMO have, apparently, been greatly exaggerated.
Realtor Repast: Next month, I’ll be hosting a private lunch during Advertising Week for telecommunications leaders on Oct. 7. The event will be hosted in partnership with Realtor.com, and the conversation will center around the unique opportunity that phases of disruption—moving, specifically—present to brands. I have partnered with the folks at Realtor a few times now, and in each instance have found the subject matter—the housing market, generational wealth, the psychological heft of relocation—immensely fascinating. If you’re interested in joining me, please reach out to liz@adweek.com.
Taboola Moola: In August, as I scooped, the marketing firm Taboola quietly acquired the creator business developed by rival affiliate platform Howl. Apparently that purchase was just a prelude, because on Friday Taboola also picked up the U.K. affiliate firm Dianomi for around $25 million, the company revealed in a financial filing. The two quick transactions come as the open web, where Taboola has traditionally operated, continues to contract, prompting the company to both strengthen its dominance in lucrative sectors—Dianomi offers affiliate links for financial products, specifically—as well as diversify into emerging areas, which it has accomplished by bolstering its creator division.
