92 - Why Marketing Doesn’t Require Endless Data, Just the Right Signals with Paul Wright from UBER

🎙️ New episode of Time for a Reset;  brought to you by Overline.

“We've built a whole advertising digital ecosystem based on targeting devices rather than people, and I think we've got to get a reset back to people because advertising needs to engage with people in the right way.” - Paul Wright, Director and Head of EMEA at Uber Advertising

TFAR has had a little break this summer, but we’re now back and delighted to bring you this episode with Paul Wright, Director and Head of EMEA at Uber Advertising, for a candid conversation about why it's time to reset the way we think about marketing, from tracking devices to truly understanding people.

Paul draws on his experience at AOL, Sky, Apple, OMD, and now Uber to demonstrate how leading brands are shifting their focus from data overload to contextual relevance, cultural connection, and genuine human attention.

This episode is packed with bold ideas and practical strategies for CMOs and rising marketing leaders ready to cut through the noise and re-center marketing around people, not platforms.

🎧 In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the future of advertising is people-first, not device-first
• How Uber measures genuine consumer attention, and hits 6.6 seconds of it
• What makes cultural context more powerful than raw targeting data
• How to balance personalization with privacy and trust
• Why fraud-free, native environments deliver stronger ROI
• What it means to create journey-based, brand-safe advertising
• How retail media can elevate brand engagement beyond the basics
• And why the fundamentals of marketing matter more than ever in an automated world

This one’s for marketers ready to pivot from solely a device-centric to a more human-centric approach to marketing. 

Paul Wright is the Director and Head of EMEA at Uber Advertising, where he leads the company’s rapidly growing billion-dollar ad business. With a career spanning global giants like AOL, Sky, Apple, and OMD, Paul has been at the forefront of driving the digital agenda. A former entrepreneur and executive leader, Paul is a passionate advocate for the power of digital advertising to connect brands with consumers. He is also a firm believer in diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

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