#520 Attention Over Clicks: Jeff Greenfield on Disrupting Digital Marketing Analytics

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, I sit down with Jeff Greenfield, CEO of Provalytics, to unpack one of the biggest shifts in marketing: moving from click-based attribution to AI-driven attention analytics. From the death of cookies to the rise of connected TV, podcasts, and non-click channels, Jeff explains how marketers, CFOs, and entrepreneurs alike can avoid wasting ad spend, uncover the real ROI of campaigns, and navigate a marketing world where “less wrong” beats the illusion of precision. ⸻ 👤 About the Guest Jeff Greenfield is the CEO of Provalytics, an AI-driven attribution platform helping brands and finance leaders understand what’s really working in their marketing. A pioneer in multi-touch attribution, Jeff previously co-founded C3 Metrics and has decades of experience working with some of the world’s largest marketers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgreenfield/ ⸻ 💡 Key Takeaways • Why clicks are misleading and why attention is the metric that matters. • How the cookie collapse is reshaping marketing measurement. • The hidden 15–25% revenue drop companies face without new attribution models. • Why CFOs, not just CMOs, must own marketing accountability. • The role of AI and machine learning in running “micro-experiments” for smarter spend. • The overlooked power of creative and emotional resonance in ad effectiveness. ⸻ 📚 What You’ll Learn • How to future-proof your marketing in a cookie-less, non-click world. • How Provalytics uses AI-driven incrementality modeling to unlock true ROI. • Why a holistic view of marketing beats fragmented channel-by-channel ROI. • The B2B angle: how startups and enterprises alike can apply these methods. ⸻ 🕑 Episode Highlights 00:02 – Jeff’s journey from marketer to attribution pioneer. 00:06 – Life after cookies: what marketers still get wrong. 00:12 – How the cookie collapse leads to a 15–25% revenue drop. 00:16 – Rise of non-click channels: CTV, podcasts, digital out-of-home. 00:20 – Provalytics’ AI approach to impressions and incrementality. 00:28 – Moving from deterministic to holistic ROI. 00:31 – Why CFOs are now central to marketing accountability. 00:37 – Creativity, emotions, and the forgotten power of messaging. 00:40 – How B2B companies can still apply these insights. 00:43 – Resources and Jeff’s free attribution certification course. ⸻ 🔗 Resources Mentioned • https://provalytics.com • GetProva.com • Free Attribution Certification Course (via Provalytics Resources)