Episode 176: Alex Chatfield on How Influencers are Leveraging Data Technology

Alex Chatfield, Co-Founder and President of Endorsable, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss how data technology is transforming influencer and celebrity marketing. Drawing on his ad tech background from AppNexus, Alex explains how brands can move beyond traditional influencer metrics by leveraging fandom intelligence, audience data, and identity signals to build more effective endorsement partnerships. The conversation explores the growing intersection of influencer marketing, audience ownership, first-party data, programmatic advertising, and measurement. Takeaways Most creators and athletes don't truly own their audience data. Ticketing platforms, merch providers, social networks, and link-in-bio tools often control valuable fan information. Organic social reach continues to decline. Brands increasingly need paid amplification beyond social platforms to effectively reach a creator's fan base. Measurement remains a major challenge in influencer marketing. Many partnerships are still structured around content deliverables rather than business outcomes or audience performance metrics. Social platforms have an opportunity to improve influencer measurement. Platforms like Meta and YouTube could make campaign reporting more transparent and actionable for brands. Alex credits his AppNexus experience for shaping his entrepreneurial journey. His current business combines expertise in programmatic advertising, identity, and data with the entertainment and talent ecosystem. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and podcast preview 01:50 Meet Alex Chatfield and the story behind Endorsable 02:17 What is a "fandom intelligence engine"? 02:55 How Endorsable differs from traditional influencer marketing platforms 04:07 Understanding celebrity fandom and audience profiling 04:47 Why creators and athletes lack ownership of fan data 0 6:27 Lessons from fan databases and audience relationships 06:41 Building a modern fan database through digital platforms 07:44 How link-in-bio platforms generate audience identity signals 08:39 Why audience ownership matters for creators and athletes 09:10 How fandom data changes brand sponsorship negotiations 10:21 Extending influencer campaigns beyond social media 11:14 The impact of declining organic social reach 11:58 How brands and agencies currently discover influencers 13:20 The limitations of platform-native influencer discovery tools 14:06 The influencer negotiation process and talent representation 14:59 Audience data gaps in influencer marketing today 16:38 Why measurement remains difficult in influencer campaigns 17:36 Can Meta, YouTube, and social platforms solve measurement? 18:37 Lessons from AppNexus and becoming an entrepreneur 20:08 Bridging ad tech and Hollywood 20:50 Why talent should demand access to audience data 21:06 The significance of Ticketmaster data access for artists 21:32 Closing thoughts and where to learn more about Endorsable Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Alex Chatfield Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices