In this episode of The Marketing Factor, Austin Dandridge sits down with Julian Modiano founder of Acuto and Weavely to unpack the future of data, automation, and AI inside modern marketing agencies.Julian’s rare background blends deep PPC experience from Merkle and Brainlabs with true engineering chops as a Google Cloud developer — giving him a uniquely technical and marketer-centric view of what agencies actually need. We cover data warehousing, MMM vs attribution models, AI slop, automation pitfalls, BigQuery, Looker, TikTok’s rise, and whether agencies should hire developers. This episode is loaded with practical insights for performance marketers, operators, founders, and anyone building the “agency of the future.”💡 What You’ll Learn• Why data warehousing is becoming essential for agencies — and when brands should adopt it• How Acuto and Weavely were built to solve real reporting and automation pain • Why platform reporting from Meta & Google keeps getting worse• How MMM + MTA can actually work together• The #1 reason most automation projects fail (and how to avoid it) • Whether agencies will need developers (or if AI will replace them first)• Why AI is creating a “slop era” — and how to stand out with real human creativity • Where AI genuinely helps marketers (and where it’s still terrible)• The rise of TikTok as a core data source for agencies • How future marketers will blend technical fluency with creative thinkingHighlights00:00 — How Julian blends PPC + engineering01:59 — The origins of Akudo & Weavely04:52 — Why platform reporting is breaking07:46 — How to think about attribution vs MMM10:57 — When brands should consider a data warehouse12:33 — Why automation projects blow up14:23 — What to automate vs what humans should own17:05 — Will marketers get replaced by AI?19:56 — AI slop + why original thinking matters22:59 — Why full AI-generated reporting is dangerous27:57 — Advanced workflows: MCPs, APIs, and querying your own data34:24 — TikTok’s rise in agency reporting stacks36:18 — The future of Akudo & Weavely37:45 — Barcelona restaurant hot takes38:10 — Best book Julian recommends
