Alex Glover, Managing Director, Programmatic at Brainlabs: What Nobody Tells You About Making It in Marketing

Episode Guest

Alex Glover is Managing Director of Programmatic at Brainlabs, where he leads global innovation in data-driven advertising. His passion for programmatic strategy and graduate development is helping shape the next generation of media talent.

Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

0:12 Meet Alex Glover, MD of Programmatic at Brainlabs

0:40 The job Alex nearly took (and why he didn’t)

1:48 Discovering advertising through curiosity

3:04 Early experiments with websites and Google Ads

4:16 The career-changing advice Alex got from his dad

5:06 Startup grind: no playbook, just problem solving

6:10 From tiny clients to Mediacom’s biggest accounts

7:33 Why Alex couldn’t stay away from programmatic

8:48 Taking a bet on himself at Brainlabs

10:00 The truth about programmatic advertising

12:05 Advertising’s future: Netflix, Spotify, and beyond

13:42 Inside the Brainlabs grad scheme in Buenos Aires

15:37 How moving to Argentina can kickstart your career

17:23 What makes someone thrive in programmatic?

19:08 Building confidence, then passion

21:07 Jack and Alex on being obsessed with your craft

22:45 Getting promoted: it’s not just about extra projects

24:10 How to stand out in your first job in media

26:04 Why reporting taught Alex the most about marketing

27:18 When Alex felt like a fraud (and what happened next)

29:12 What it’s really like working at Brainlabs

31:20 Why Brainlabs refuses to sell to a holding company

32:46 The culture of innovation and automation at Brainlabs

34:05 How AI is being used by grads at Brainlabs

35:24 “If you do it three times, automate it”

36:48 The one mindset shift every grad needs to hear

38:04 Chapter 1 of Alex’s career: “Working it out”

39:02 Most unexpected lesson from a ‘boring’ task

40:00 When Alex truly felt imposter syndrome

41:12 The job that led to Patagonia

42:00 Jack’s final question: What’s your duvet flip?

43:38 Why achievement, not titles, gets Alex up in the morning

44:30 Final reflections and thank yous

Episode Partners

📊 Compare the Market

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