Shaping strategy with real customer input in the AdTech space

One of the biggest missed opportunities in product and marketing strategy is failing to fully harness the voice of the customer. 

We’ve all seen it happen: decisions made in isolation, roadmaps shaped by internal opinions, and assumptions about what customers want that don’t hold up under scrutiny.

But I believe customer insights, when captured and acted on with intent, can be one of the most powerful drivers of business success. They don’t just validate strategy: they shape it. They inform how we go to market, how we build, and how we grow.

So, let’s explore what building a voice of customer function really looks like, how communities and feedback loops can influence product direction, and why creating a culture of listening is key to long-term impact.

Why customer insights matter in AdTech

One of the first questions I asked myself when stepping into my role at Taboola was simple: why do we need customer insights, especially in the AdTech space?

The answer, to me, is clear: AdTech is a volatile industry. Things move fast. There’s constant disruption, whether it’s evolving regulations, shifting audience behavior, or big announcements like Google’s changes around third-party cookies. That uncertainty creates pressure, but it also creates opportunity.

When you actively listen to your customers, you start to see patterns and trends long before they hit the mainstream. It’s how you stay ahead of the curve. 

By capturing insights directly from advertisers, we gain a deeper understanding of shifts in their priorities – why they’re increasing spend on social or search, or why they’re pulling back from those channels altogether due to diminishing returns. 

That kind of intelligence helps us identify white space and build better, more relevant solutions.

The difference between data and insights

There’s an important distinction to make between data and insights. 

Data on its own isn’t meaningful unless you know what to do with it. Insights are about interpretation. 

They reveal the “why” behind customer behavior: why someone is spending more with you, why they aren’t, or why they’re dissatisfied.

That’s where the voice of the customer (VoC) becomes critical. When I joined Taboola in May 2024, the company was ready to build a formal VoC and Insights function – and that challenge really appealed to me. 

It’s rare to find a role that’s so laser-focused on VoC within a product marketing context, and I was especially excited to work closely with our product teams to better understand the solutions we’re bringing to market.