Let’s be clear: Laurel Rossi isn’t here to join the echo chamber of ad executives talking about “disruption” while sipping their third champagne at Cannes. No, Rossi, who juggles the roles of Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer at Infillion, is here to strip marketing down to its bare bones—and she’s not interested in sugarcoating it. For Rossi, marketing isn’t about joining another panel to talk in circles; it’s about real impact, measurable outcomes, and finally letting go of the industry’s obsession with buzzwords that belong in 2010.
“If it’s not driving impact, what’s the point?” she quips. And she’s not just blowing smoke. Her career has taken her from high-powered roles at Omnicom to selling her own consultancy to Havas, where she ran massive teams like they were small startup labs, cutting fluff and boosting performance. Now, at Infillion, she’s doubling down on the very thing most marketers only like to flirt with: honesty.
Infillion’s IDVx: Where Interactivity Finally Means More than a Button
One of Rossi’s big plays at Infillion has been the launch of IDVx, a video solution that brings “interactivity” back from the land of gimmicky overlays and click-to-nowhere banners. “Most ‘interactive’ ads these days are about as engaging as a stale bagel,” she says with a laugh. “If all you’re giving people is a button to click, you’re missing the whole point of interactive video.”
IDVx, by contrast, is built on the foundation of TrueX’s interactive ad formats, which have been pioneering engagement since the days when most advertisers thought “interactivity” just meant a bigger logo. “With IDVx, we’re blending that TrueX creativity with MediaMath’s programmatic tech,” she explains, “so brands don’t have to pick between impact and scale.” It’s not just a bigger ad budget thrown at the problem; it’s a tool designed to make viewers actually want to engage. “We’re seeing engagement rates that finally back up what video advertising was always supposed to be about,” she says.
State of Video Marketing: “All Flash, No Substance”
Ask Rossi about the state of video marketing, and she’ll tell you it’s in an identity crisis. “Look, everyone’s obsessed with shiny creative campaigns, but most of them are just that—shiny,” she says. The problem? “Most brands are chasing awards instead of actual reach,” Rossi continues, “and they’re getting lost in the spectacle.” She’s seen enough “groundbreaking” campaigns that never actually broke through to viewers, and she’s had it with the idea that viral content alone is enough to justify a marketing budget.
“It’s like we’re in this race to make ads that are beautiful and technically dazzling but don’t even make a dent in recall or sales,” she says. With tools like IDVx, she’s betting on campaigns that don’t just win awards but keep people engaged long enough to actually buy something. “Interactivity was always supposed to mean immersion, not just a distraction. That’s what we’re bringing back.”
Linear TV: Still Alive—But Barely
Rossi has her foot firmly in the digital world, but she’s got a surprisingly soft spot for linear TV, too. Sort of. “Linear TV is like that reliable old dog who’s slower than he used to be but still great at making people feel something,” she says, “but it’s gotta be part of a bigger plan.” Rossi sees linear TV as the last bastion of broad reach, but she’s quick to add that “it can’t just be a dumping ground for leftover budget.” Instead, she argues, it’s about smart integration: pairing linear TV’s reach with digital precision to actually reach the right audience, not just the biggest one.
“It’s like we’re finally realizing that TV and digital aren’t enemies. They’re roommates that need to start sharing a lease,” she jokes. For Rossi, linear TV still has value, but it needs to play nicely with digital—and that’s something most brands still aren’t getting right.
Five No-B.S. Tips for Today’s Media Buyers
When it comes to advice, Rossi is quick and to the point. “You can only slice this thing so many ways,” she says, before rattling off her list of essentials:
- Not All Attention is Equal: “It’s not just about getting noticed; it’s about engaging with people who want to notice you,” she says. Rossi believes in what she calls “experiential attention”—the kind of attention where viewers actually choose to watch. “We’ve had enough of the ‘loud and annoying’ era,” she says.
- Embrace the Era of Always Shopping: “Forget the old ‘customer journey’—people are shopping all the time now, everywhere they look,” she says. To her, marketers need to stop thinking of awareness as some mystical phase of discovery and start thinking of it as a 24/7 reality.
- Put Women’s Sports on Your Radar: “If you’re not sponsoring women’s sports, you’re asleep at the wheel,” Rossi says. With sports stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese making headlines, women’s sports aren’t just an add-on—they’re a growing cultural force. “You’re missing out if you’re not tapping into that.”
- Think Beyond the Game: For Rossi, live sports are just one piece of the puzzle. “Gen-Z doesn’t care as much about the game itself as they do about the commentary, podcasts, and the social content around it,” she says. “If you’re not part of the cultural conversation, you’re invisible.”
- CTV Isn’t Social Media: “Thinking CTV and social are the same is rookie stuff,” Rossi laughs. Brands that simply drop ads into TikTok or Instagram and expect sales are setting themselves up to fail. “It’s about balancing performance and awareness across platforms, not just shoving content into every feed.”
The Inclusion Café: Cannes, Rosé, and Real Talk on Diversity
This year, Rossi took a different approach at Cannes Lions with her brainchild, the Inclusion Café, a pop-up space at the festival that sparked the kinds of conversations that rarely happen on the Croisette. It wasn’t about platitudes or hollow pledges to “do better.” Instead, it was about tackling the real, uncomfortable truths head-on. “We had everyone from GLAAD to Group Black to the NAACP around the table,” she explains, “and we’re not here for anyone’s ‘nice try’ efforts.”
For Rossi, the Inclusion Café isn’t just a one-time stunt. She sees it as a blueprint for real change. “We’re not in the business of patting ourselves on the back for good intentions,” she says. The goal was to get brands past the stage of talking about inclusivity and into actually measuring and holding themselves accountable for it.
Her advice for brands stepping into the murky waters of inclusivity? “Stop obsessing over getting the language perfect,” she says bluntly. “People want to see actions, not just well-chosen words.” Rossi’s long-term vision for the Inclusion Café goes beyond corporate lip service, envisioning a future where inclusivity becomes a core element of brand identity, not just an add-on for marketing week.
The Bottom Line
Laurel Rossi isn’t here to play nice, and she’s certainly not here to keep repeating the same old industry fluff. She’s calling out lazy tactics, challenging stale strategies, and demanding more from an industry that’s long been comfortable with doing the bare minimum. Whether it’s bringing real interactivity to video ads, making linear TV work harder, or creating spaces like the Inclusion Café, Rossi’s out to hold advertising accountable. And if that makes her some kind of disruptor, so be it. “At the end of the day, if we’re not making an impact, we’re wasting everyone’s time.”
