Kargo's connected TV business, nonexistent three years ago, is expected to generate roughly $100 million this year, according to founder and CEO Harry Kargman. He laid out the reasoning behind that pivot and his latest bet, the AI-powered media buying platform Karlo, in an episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast marking 23 years since Kargo's founding in 2003.

Kargo began as a mobile advertising technology company and has since moved across the open web, social platforms, connected TV and retail media as consumer attention and advertising infrastructure shifted. Its consistent approach pairs exclusive creative formats with distribution across major publishers and platforms.

What changed in targeting?

Kargo has traditionally plugged into outside data providers rather than trying to own every audience graph itself. Kargman sees a growing opportunity in contextual targeting as privacy changes make individual users harder to identify at the exact moment an ad is served. The content someone is watching or reading can still provide a strong signal, giving marketers another way to reach relevant audiences without relying entirely on identity-based targeting.

Why did Kargo wait on CTV?

Kargman was openly against entering CTV while Netflix, Disney and Amazon remained largely ad-free. His trigger was specific: if Netflix introduced advertising, the market had fundamentally changed. When that happened, Kargo moved immediately. The result is the roughly $100 million CTV business the company expects this year.

The lesson for marketers is less about CTV itself and more about separating a concrete market signal from industry excitement.

How does a company absorb repeated pivots?

A strategic pivot only works if the organization is willing to move with it. Kargman acknowledges that people naturally resist change, which is why Kargo repeatedly tells the stories of the pivots that kept the company alive. Even the artwork in its office carries the message "pivot, pivot, pivot." Over time, successful reinvention becomes part of the company's identity, making the next change easier to understand and act on.

What does Karlo change for mid-market buyers?

Karlo is Kargo's attempt to turn decades of media relationships and technical integrations into a simpler, conversational experience. Users can add assets, brand guidelines, audience information and media plans, then chat with the platform as it helps plan and launch campaigns.

Kargman sees that simplicity as a way to bring capabilities previously delivered through white-glove service to mid-market brands and agencies that have historically lacked the same access. For practitioners at those companies, sophisticated multi-channel media buying moves from an agency-dependent service to something they can operate directly.

What sustains 23 years of reinvention?

Kargman credits Kargo's longevity to three things:

• accepting that the first attempt will rarely be perfect;
• being willing to pivot when the market changes;
• maintaining the belief that there is a way forward.

He also insists on visible incremental progress. His analogy is construction: a building does not appear in a day, but enough bricks laid consistently can create something substantial over time.

If Karlo delivers on its promise, the next test of that culture will be whether conversational AI can genuinely widen access to media buying — before competitors with the same idea close the gap.

By Priya Raman