Debra Aho Williamson is a dynamic analyst, speaker and market influencer, recognized for her visionary contributions to the digital marketing landscape. As Founder and Chief Analyst at Sonata Insights, Debra delivers custom research and advisory services to help businesses navigate and capitalize on AI's transformative impact on marketing strategies.

Debra's superpower is her ability to spot changes in consumer behavior that lead to tectonic shifts in marketing. She was one of the first analysts in the world to pinpoint the social media trend, publishing her inaugural research on the topic in 2006. Debra developed one of the earliest forecasts for social network advertising revenues, and her landmark research—amounting to more than 120 reports over 17 years as an EMARKETER analyst—enabled the advertising industry to see the power and potential of social media and helped make platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok integral to the marketing mix.

Debra’s opinions and research have been featured in thousands of news articles, and she has made more than 45 TV appearances, including on NBC, BBC, Bloomberg Television and CNBC.

Earlier in her career, Debra held editorial roles at The Industry Standard, a weekly publication known as the “bible” of the internet economy, and at Ad Age, where she was one of the first journalists to chronicle the rise of interactive marketing.

Debra holds a Bachelor of Arts in English (with distinction) and a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from Northwestern University, and she resides in the Seattle area. When she’s not writing or researching, she loves cheering for the Seahawks, trying new restaurants and hiking in the Cascades. Although she no longer plays the oboe, she has a profound (some might say weird) obsession with learning to play the bagpipes and hopes to one day become good enough to join a piping band.