Vivek Girotra

Most ecoms overutilize Meta & neglect Google hardcore—a huge mistake. Here’s the 3-part, modern playbook top brands run: This isn’t anecdotal… - Based on aggressive ad testing - Across both Meta & Google - For 10+ high-growth brands - All between $5M-$75M in rev Here it is: 1. TOFU PMAX (Prospecting) - Non-brand, new customers only - Single asset group * Later: Test separate PMAX - For high margin products, cats, etc. * Large accounts: Test Demand Gen (needs time) - To feed PMAX high intent, cold traffic - Requires great video; arbitrage from Meta - Test all types: statics, videos, & feed - Run Lookalikes (only campaign that has) 2. MOFU Standard Shopping - For manual bidding - So can control “branded ad” cost - 2nd PMAX gatekeeper to funnel off brand terms * Later: Harvest keywords - To test Generic PPC * Large accounts: Test Display Remarketing - E.g., YouTube - Audience = visitors (non-purchased) 3. BOFU Exact Match Brand PPC - Target Impression Share (95%+) - Should have massive ROAS - 1st PMAX gatekeeper to funnel off brand terms Stop sleeping on Google. Diversify and get all your eggs out of Meta’s basket 👊

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Fintech companies are increasingly tapping into their transaction data to power ad platforms, with PayPal being the latest to jump into the game.  Dr. Mark Grether, who previously led Uber’s billion-dollar ad business, announced that PayPal Ads is set to launch in time for Black Friday. Leveraging data from over 400 million PayPal users, 90 million Venmo users and the 225 billion transactions processed by its merchants, PayPal’s new ad network will allow advertisers to target their ideal clients more precisely and to measure conversions more effectively by handling the whole customer journey, from seeing an ad for a product to paying for it. Initially, ads will run PayPal owned properties such as PayPal, Venmo and Honey. However, starting next year, PayPal Ads will expand to its network of more than 30 millions merchants. Fintechs like Klarna and Revolut are also developing their own ad network to capitalize on their transactions data. Modeled after Retail Media Networks (RMN) that have emerged from retail giants Walmart and Amazon, that allow anyone to display ads in their marketplace and leverage their transactions data, the industry calls those ad networks launched by financial firms Financial Media Networks (FMNs). According to emarketer, ad spend on these networks will quadruple in the next two years on those networks to reach 1.5 billion USD in 2026. This rising importance of fintech data in advertising is driven by the decline of third-party cookies, increased privacy regulations around the world and limitations imposed by private platforms such as Apple that makes it harder for advertisers to track users online. Tech entrepreneur James Borow summarized this shift from behavioural ad networks like Google and Facebook to ad networks powered by transaction data in a recent post on X: “Payments are the new cookies (no matter what Google says about them) and Shopify has one of the best hands to play in ads as a result.“ Companies that have access to transaction data indeed have an increasing competitive edge in targeting consumers. Amazon, with $46.9 billion in ad revenue in 2023, is a good example. Shopify, whose e-commerce and payment platform power no less than 4 millions online stores, keep refining its ad network called Shopify Audiences and recently started allowing advertisers to exclude current customers from their campaigns’ target audiences. As someone who launched a fintech relying on transaction data to recommend financial products, I’ve been expecting this shift for a while. Companies with logged-in users and transaction histories hold a powerful advantage. PayPal, Klarna, Shopify and Revolut are just the beginning, and I would be surprised if the likes of Stripe or Adyen didn’t launch an ad network of their own at some point. This story was initially published in this week’s issue of Global Fintech Insider. To read the newsletter in full, click the link in the comments.

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TLDR: Global marketers are very confident in their martech’s ability to measure holistic ROI. However, barely one-third measure their traditional and digital marketing efforts together. Audiences don’t consume media in silos, and neither should measurement. https://lnkd.in/d4tyritu

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This is an interesting move. Yet another signal that the $170b+ app ecosystem is in for a shake up as the Digital Markets Act and other similar legislations open the app distribution and payments ecosystem.

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Some solid advice here!

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🟢 What works for audience acquisition now? I was talking with another media company CEO recently, discussing how much harder it has gotten to acquire good-fit readers. This is due to a few factors: ➡️ Google traffic is not as reliable as it once was (because of algorithm changes and AI) ➡️ Paid acquisition is more expensive ➡️ Social platforms like Twitter we used to rely on are no longer effective ➡️ There's more noise and more choices for readers So what's the best way to get in front of new audiences now? Tactics we're leaning into in 2025: ✅ LinkedIn: Connections that come via my personal profile tend to be high quality, so I'm going all in on growing in this space. ✅ Freebies: Opt-ins like free reports and webinars have always worked to some degree, but the space is so crowded now that you've got to offer something your audience can't find anywhere else. Fortunately for They Got Acquired, founders don't have many other options for getting information and data around how to sell their business, and that's what we're uniquely positioned to offer. We'll continue to give away free reports in the coming year, and we're also planning to add educational webinars as well. ✅ Podcast: I still don't know how to get people to listen to the podcast for the first time (if you know the answer, chime in!) but I know that once they do, they're likely to subscribe to our newsletter and ask for support in selling their business. Voice is so effective for showcasing expertise, building real trust and fostering a deeper connection. 👉 Tell me: What are you doing to reach new people in 2025? What's working for you now? What are you keen to try? *** I'm Alexis Grant, founder of They Got Acquired. Follow me for ideas on: + Building media companies + Selling your business + Work-life integration

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My biggest takeaway from Meta’s Advisory Board Summit 2024. Those who learn how to leverage AI will win. Meta aren’t messing around. → Llama 3 has the most AI capacity on earth (50% of posts on IG now delivered by AI recommendation…) → They’ve invested $80 billion in AI since 2021 and $35 billion in 2024. → There’s been a big shift from the old deterministic attribution model (visiting a website) to the new probabilistic version (AI and data). → Meta’s aim for advertising is automation and personalisation, gen AI is a big part of this. What this means for DTC marketers: 1/ Auto creative expansion to fit different products 2/ Geo location translation 3/ Background generation 4/ Dynamic branded content 5/ Ad creative iteration 6/ Text variation All of these will be key tools that all top marketers learn to use to their brand’s advantage. Remember: We’re not competing with AI, we’re competing with how others use it.

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📊 The New AppsFlyer Performance Index is Out — Here Are My Key Takeaways 👇 🚀 The latest Performance Index from AppsFlyer is live, and it’s packed with insights on which networks are driving serious app growth. But instead of diving into every detail, let me highlight a few of my favorites that stood out in this edition 💡 Top Channels (for iOS): 1️⃣ Apple Search Ads: Still the #1 player for iOS growth, delivering high-quality users, especially as privacy changes reshape the mobile landscape. If you’re not fully leveraging ASA, you’re missing out on serious potential for scaling iOS user acquisition. 2️⃣ AppLovin: A dominant force in mobile marketing, known for its ability to deliver impressive results across both gaming and non-gaming apps. 3️⃣ MOLOCO: Emerging as a top contender with strong performance in programmatic advertising, especially for scaling apps across regions. 4️⃣ Meta Ads: No surprise here. Meta continues to offer massive reach across platforms, remaining a key channel for both iOS and Android. 5️⃣ Google Ads: Another powerhouse that combines scale with performance, delivering great results for cross-platform growth. While these networks continue to dominate, the key isn’t just knowing the rankings — it’s about how you use this data to fuel your strategy. Whether you’re optimizing for quality users on ASA or scaling across broader platforms like Google Ads, having a smart growth approach is everything 🎯 And if you need guidance on how to optimize Apple Search Ads (or any other network) for maximum impact, SplitMetrics is here to assist 💪 #AppGrowth #MobileMarketing #AppleSearchAds #PerformanceMarketing

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✨ My Forecast for 2025 ✨ 🚀 AI Will Be Everywhere, But Only the Smartest Will Thrive A bubble is forming, reminiscent of 2000—everyone with AI will get funding, and every listed company will highlight it in their investor calls. But only those with AI²—Asli Intelligence + Artificial Intelligence—will truly succeed. 📦 Quick Commerce Will Face India’s Tough Lesson Like many other VC-fueled brands, quick commerce will realize that India demands more than just Product-Market fit. It’s about Product, Price, and Market fit to sustain growth. 🎯 The Era of Mega Campaigns Is Over With TV on the decline and fragmented internet attention, micro-moments will become the new battleground. FMCG and legacy brands will need to pivot from long-running mega campaigns to agile, short-lived micro campaigns. 📱 Creators Will Reshape Media Some creators will fade, but others will rise to rival traditional media in scale and influence. The line between creator and broadcaster will blur even further. 📈 Meta Will Outpace Google in Digital Marketing Expect Google Ads in India to grow in single digits in FY25. Meanwhile, Meta, powered by its Creator-led campaigns, will outpace every other platform, driving differentiation for new e-commerce and q-commerce brands. 💡 What’s your top prediction for 2025? Do you agree or disagree with any of my forecasts? #AI #DigitalMarketing #QuickCommerce #CreatorsEconomy #MarketingTrends2025 #MicroCampaigns #Meta #Google #Ecommerce #FutureOfMarketing

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new episode alert: Magnite $MGNI CEO Michael Barrett breaks down the future of independent ad tech. we talk competing with Google, why The Trade Desk won, and what actually works in M&A. Plus some great insights on leading turnarounds: https://lnkd.in/eAKc84Qi

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🔵 Martech Ecosystem Growth: The martech ecosystem has expanded significantly, with almost 3,000 new apps added in the last year, bringing the total to 14,106 apps for CMOs to consider. 🔵 Generative AI Impact: The growth is attributed to generative AI, driving a surge in flashy AI features. 🔵 Tech Stack Contradiction: Despite ecosystem growth, tech stacks are actually shrinking by 10%, particularly in mid and upper tiers. 🔵 Composability Trend: Composability, defined as Lego-like modular systems, is emerging as a key trend, challenging traditional dichotomies like suite vs. best-of-breed. 🔵 Market Dynamics: SaaS businesses are resilient, hard to eliminate, and continue to grow, even amidst funding challenges. 🔵 Tipping Point: Martech stacks are reaching a tipping point, with AI democratizing composition, leading to faster innovation cycles. 🔵 Martech Landscape Growth: The martech landscape has grown by 27.8% in the last year, driven by AI tools. 🔵 Core Martech Components: Core components of martech stacks include marketing automation, CRM, analytics, digital experience platforms, and cloud data warehouses. 🔵 Churn Rate and Consolidation: The churn rate is low (2.1%), and while consolidation is happening, it's slow, with modest stack consolidation observed. 🔵 Future Trends: Trends indicate a shift towards open platform ecosystems, disruption of build vs. buy, and blending of software and services models. AI is expected to further reshape the market, potentially leading to the emergence of billion-dollar one-person companies. Worth going through the State of Martech Report from Chiefmartec’s Scott Brinker and Frans Riemersma.

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Has anyone ever sized the market opportunity the measurement/verification/attribution/optimization companies are fighting for a share of? Are long-term projections tethered to assumptions using math like we expect X share of a market sized Y, yielding revenue Z, margins A = valuation B? I suspect the pie is finite and not going to grow enormously, so in the end there is only room for a handful of players. And someone is going to have to lose significant share for even that to work. Especially as long as the sell side is paying most of the freight (directly and indirectly).

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Tired of e-commerce platforms that overpromise and underdeliver? Anchanto is rewriting the rules with a radical approach: customer-driven innovation. CEO Vaibhav Dabhade discusses how his company’s deep market understanding and focus on prediction are transforming warehouse management, order fulfillment and omnichannel strategies. Dive in and learn more: https://lnkd.in/gGhjXWX8 #ecommerce #supplychain #innovation #digitaltransformation #anchanto CDOTrends

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Business is often seen as the art of acquisition. Acquiring talent, customers, revenue, profits, mindshare, marketshare. Building and growing requires consumption, addition, parlaying some of this into a lot of that. But the smartest businesses — the ones that tend to stick around for the long haul — know that existence is also about avoidance. Avoiding careening variable costs, avoiding getting involved with things that aren’t core to your business, avoiding spending time on things that don’t matter, avoiding bad investments, avoiding people who don’t help you prosper, and even avoiding customers who aren’t the right fit. However, there’s something even more fundamental to avoid. It would be easy to call it “complexity” but that’s not quite it. Complexity can be necessary, and intricacy can be quite beautiful — just stare into a Moorish mosaic and you’ll know it. So complexity isn’t the issue. Overkill is the issue. Avoiding overkill is the real cheat code. That’s how you jump levels. It’s how you make a lot more progress with a lot less effort. Overkill is the dust that settles on the stuff that took a lot of energy to build or buy, but turned out not to be necessary. The over-engineered, over-designed, over-hired, over-litigated, the over-spent, over-promised, over-deliberated. Overkill is the policy that was written but never enacted. The technology that was purchased that was never used. The seven steps that could be handled in two. The nine people in a meeting made for three. The business equivalent of the 12 bedroom house for a family of four. The cooks when you don’t even have a kitchen. Overkill is using five different products to run a single project. Overkill is an seven-stage interview process that exhausts everyone involved. Overkill is acting like a company 100x your size. Overkill is buying what they bought but that you don’t need. Overkill is paying thousands for something worth hundreds. Overkill is hoping that losing more will turn into a win. Every day is an opportunity to find just right. To toss that policy that’s in the way. To slim down the stack. To sharpen things up. To eliminate the work that doesn’t need to be done. To polish the scratched glass so you can see through again. Amass what you need, but ignore even more. Kill overkill.

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Roblox has been Hindenburged. Cause for concern? Yes. But a slam dunk short? Not convinced. Here's my immediate thoughts on some of the points: Overinflated Metrics: 24%-42% of actual people DAU versus accounts. Roblox does disclose this, and has been asked about this as the report notes, but it does look misleading to call it "people" in other contexts IF the discrepancy is that much. Toxic (and worse) Content: This is bad. It's always horrible to see this kind of content on a platform with such young users. However it depends on how pervasive it is and how much is due to negligence from Roblox. Not clear to me they demonstrated that, but equally surprising to see how easy they could find explicit content. Never Made a Profit: This analysis seemed pretty surface level for a high growth company, I'd have liked to see more detail. Didn't look at bookings, took cash flow multiple from FactSet and just a comment on large stock based comp. Bookings growth largely tracks DAU growth so the issue would be with the absolute number. Overvalued vs Comparables: Looking at Take Two, EA, and Nintendo is overly simplistic. These are not similar businesses. Having said that, it's not an easy one to compare. https://lnkd.in/ekMiQiMA

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Looking beyond the AI Hype cycle: Investment insights for CMOs. As AI hype grows, many startups are emerging/will emerge with superficial solutions that are merely wrappers, primarily using ChatGPT / Claude and similar models. It is almost a given that any modern martech / adtech play today needs AI plastered on it. And that's not a bad thing. It's just part of the adoption cycle. Given that data is the fuel for AI, those solutions that have vast data and user bases will thrive. Think OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Bard etc..and most marketing use cases can be folded into any of these offerings. Does this mean there won't be any unique, niche AI solutions? No. What is sure is that most 'opportunistic wrappers' will be wrapped up into the larger model fold. What is key for marketers is to fully experiment with the myriad of wrappers that are flooding the market but know full well that your investments must be rooted in solid real-world value that is sustainable in the long-term. Think of the current crop of solutions as your sandbox. Play. Experiment. Understand. So you can be well informed, your team well equipped and ready to choose right when you are ready to write that big check. #AI #Marketing #CMO (image via ChatGTP 4o)

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The AI revolution is a dream come true for modern marketers. When generative AI went mainstream, we embraced some quick win use cases like content creation and quick photo editing. But what came next was much bigger. We saw AI copilots come onto the scene to ride along humans. And then... autonomous AI Workers. The inbound SDR is the perfect example of a role that are ripe for AI. The tasks are repetitive and largely language-based, and require a vast amount of knowledge about your product. Fielding FAQs, booking meetings, sending follow-up emails… If AI can take over those tasks, you can free up your people to work on even higher-value projects. Perhaps prospecting or running disco calls. But not everyone is there yet, and we know it will take some time for enterprise teams to fully embrace AI Workers. Our Co-founder, Sean Whiteley, talks with customers every day about where they are on their AI journey and this is what he’s observed: The C-suite is under a lot of pressure Sean hears from execs all the time that their boards are mandating they get a strategy around their AI experimentation. It’s clear AI is the next tech revolution and VCs know that this is the direction the industry is heading, so CMOs and CROs and CTOs are all drinking through a firehose right now to get up to speed. People are cautiously optimistic Even with the speed at which this revolution is happening, there’s a lot of optimism on teams about what this means for the future of SaaS. Sean is hearing a lot about experimental budget opening up and teams getting room to play as these AI Workers hit the market. Everyone is starting to move in the same direction  These shifts take time, but we’re at a point in the revolution where most teams realize they need a strategy around how and when they automate roles and integrate generative AI products into their tech stacks. Sean and I covered all of this and more in our latest episode of The AI SDR Movement. Check out the full conversation here: https://bit.ly/4ef6Iw2

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In today’s polarized world, knowing when NOT to speak is a powerful leadership strategy. ➡️ Silence as Strategy: Tim cook avoids divisive debates unless they align with Apple’s mission, like privacy and user rights. ➡️Respecting Complexity: Satya Nadella takes a measured approach to AI ethics, avoiding sweeping statements on nuanced issues. ➡️Reducing Polarization Through Neutrality: Indra Nooyi (former PepsiCo CEO) advanced sustainability without engaging in polarizing debates, earning broad respect. ➡️Public Fatigue with Overexposure: Angela Merkel’s quiet, solution-focused leadership during crises built lasting trust. Silence, when used wisely, builds respect and credibility. #leadership #silence #credibility

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