Reddit brand campaign contributed to supplement maker's +33% lift in web traffic & +634% lift in cross-network search. In Q4 of 2024, research-backed supplement brand Theralogix and its agency partner Exverus Media effectively reached and engaged millions of Americans seeking health information via Google searches and Meta, plus an exciting, new channel: Reddit! Reddit is an increasingly popular place for consumers and patients to seek answers about health conditions, wellness tips, specific brands and more for its relatable, peer-to-peer nature. The site’s high trustworthiness is particularly attractive for women seeking info about their health, which has historically been under-researched, underfunded, and misunderstood by the mainstream medical community. “We’re joining the conversation by establishing a presence in spaces where consumers already share info with their peers on social media", says Exverus Media Director Georgia Schreiner. From September to December 2024, the Exverus Media team (led by 2023 AdAge Media Planner of the Year Georgia Schreiner) ran a full-funnel media plan integrating Paid Search & Social to educate new consumers actively searching for answers and shopping for solutions Theralogix can help with. These include common nutritional needs like fertility and metabolism, uterine health, and reproductive health. “In 2023, the Theralogix media strategy was fully focused on conversion, so in 2024, we recommended a channel mix promoting brand discovery, health education, and product consideration all at once”, says Schreiner. “We’re joining the conversation by establishing a presence in spaces where consumers already share info with their peers on social media." As a result, Theralogix saw +33% increase in website traffic over the previous quarter and +634% increase in cross-network search! Most importantly, Q4 saw +32% growth in Shopify sales and +12% increase in Amazon sales vs baseline. That’s a quick lift! About Theralogix Theralogix raises the bar when it comes to premium, research-backed nutritional supplements. Every product is independently certified by NSF® International for content accuracy and freedom from contaminants. Theralogix has been a top physician-recommended brand for over two decades. For more information about Ovasitol and other products, visit theralogix.com. About Exverus Media Founded in 2014, Exverus is a Los Angeles media agency elevating growth-stage brands through full-funnel media planning, traditional and programmatic advertising, retail media & e-commerce, paid search, paid social, and analytics. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust. Learn more at  exverus.com . For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly   Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

"The Chosen App: Download Your Calling" gathered fans, sold merch, and grew viewership by driving over 1 million app downloads in 3 months. OCTOBER 9, 2025 (LOS ANGELES, CA) -- Exverus by Brainlabs was awarded the 2025 MediaPost Online Media, Marketing & Advertising Award (OMMA) for Best Mobile Marketing Campaign for "The Chosen App: Download Your Calling" plan, which ran in 2024. See all the winners here. In preparing to launch Season 4, "The Chosen" media team, led by Exverus' highly decorated Media Director Anna Elema , planned an integrated paid media strategy aiming to drive 495K mobile app downloads at a cost per install of $4 or less to grow the viewing community and raise enough funds to continue production. Consumer behavioral data confirmed that our US-based target audience uses mobile for internet access more than any other device type, and their top two internet activities are watching videos and messaging, so a streaming/community app was the perfect way to engage them. To entice viewers, we teased behind-the-scenes footage, access to the stars, and app-exclusive trailers. Since the chief KPI was downloads, we focused our efforts on the places where people consider downloading new apps: the Apple and Google Stores, plus Meta, which our target demo over-indexed on for discovering brands and cultural phenomena. In fact, market research showed that in 2024, over half of millennials and Gen Z reported getting better recommendations for TV shows and movies from social media than from streaming services! The path-to-install was content-driven and effortless. We mixed up the creative visuals in real-time response to CPI fluctuations and infused extra spend around theatrical Hollywood premieres to capitalize on branded volume.  And it worked: In 3 months, we made The Chosen App #1 in the AppleTV Store and the #2 free app in the iOS store! We drove nearly 1 million downloads in the US, double our goal and triple the global app-install trend for the same period. Our cost per install averaged $1.91, or 52% lower than expected! Apple Search alone landed a $0.94 CPI, a stunning 76% below the platform benchmark.  Grab your chalice and popcorn and cheers! For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly   Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

A scientific approach to measuring paid media's impact on actual business growth Key Facts: Attention-based optimizations deliver 20% higher unique reach  than viewability optimizations and are 31% more cost-efficient, according to The Attention Council. Traditional metrics like impressions and CPM suffer from key limitations  — they measure potential exposure rather than actual engagement and can be inflated by bot traffic. Brand lift studies provide more meaningful upper-funnel measurements  by tracking actual changes in brand awareness, consideration, purchase intent, and preference. Customer lifetime value (CLV) is often overlooked  but critical for understanding long-term profitability rather than focusing solely on short-term conversions and ROAS. It's 2025 -- we've all moved beyond the tired brand vs. performance debate, correct? And we understand the importance of brand as an indicator of sustained business growth . But the challenge remains: how do we effectively measure brand outcomes for upper-funnel paid media campaigns? The Challenge of Measuring Brand Common brand metrics include: awareness favorability perceived quality, and advocacy These metrics are inherently challenging to measure because they require either: Direct consumer feedback  through surveys, panels, or focus groups; or Indirect behavioral indicators  such as branded search volume or social listening tools There's no perfect solution! At Exverus, we prefer taking a scientific approach through brand lift studies. Understanding Brand Lift Studies A brand lift study measures an advertising campaign's impact on brand awareness and favorability. Brand lift studies use a test-and-control methodology , comparing a test group (people exposed to the ads) against a control group (people not exposed to the ads but otherwise similar). This approach offers significant advantages: It controls for external factors that might impact brand perception, such as negative press or viral content Unlike brand search trends or social listening, it specifically accounts for media exposure, allowing us to isolate the impact of marketing campaigns Brand Lift Studies: FAQs for CMOs How much does a brand lift study cost? Brand lift studies vary in cost: they may be added-value on some ad platforms and with some media partners with minimum media spend, or from about $30K for simple digital only studies to over $150K for complex multi-channel studies. Google Ads ,   Amazon Ads , and   Meta  offer free brand lift studies to advertisers who spend above a certain threshold and achieve a certain impression threshold to ensure enough data for a statistically significant result. The main disadvantage of these studies is the inability to account for exposure to ads from your campaign that are running on other channels that can potentially contaminate results. Research partners like Nielsen, DISQO, or Kantar can measure incremental brand lift across many media channels holistically ( CTV ,   digital audio ,   out-of-home ,   radio , you name it!) This can give your team a more complete idea of how exposures to your ad connect with real-life consumer sentiment. It’s usually less costly to run studies for online channels where ads can be tagged and more expensive to measure offline channels such as TV or out-of-home. Long campaign flights, interim reports, online dashboards, and larger samples needed to break out results in more detail are all factors that can add to the cost of a study. What's the minimum budget needed to run a brand lift study? Again, it depends upon the platform and the question(s) you're trying to answer. Below are the requirements for added values studies on a couple of popular ad platforms: LinkedIn Ads provides free Brand Lift Testing for campaigns spending at least: $60K to answer one brand metric $90K to answer two brand metrics Meanwhile, YouTube brand lift studies need only: $3,500 in the first seven days of the campaign for one metric $5,000 in the first seven days of the campaign for two metrics How large does my brand lift study sample size need to be for reliable results? This question is complicated because the answer can vary so widely and depend upon many considerations. We've seen sample sizes as low as 30, whereas Google recommends 2,000-5,000 responses per question in both the control and test groups for each lift metric. If you need multiple breakouts, such as by audiences or creatives, you'll need a large overall sample size to have enough data for each. Source: Google DV360 Help How do I know who saw my ad? Tracking ad exposure typically involves placing pixels on creative assets to digitally monitor viewership. However, this approach isn't feasible across all channels: Many social media platforms restrict this tracking capability Traditional channels like TV, radio, and out-of-home don't support digital tracking The common alternative is an opportunity to see (OTS) methodology , where survey respondents' reported media consumption is matched against media placement timing. In our experience, OTS works well for certain channels like TV or radio but yields inconsistent results for others like social media. The methodology assumes test and control groups are identical except for ad exposure. We attempt to ensure this through sample matching  based on demographics, geography, or online behaviors—but no two samples are 100% alike! The goal is similarity, not perfection. And beware of cross-channel contamination : Modern consumers fluidly move between mobile, video, and TV multiple times daily, making channel-level impact testing challenging. When we're trying to compare ad-exposed versus non-exposed individuals, channel-level  brand impact testing can be contaminated with other ad exposures. How do I connect brand lift metrics to business outcomes? A few ways: Mid-funnel metrics like web traffic, customer acquisition rates, and customer acquisition cost (CAC). The more you invest in your brand, the lower your CAC should be. Marketing mix modeling (or media mix modeling) aggregates many sources of data to provide a comprehensive, full-funnel understanding of how different marketing channels contribute to overall business growth. AI-powered predictive analytics tools model different scenarios to help us choose the right course. Loyalty indicators like customer retention, online reviews, referrals, and consistent price premium. Your brand is strong if consumers think of you long after they've made a first purchase. The Importance of Data Integration Scientific measurement can be complex and messy sometimes . That's why we recommend integrating multiple data sources to corroborate brand lift results. For example, if your study shows no significant lift from advertising, but your searches and sales show substantial increases, you have good reason to believe your campaign was effective despite the study results. The Exverus Approach When making complex decisions about advertising strategy or evaluating campaign performance, we believe in considering multiple information sources and leveraging expert analysis. Our director of data analytics, Charles Lai, leads a team of seasoned statistics experts who can glean the strongest possible insights for your brand. Learn more about brand lift measurement from Charles below: For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly   Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

While social media platforms can often feel enraging, distracting, or dividing; Pinterest commits to being an oasis of self-expression, discovery, and inspiration. Key Facts: Pinterest has 570 million monthly active users globally  and 98 million in the U.S., making it the second fastest-growing social media platform after Instagram as of May 2025. Pinterest delivers 32% higher ROAS than other digital platforms , according to a three-year Nielsen study of US and UK campaigns in food, health/beauty, and home decor. Positively viewed platforms can be up to 94% more impactful  in driving purchase intent compared to platforms viewed as non-positive, making Pinterest's brand-safe environment valuable. Pinterest Media Network Connect launched in September 2025 , enabling retailers to share first-party audience data and conversion data for better campaign tracking and sales attribution. Pinterest is one of the first places we look for fashion ideas, new recipes, design trends, or ways to decorate for a kid's birthday party. But beyond flipping through boards for inspo, it's a highly underrated advertising platform for brands looking to grow. With 570 million monthly active users globally and 98 million in the U.S. [as of May 2025], Pinterest is the second fastest-growing social media platform after Instagram. What's new in Pinterest advertising for 2025? Pinterest Media Network Connect In September 2025, Pinterest began rolling out its newest self-service tool, which collects retailers' first-party audience data, conversion data, and product catalogs to help advertisers better track the actual impact of their campaigns on sales. Holiday spending gold rush With tariffs looming and prices uncertain, marketers are in a particularly tough spot, tasked with making difficult decisions about how to keep sales up while consumer sentiment is down. Fortunately, economic spending continues to grow -- Q2 of 2025 saw 3.8% growth , with robust momentum expected for the rest of the year. This behavioral trend provides a ripe opportunity for brands to marry performance marketing now  (to get in on the doom spending spree) with brand equity building  (to keep customers returning when they’re in a better spot down the road). Fortunately, some media channels (like Pinterest) are proactively preparing for shaky waters by gathering data and sprucing up their offerings to help advertisers do more with less. AI-powered ad creative, targeting, & tracking Pinterest’s AI-powered Performance+ campaign builder ingests conversion signals, audience signals, creative assets, and objectives to automate ad placements and elevate brand affinity, traffic, and sales on the backend. Performance+ bundles creative assistance with target ROAS bidding together  for the strongest lower-funnel performance yet. In 2024, Pinterest expanded its Clean Rooms Partnership with LiveRamp , which allows marketers to safely use first-party data for targeted ads without needing to re-share that information with the social platform. LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution can now be connected with Pinterest’s API for Conversions. This new solution builds on existing capabilities by creating addressable audiences that can be reached at scale and measured on any channel. This integration makes Pinterest the first platform to invest in both measurement solutions for their advertisers. Pinterest’s visual search  features let users interact with image Pins to quickly find and shop all the items in a picture. FAQs Why should I advertise on Pinterest? Positivity sells. Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has called out social media as "the new big tobacco," accusing their (faster growing) competitors of utilizing AI in a destructive way, leaving the world "more distracted, more depressed, and more divided." It's an interesting approach, given Pinterest is a social platform itself, but it speaks to the company's dedication to creating a different kind of experience from its rivals -- one that is built around self-expression and discovery. In a 2023 campaign, Pinterest championed the concept "Don't Don't Yourself" to encourage people to break out of their existing habits and routines. This shift to positivity and optimism presents an excellent opportunity for brand safety, something declining in other blue-chip social platforms. Positively viewed platforms can be up to 94% more impactful in driving purchase intent compared to platforms viewed as non-positive. How do I advertise on Pinterest? The media buying process on Pinterest is similar to other digital advertising platforms: Set up a Business Profile for free Establish a campaign objective using Pinterest Ads Manager, like brand awareness, driving web traffic, or converting sales. Define your target audience by demographics, psychographics, location, interest, etc. Creative assets: Choose which Pins to use in your ads, or use the Pin builder to create new ones Set your budget & bidding: Determine your daily or lifetime campaign budget. Then set your bids, which determines how much you pay per click or impression. Create ad groups: Multiple ad groups can target different segments of your audience or display different messaging, each with their own campaign objective, targeting, and budget. Analyze and optimize: Pinterest analytics provides rich insights into campaign performance. Optimize as you go by adjusting your bids, audience, or budget. But don't switch things up too often! Campaigns need sufficient time to gather significant data. How much does it cost to advertise on Pinterest? The cost depends on a number of factors, like: bidding strategy (manual or automated) competitiveness of keywords and industry targeting criteria (broad vs. niche) ad format campaign goals But a typical click-through cost (CPC) ranges from $0.10 to $1.50 per click; while cost per conversion usually ranges from $0.00 to $2.00. A three-year Nielsen study of US and UK food, health/beauty, and home decor campaigns found that Pinterest delivered a 32% higher ROAS than other digital platforms. As advertisers, we find Pinterest's position in the market very compelling. The positive atmosphere, the brand safety, the strong campaign performance, and constantly evolving media buying innovations are a real boon to our clients. To find out what else we’re hearing from Pinterest in agency-exclusive meetings, contact one of our paid social media experts here .   For more advertising news and tips, join our free weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

If you've been measuring marketing and advertising campaigns by the same benchmarks for several years, update them now to get an accurate picture of performance. Historical data, EMARKETER, Nielsen, and platform-specific data are all good sources of up-to-date benchmarks. When was the last time your team evaluated your marketing benchmarks?   Be honest; this is a safe space.   If those analytics docs have been collecting cobwebs, or if they still have Google+ goals, it's time for an update.   So, where should you start? Set SMART goals for all your media campaigns Establish KPIs for each touchpoint in the journey Top of funnel KPIs Mid-funnel metrics Lower-funnel conversions Gather marketing benchmarks for comparison Analyze and report Translate for the C-suite Set SMART goals for all your media campaigns Yep, that trusty old mnemonic still holds water when it comes to planning your paid media campaigns for the upcoming quarter: Specific - Exactly what is your business objective? What specific marketing objectives will ladder up to it? What actionable items will you take to fulfill those objectives, and why? Measurable - If it gets measured, it gets managed. Determine the appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) for each tactic used in your campaign and gather industry benchmarks so you know if your strategies are effective or not. Achievable - Are you sure your goals are realistic? It's good to aim high, but if you set unrealistic goals, you're setting yourself up for unnecessarily negative results. Look at historical data and competitor analyses to see what's reasonable to expect. Relevant - Are you sure your campaign ideas will effectively serve your short-term and long-term business goals? Are your metrics measuring the right variable? Time-Bound - Set clear parameters around the timing of your campaigns and check in midway. Be sure you're measuring short-term KPIs earlier and long-term KPIs later. Establish KPIs for each touchpoint in the journey Top of funnel KPIs Traditional upper funnel metrics like impressions and cost-per-mille (CPM) have served as foundational measurements in digital advertising, but they suffer from several key limitations: They measure potential exposure rather than actual engagement They don't account for viewability or attention quality They provide no insight into brand perception changes They can be artificially inflated by bot traffic and fraudulent activity Brand lift studies have emerged as a more meaningful measure of upper-funnel impact by measuring actual changes in: Brand awareness Brand consideration Purchase intent Brand preference Message association These measurements provide concrete evidence of how advertising affects consumer perceptions and behavior, rather than just counting potential exposures. Attention-based measurements also offer deeper insight into actual engagement: Active attention time Viewability duration Scroll velocity Audio engagement Interactive events A/B tests by The Attention Council showed that attention optimizations led to 20% higher unique reach than viewability optimizations, and they were 31% more cost-efficient. Source: The Attention Council 2021 Mid-funnel media measurements These metrics indicate how deeply prospects are engaging with your brand's ads and messaging, suggesting progression from passive awareness to active consideration. Common mid-funnel marketing KPIs include: Content engagement metrics like average time on page, pages per session, video completion rates (VCR), social media shares and saves, etc. Lead quality indicators for B2B marketing like marketing qualified leads (MQLs), email engagement rates, newsletter subscription retention, lead magnet download rates, etc. Interactive engagement like AI chatbot or price calculator usage, sample or demo requests, wishlist or cart additions, etc. Lower-funnel conversion metrics These are the fun ones! Lower-funnel metrics look at actual conversions or strong indications of purchase intent. They can also measure a marketing campaign's impact on overall brand revenue and long-term value. There are direct revenue metrics like conversion rate, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and return on ad spend (ROAS, which we use quite a bit). But let's drill down on an imperative and often overlooked variable: customer lifetime value (CLV). Customer lifetime value (CLV) is the total revenue a business can expect from a customer throughout their entire relationship, minus the costs of acquiring and serving them. It helps companies understand which customers are most valuable over time, rather than just looking at individual purchase amounts. Think of it as calculating the long-term profitability of a customer relationship instead of focusing on one-time transactions. CLV is important to media planning because, as our Managing Director Talia Arnold explains often , "When it comes to advertising, focusing too closely on short-term gains is like day trading — the quick returns might grab headlines, but they usually lack staying power. Sustainable business growth requires pairing performance with building brand equity, brick by brick, just like you’d invest in a retirement account." By choosing the right KPIs for each channel in your media campaign, you can evaluate whether your paid media investments are paying off and how to optimize them going forward. Gather marketing benchmarks for comparison To establish your campaign benchmarks, look at trusted third-party sources. You can glean insights from industry reports, case studies, and other data-driven content.   Good metrics and benchmarks should derive from: Historical Data Analyze past performance trends to set a baseline for future expectations. Industry-wide Data Understand where you stand compared to competitors and identify potential areas for improvement. For 2025, Sprout Social released this set of social media guidelines by industry. Look for similar guides for other channels from EMARKETER , Nielsen , Numerator , Statista , etc. Platform-specific benchmarks Meta, Google, LinkedIn, and other media channels usually offer their own sets of platform-specific benchmarks so you know what kind of performance is typical in those environments. Partner/Vendor Guidelines Remember that there may be a conflict of interest, however, as they often aim to portray high performance. Analyze and Report The marketing benchmark analysis cycle begins with regular performance reviews where teams assess current metrics against industry standards using executive dashboards and team scorecards. During these reviews, conduct gap analysis to identify variances from benchmarks, which should be documented in structured variance reports. Use trend identification to spot patterns over time, displaying these in trend analysis reports that help contextualize current performance. This analysis feeds into opportunity sizing and risk assessment , which should be reflected in competitive comparison reports to help stakeholders understand market position. Finally, translate insights into resource allocation and action planning, supported by ROI assessments and budget impact reports. This creates a continuous feedback loop where reporting directly informs the next round of analysis and decision-making. At Exverus, we hold quarterly health checks with all our clients and provide them with quarterly business reports (QBRs) so they know exactly how their ad spend is performing. We're agile and nimble enough to quickly pivot or reallocate budget as needed mid-campaign. Translate for the C-suite Let’s be honest: Media still gets misread by the C-suite. To many executives, media is just a line item, a cost center.   But great media is a strategic growth lever.  It builds demand , influences perception , drives conversion , and shapes long-term  brand value.   The problem isn’t ignorance — it’s translation .   Most media strategies are presented in terms marketers understand: impressions, reach, CPMs. But CFOs and CEOs speak a different language — one of margin, revenue, market share, and risk.   Smart marketers know this and adapt. They frame media in business terms, not marketing metrics.   They tie campaigns to top-line goals . And they get more buy-in, bigger budgets, and better results because of it.   Actionable Insight:  For your next executive presentation, rewrite one slide to frame media performance in C-suite terms. If you've been neglecting to update your marketing benchmarks this year, go schedule that meeting! Your business depends upon it. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

With Amazon Prime Day right around the corner, businesses (and shoppers) are busy prepping for the retail giant's crazy deals. Here's how brands can make the most of it. Key Facts: 46% of Gen Zers and 55% of millennials  plan to start holiday shopping in October or earlier, making Prime Big Deals Day crucial for early holiday sales. Prime Day marketing can increase sales by up to 300%  when executed properly with the right strategies and preparation. Some retailers start stocking inventory for Prime Day as early as March , leveraging Amazon Fulfillment Centers and third-party logistics for peak demand. Most consumers operate in a "click-and-mortar" style  in 2024, requiring brands to meet customers at each point along their nonlinear journey. Amazon Prime Day (and its fall companion, Prime Big Deals Day) have become national holidays for consumers, retailers, and brands, and it runs right into the holiday shopping season. EMARKETER reports 46% of Gen Zers and 55% of millennials planned to start making holiday purchases in October or earlier, which could reflect financial strain that is leading them to spread out buys and grab early discounts to avoid bigger bills later in the season. But, while Prime Day is a great time for businesses to grab the spotlight and drive sales, there are some potential pitfalls to avoid. To ensure your business shines bright on Prime Day, here are four things your brand should look out for when planning your offers: 1. Have a backup plan In an ideal world, everything will run smoothly on Prime Day. All of your promos, ads, codes, and tracking analytics will go off without a hitch. But even Amazon's technology isn't impervious to glitches along the way. That's why it's crucial to have a backup plan in place and, if needed, quickly switch to it to prevent any losses. To get ahead of issues, have your team "walk the store" throughout Prime Day to spot any weak links. For example, back in 2022, a Black Friday technical outage resulted in inaccurate sales and advertising spending data. This resulted in some businesses overspending in certain areas and underperforming in others. Consider creating bulk sheets, so your team can quickly adjust promotions and pricing if needed or have a separate budget set aside for unexpected needs. 2. Stock enough inventory Nothing is more disappointing (or damaging to Prime Day sales) than seeing a desired product only to find out it's not in stock. Ensure your inventory and supply chain can keep up with the influx of orders with Prime Day. The earlier, the better, too. If possible, start stocking up on inventory for Prime Day well in advance. Some retailers start increasing their stock for flagship items in March, leveraging Amazon Fulfillment Centers and other third-party logistics services. With the sheer number of shoppers expected on the day, you don't want to miss out on potential sales. 3. Timing promotions strategically For any ad campaign, timing is everything. And this is especially true for frantic shopping days like Prime Day. We've heard many stories about incredible deals and campaigns falling flat due to poor time schedule planning, wasting precious dollars. To ensure your promotions and campaigns reach the right audience at the right time (without breaking the bank), carefully plan your campaigns with automated rules and ads targeting shoppers likely to be interested in your products. 4. Offer insanely good Amazon Prime Day deals This one sounds obvious, but it's worth repeating: Prime Day deals should be amazing . Make sure your Prime Day offers are attractive enough to draw in those bargain-savvy shoppers who know how to get the most bang for their buck. No matter what you come up with, just make sure it's really worth it for customers -- otherwise, there's no point in even trying. Audit your retail-search strategy This is different from your standard Google search marketing strategy. Be sure to: Prioritize home page placements  The home page of a retailer’s site or app is a coveted placement for advertising because it’s the most visible with the widest reach, and it’s the most memorable thanks to the primacy effect. Here’s a good visualization of the purpose each page level of an e-commerce site serves:  Segment your audience If your feminine product ads are being served to biologically male customers, those wasted impressions are wasted ad dollars. Every product isn’t right for every consumer! To optimize your retail media budget, you’ll need to get precise with your targeting and segment your audiences. Fortunately, the first-party data provided by retail media networks solve this problem very well, if you’re putting in the right audience parameters. Check out this excellent list of audience segments put together by the IAB:  Dominate your niche Our own Senior Search Specialist, Michael Robbins, advises: “Find the long-tail search terms that resonate with your consumers best, and aim to own those key terms. Be specific; do not take your hands off the wheel, going broad-match and letting the ‘algorithm’ do the work.” Take this example from our back-to-school marketing  guide: Adding contextual keywords  to your search mix can boost visibility and drive sales. For instance, a granola bar company could add long-tail keywords like “granola bars for school lunches”, or “healthy after-school snacks” to their current bidding strategy.  Consider the whole customer journey Despite the popularity of e-commerce and online shopping, most consumers in 2024 are operating in a “ click-and-mortar ” style: either buying online and picking up in store, buying online and returning in store, or discovering brands in-store and following on social media. To beat the competition, you’ll need to meet your target customer at each point along their nonlinear journey.  Don't forget to influence them BEFORE they start shopping - using tactics like TV, video, audio and OOH to improve brand perception and credibility. Amazon Prime Day Deals marketing can be a stressful time, but you have the potential to increase your sales by 300% -- that's worth the extra effort! To learn more about how we made Premier Protein shakes a top-selling item on Prime Big Deals Day 3 years in a row, head over here . This article originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For the most up-to-date news and tips to improve your media strategy, subscribe for free here .

A brand marketer's guide to retail media buying strategies for sustained growth Key Facts: Retail media will account for one in eight digital ad dollars , with the US market reaching $45.15 billion in 2023. Amazon dominates with 75.2% market share  — more than 10 times larger than second-place Walmart Connect. RMNs are evolving beyond last-touch conversion  to offer full-funnel experiences including CTV, programmatic, and brand awareness campaigns. Retail media CTV ad spending is projected to grow 45.1% in 2025 , with Walmart controlling over 20% of the US TV market through Vizio. With retail media set to account for one in eight digital ad dollars, mature retailers are already growing sales by expanding how they reach consumers and the ad products they offer to brands. Historically, retail media networks have focused on lower-funnel tactics, but Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, and an ever growing list of other retail media networks are now offering a full-funnel experience to advertisers and media buyers. What is a retail media network (RMN)? According to RetailTouchpoints.com , "Retail media is the broader term used to describe the concept of retailers using their systems, infrastructure, data and access to their shoppers to help advertisers reach consumers. A retail media network is the actual platform that retailers put in place to do this." These ads can appear in various formats and locations, including search results pages, product pages, category pages, and even in-store displays. But what sets retail media networks apart is their access to valuable first-party data —the key to effective targeting and personalized advertising. What are the top retail media networks? Amazon is, by far, the top retail media network, commanding 75.2% of the $45.15 billion US retail media advertising market in 2023, more than 10 times that of No. 2 Walmart Connect. Other big RMNs include Target's Roundel, Kroger Precision Marketing, Alibaba, Instacart Ads, and Costco Media Network. More are popping up every day! This blossoming of RMNs offers advertisers more opportunities to put their products in front of their target audience when they're already in a purchasing state of mind, but the downside is a lack of consistency or standardization across the platforms. A media buyer or agency that is well-versed on many different platforms and can pull data from each one together into a holistic media strategy can be helpful in allocating your brand's advertising budget efficiently. Why is retail media important for media planning and buying? The expansion of retail media from a last-touch converter into a full-funnel experience is a game-changer for brands and their media planners. Here’s why retail media is so important to any media agency or CPG brand marketer: Holistic Consumer Engagement Retail media networks allow brands to engage consumers at every stage of the buyer’s journey. From awareness to purchase, these networks provide a seamless experience. Demand Generation Amazon’s sponsored brand videos and CTV-based offerings create demand by capturing consumer interest. Brands can showcase their products effectively, driving curiosity and desire. Measurable Impact With robust attribution and conversion tracking, advertisers can measure the impact of their campaigns accurately. Retail media networks provide the data needed to optimize strategies. Explosive Growth The exciting growth of the retail media space presents a lucrative opportunity for brands and advertisers to reach customers in new ways. Attractive Margins Retailers face the challenge of covering the incremental expenses and complexities associated with digital ordering and fulfillment operations. High-margin incremental revenues from (RMNs) serve as a means to offset these costs. These networks allow retailers to monetize their shopper data effectively, delivering accurately personalized messages and offers on behalf of brands. Latent Value Brands are continually seeking more targeted and efficient ways to reach consumers. Retailers possess valuable loyalty and transaction data, which can be harnessed to achieve this critical task. By leveraging these insights, brands can enhance their targeting precision and engage consumers effectively . Advertiser Mindset Brands and agencies have become accustomed to the self-service methods of “programmatic” digital advertising. Retail media networks align with this mindset, connecting brands with consumers efficiently. As a result, media planners and buyers recognize the value of these networks in achieving their advertising goals . What are the upper funnel uses of retail media? No longer relegated to the last touchpoint before purchase, RMNs like Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect are offering more features and options to reach new customers and lift brand awareness, too. Some examples of upper funnel retail media tactics include: Amazon CTV-Based Offerings with Enhanced Targeting Amazon's expanded DSP capabilities now allow targeting across Roku and Fire TV devices, delivering 40% more unique reach and 30% less ad repetition. This enhanced cross-platform targeting makes Amazon's CTV offerings the gold standard for upper-funnel brand awareness campaigns. Walmart's Integrated Vizio CTV Ecosystem Walmart is launching beta tests for advertisers to access Vizio CTV inventory, with retail media CTV ad spending projected to grow 45.1% in 2025. With control over more than 20% of the U.S. TV market through Vizio, Walmart is positioning itself as Amazon's primary CTV competitor. Shoppable CTV Video Ads (Cross-Platform) The integration of shoppable CTV ads into streaming content is becoming reality, with companies like Disney, Amazon and Roku pioneering this space. This represents the evolution of traditional video advertising into actionable commerce experiences. Programmatic Retail Media for Full-Funnel Campaigns Media buying executives are pursuing full-funnel strategies across programmatic, with retail media ready to transform traditional upper-funnel mediums into lower-funnel drivers. This programmatic approach enables sophisticated audience targeting beyond traditional retail environments. Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Your original entry remains highly relevant as it bridges awareness and conversion seamlessly. These CPC ads continue to be fundamental for brands seeking to drive both consideration and direct sales through video content. Retail media: Gold mine or budget sinkhole? The truth is, retail media can be both a goldmine and  a budget sinkhole, depending on how you use it. The goldmine: closed-loop attribution, high-intent audiences, and endemic relevance -   - especially when paired with strong creative and smart sequencing. The black hole: fragmented networks, sky-high CPMs, and opaque reporting.   Many retail media networks prioritize margin over performance, which means your media dollars may be going to prop up retail partnerships rather than drive actual growth.   The smart play? Treat retail media like part of your broader media plan , not  a separate obligation.   It should work with  your other channels, not in isolation. That means aligning measurement, creative, and budget logic across the funnel .   Action items Audit your retail media investments quarterly. Audit more often than that, and you'll miss longer-term trends; less often, and you'll miss opportunity. Map each placement to a funnel stage Identify overlap or redundancy, and Hold your retail partners accountable to the same standards as your other media  by evaluating the same metrics like reach, frequency, and sales incrementality. Parting thoughts for brand marketers E-commerce is growing rapidly, and the advertising capabilities of retail media networks are expanding as well. Instead of focusing on providing only lower funnel tactics to advertisers, Amazon and other RMNs are becoming more advanced by offering a full funnel experience. Critically, the time is now for brands to leverage the two largest retailers, Amazon and Walmart, as complete advertising ecosystems. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

How our retail media and e-commerce experts build cohesive shopping experiences that meet audiences everywhere Photo Credit: Cottonbro Studios We've said it before -- kill the funnel ! The linear sales funnel is obsolete in 2025, as the path to purchase is complex. Consumers weave between physical stores, websites, apps, and social platforms with increasing fluidity. For brand marketers and advertisers, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity: how can you create cohesive, compelling experiences that meet potential consumers wherever they are? Download our original report here The difference between unified commerce and omnichannel Unified commerce (UC) represents the natural evolution of omnichannel strategies. While omnichannel focused on consistency across touchpoints, unified commerce takes this further by integrating backend systems to eliminate silos and create truly seamless experiences. UC allows us to manage optimizations, implement automation, report data, and more all in one platform or tech stack. According to a December 2023 Bolt survey , retailers identified omnichannel selling as a trend with the greatest impact on their business in 2024—ranking it equally important as AI. This shift isn't just about technology; it's about fundamentally reimagining how brands connect with consumers. The benefits of unified commerce for brands Customer acquisition Shoppers don't think in siloes or channels. A 2024 report by Coresight Research (the official research partner of Shoptalk) showed that 65.8% of US consumers use multiple channels (such as online or in-store) to some degree when shopping. To win in 2025, brands need to understand their target consumers' habits in multiple areas of life and reach them at multiple, connectible touchpoints. Loyalty and retention Offering your consumers multiple ways to buy increases the chances they'll come back for more -- as long as it's a positive experience! Build more effective media plans Collect insights from everywhere your consumers engage with brands and build a clear data narrative in order to develop more effective media plans in the future. How to build a unified commerce strategy for 2025 Invest in unified tech stacks Work with commerce platforms and marketing technology providers that offer integrated solutions. Look for partners that can connect the dots between physical retail, e-commerce, social commerce, and marketplaces. At Exverus, we use Skai to manage our e-commerce search efforts for the Amazon, Walmart, Sam's Club, Instacart, Target, and Kroger retailers. Other platforms include Salesforce, Adyen, and Kibo. Follow the customer, not the channel Structure your marketing plan around audience segments , rather than channels. This approach keeps the focus on delivering value to specific audiences regardless of where they engage. Use mobile as the connective tissue Mobile is often the bridge between physical and digital experiences. Prioritize mobile strategies that enhance discovery, consideration, and conversion across environments. Build measurement frameworks that cross channels Develop attribution models that account for the complex, non-linear customer journey. Focus on understanding touchpoint influence rather than siloed channel performance. Challenges to consider Data fragmentation Bringing together in-store, online, and offsite behaviors requires significant investment in infrastructure and strategy. Many brands struggle with legacy systems that weren't designed for cross-channel integration. Privacy and trust Consumers want personalization but are increasingly wary of how their data is used. Transparency and compliance will be critical as privacy regulations evolve and consumer expectations shift. Relevance at scale Delivering contextual, effective ads without overwhelming consumers or violating their privacy is a delicate balance. Brands must find ways to be present without being intrusive. Read here The path forward The brands that will dominate aren't just connecting channels; they're obliterating the boundaries between them completely. Your consumers are already living in a unified world. They're swiping from TikTok to Amazon to your site to a physical store without blinking. If you're still thinking in terms of "digital strategy" versus "retail strategy," you're already dead in the water. The real question isn't whether you'll adopt unified commerce, but when . Will you be the brand that sets the standard, or the cautionary tale that couldn't keep pace? For more ad buying news and tips, join our free, weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

Efficiency isn’t bad — but efficiency without effectiveness is just cheap media. What are your key marketing metrics? Or, in other words, how do you measure the success of a campaign? With data coming in from so many different channels and sources simultaneously, understanding the true impact of your media campaigns can be tricky. The goal of most ad campaigns is to drive sales, so the number of clicks or video views is inadequate if they don't lead to actual conversions. Why traditional marketing metrics fall short Traditional metrics like clicks, impressions, and view completion rates are now little more than distractions. ROAS and last-click metrics can be misleading because they capture a narrow slice of the journey, often overstating the role of addressable channels and understating long-term brand impact. This doesn't mean that traditional marketing metrics are wholly meaningless. Clicks, impressions, and views are still indicators of reach and engagement -- which do play a role in building brand awareness and nurturing customer relationships.   However, they should be complemented by advanced measurement strategies that provide a more in-depth understanding of your campaign's true impact on sales and overall business success.   The hidden cost of efficiency in your media plan Efficiency feels good. It sounds responsible. But in media planning, it’s often a trap. When marketers prioritize efficiency — CPMs, CPCs, lowest-cost reach  — they often end up cutting quality. Cheaper impressions, lower-impact placements, and less relevance. Which means wasted budget! Here’s the distinction:   Effectiveness  is about achieving results in terms of sales, conversions, awareness, or other KPIs across the full customer journey. Efficiency  normalizes effectiveness against cost, i.e., what business impact are we getting per dollar spent? Both matter. But efficiency is overused because those metrics are the easiest to access. As a result, brands optimize for what’s easy to measure instead of what actually grows the business. Analytic Partners  has shown that prioritizing these siloed metrics can cost brands $0.35 of opportunity for every $1 spent! Efficiency isn’t bad — but efficiency without effectiveness is just cheap media. Better marketing metrics: Balance Instead, implement advanced measurement techniques that go beyond the surface-level metrics and dive deeper into understanding the true impact of your campaigns. Align digital channels to investigate sales drivers Understand where your sales are coming from. Integration and collaboration across channels can offer richer customer insights and help identify key sales drivers.  Eliminating data silos and maximizing visibility into the customer journey is crucial to understanding how your omnichannel marketing campaigns are performing. This is why working with a top media agency who already has these departments built in and collaborating is key to attacking your advertising goals in a holistic fashion. Track brand perception and lift It's not just about ensuring people see your ads, but ensuring they leave a positive impression. Tracking brand lift can help you understand whether your ads are enhancing the audience's perception of your brand. This may require third-party data to measure accurately, but it can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns. Adopt multitouch attribution Don't solely credit the first or last impression. Instead, trace all touchpoints and assign credit accordingly. This way, you gain a more comprehensive understanding of your customer journey. Admittedly, in a cookie-less world, this is a bit more complicated, but with the right tools and technology, it's possible. Click to learn the key differences between marketing mix modeling and multi-touch attribution. Get into action Use incrementality testing, embrace omnichannel measurement, and align analytics to true business goals. In your next quarterly review, replace a ROAS metric with an incrementality or brand lift metric . Advanced measurement strategies may not guarantee a successful campaign, but they provide a more nuanced understanding of ad performance. And, by defining desired outcomes and a measurement plan before a campaign launches, brands can ensure that the reporting they get back is truly relevant to the business expectations. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

Marketers already know the importance of brand equity. We'll help you explain it to the CFO. Escape the short-term trap and build long-term value without sacrificing performance. Key Facts: Brand health is often overlooked because it's harder to measure than ROAS. Brand equity drives pricing power, loyalty, and long-term market share. Good media strategies include multiple brand and performance metrics. Tools like Kantar, DISQO, Nielsen, and Keen can help measure brand growth. Can we agree to stop treating  brand equity  and  ROAS  like they’re opposing forces?    They’re not!    In fact, the healthiest media plans do both: deliver short-term performance  and   long-term brand growth .   The problem is measurement -- ROAS is easy to measure; brand equity is harder. So, most marketers skew  short-term  because it’s most defensible.    But  brand equity drives pricing power, loyalty, and long-term market share  — the stuff CFOs actually care about (even if they don't ask for it by name).   Modern media strategies should bridge the gap. That means building plans that include  brand KPIs  from the start like: brand lift studies unaided awareness tracking share of voice, and even creative quality scores   Because here’s the cold truth: Brands that  under-invest  in equity get stuck in a performance trap. They pay more for each sale, fight harder to stay relevant, and plateau faster.   Let’s raise the bar: Your media plan should be your brand’s most consistent builder of equity and revenue.   Actionable Insight:  Add brand lift measurement (via platforms like Kantar, DISQO, Nielsen or others) to your next campaign and use it to calibrate future budget allocation. And if you need hard data proving this to your CFO, w e've got you: Download a free copy of our "Brand equity multiplies performance" report below! What you'll learn (FAQs): What is brand equity, and why does it matter as a media KPI? Why does brand equity get overlooked in media plans? How can I measure brand equity's impact on sales? How do I integrate brand equity into my paid media strategies?

The ubiquitous video platform is now America's #1 home for podcasts. Learn how your brand can benefit from its reach, engagement, and loyalty. YouTube is now the #1 platform for podcasts in the US, beating Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You've probably noticed that many of your favorite podcasts now come in video form -- why is that? Video builds a deeper personal/emotional connection with viewers Advertisers are already well accustomed to video-format ads in multiple channels, so it's easier for them to integrate with YouTube podcasts than audio channels YouTube is a powerful discovery engine Video clips are easier to tease on social media for audience growth YouTube is the fastest-growing platform for podcasts, which increasingly include a video element. In fact, a 2024 report  from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill crowned YouTube the most popular podcast audience platform in the US , far surpassing Spotify and Apple! Semafor reports, " monthly podcast listenership on the platform surpassed 400MM hours, and it recently had 1B users who viewed podcast content on YouTube in a month." Then, in March 2025, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced via public letter that YouTube was preparing "more tools to support podcasters, improve monetization for creators, and make it easier to discover podcasts." Specifically, Semafor reports that YouTube is working on dynamically inserting host-read video ads so that viewers can watch an old video but see ads that apply currently (just like with programmatic audio ads ). That’s a golden opportunity for brands to slide in and showcase their look, sound, feel, and deals. So, what’s the most efficient way to advertise there? Frequently asked questions about YouTube podcast advertising: Can you advertise on specific YouTube channels? With   Google Ads , you can indicate which audiences, keywords, and yes, even specific channels or videos you’d like to target in your display campaigns. You can also exclude specific channels or videos that might not be safe for your brand. How much does it cost to advertise on podcasts?   According to Acast , “the average CPM (cost per 1000 listens) of podcast ads is between $15 to $30 for pre-recorded ads up to 60 seconds. Host-read sponsorships can cost between $25 to $40 CPM. Ultimately, podcast advertising rates vary based on the type of ad, audience size, targeting criteria, and other factors.” What are the different types of podcast ads? Baked-in ads. These pre-recorded audio clips are “baked” into the audio file, so everyone hears the same ad.  Dynamic ad insertion (DAI): This strategy uses advertising platforms’ audience data sets to tailor and target your ad more specifically, which can lead to better conversions.  Host-read ads: Unlike pre-recorded audio ads, host-read ads (also known as live-reads) are messages delivered straight from the mouth of a person your audience trusts. They’re like getting a recommendation from a friend or family member! They’re the least disruptive, most naturally integrated form of podcast advertising.  Branded audio content: Some brands work with podcasts (or the media publishers who own them) to produce fully branded audio experiences that both provide information or entertainment to the listener and get the brand’s message across.  A good recent example was Virgin Atlantic’s three-part branded series with Pivot , a business and tech podcast hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, owned by the Vox Media Podcast Network. The hosts discussed the future of travel and electric vehicles, interviewed transportation experts, and subtly slipped in Virgin Atlantic’s offerings. These kinds of integrations can be a big lift, but they’re highly engaging and effective when done well.  Is podcast advertising worth it?  If you’re looking for brand trust and loyalty, look no further. People tune into their favorite podcasts every week because they trust and admire the host; they enjoy and learn from the content; and they’re likely to remember and consider their product recommendations.  Ad Results Media  has the receipts: “​​Podcast advertising is highly effective for building brand awareness and promoting overall brand lift...driving an average of 28% improvement in baseline awareness across industries and 24% improved brand recall.” Click here to learn about programmatically buying audio ads So, now let’s talk about best practices. How can you make the most of your advertising budget while reaping all the benefits this hot-button channel has to offer?  4 Tips for buying YouTube podcast ads: Don't just talk; listen Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they like the platform for the comments, community, entertainment, and recommendations . These features offer additional ways to engage with potential consumers and build community around your brand.  Consider the device Spotify and Apple Podcasts listeners predominantly listen on their phones, while 38% of YouTube podcast ads are viewed on laptops or TVs. Adjust your creative assets and messaging accordingly.  Invest in host-read ads While they can be more expensive than pre-recorded ads, host-read ads offer a level of intimate trust, engagement, and recall that can significantly increase brand awareness, perception, and purchase intent.  According to Audacy’s 2024 Podcast Playbook : 46% of listeners say host-read ads are “not intrusive at all”, and 80% stay tuned for the entire ad rather than skipping it.  Run the data YouTube offers podcasters and advertisers robust data analytics  to measure and optimize campaign performance. Metrics include CPM, RPM (revenue per mille), ad impressions, and estimated monetized playbacks, or the number of times a video was watched with ads.  As always, audio and video channels should be considered in the context of diversified, full-funnel media planning . Never put all your eggs in one basket! But if you want to reach consumers in a relaxed, trustworthy, and informative environment, their favorite video podcast is a great place to start. And the right full-service media agency can help get you there. For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly  Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

The 4-Step SAP framework developed by Exverus transforms reactive marketing to proactive advantages Exverus by Brainlabs developed this 4-step framework for situation adaptive planning (SAP) in marketing and media strategy What is SAP (situation adaptive planning)?  The constantly shapeshifting nature of the media planning business demands that we have proactive, strategic contingency plans on hand for unpredictable situations that may arise. Even with well thought-out, insight-driven media plans in place, things change from month to month – platforms rise or disappear, trends swerve, and consumer behavior reacts to economic fluctuations. Agility is crucial! So, the media planners at Exverus have developed a framework for SAP, or situation adaptive planning . 4-step framework of situation adaptive planning: 1. Media playbook : Initial direction on how we adjust or pivot media strategies and tactics for unexpected challenges or opportunities. Informed by:  Past media learnings Industry best practices Keen media mix modeling (MMM) tools 2. Collaborative monitoring   sales declines emerging media competitive spend spikes or strategy shifts key retailer distribution changes, etc. 3. A tailored approach When a situation is identified, we tailor the media playbook guidelines to align with a specific goal, key performance indicator (KPI) , and parameters.  4. Optimization & Learnings. Implement real-time media spend optimizations (usually re-allocating budgets between channels) and gather learnings or implications to inform future situations. Take a look at the example of an adaptive flowchart below: Proactively adopting this adaptive media planning flowchart can inoculate marketing teams against unexpected threats. The key characteristics of SAP are proactive and collaborative .  Proactive media planning What's the difference between marketing optimization and situation adaptive planning? Proactivity. We’re thinking ahead to anticipate potential detours from the original plan before they happen and building if/then scenarios for easy course-correction later. It’s not necessary to imagine every possible thing that could change along the way – the idea is to be flexible enough to handle the unexpected.  A nimble team really comes in handy here. When folks from multiple aspects of a media plan (or any project) can work together easily and fluidly, they can re-steer the ship much more easily than if they were walled off in bureaucratic siloes.  Collaborative scenario prep "The biggest challenge in SAP is effective collaboration between all involved parties: intel from the brand client, planning from the media perspective, and cooperation from creative agencies, PR departments, or other external teams." - Melissa Andraos , Exverus SVP of Strategy Proper SAP requires that brand the provide the media team with adequate intel, like: Sales patterns & projections Supply chain issues, actual or potential Distribution changes Known fluctuations around seasonality Scenario preparation gets easier over time, as historical data is collected and patterns are analyzed, making SAP more timely and effective. Examples of adaptive marketing plans Nike exemplified situation adaptive planning by pivoting to digital sales during the COVID pandemic. Nike pivots around pandemic Nike responded to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging its digital resources to connect athletes with customers, strengthening its digital ecosystem and boosting online sales. Additionally, Nike launched active maternity wear in 2020 to cater to a unique clientele, showing how they identified and responded to emerging market opportunities during the pandemic period. As a result, Nike's digital sales grew 75% during Q4 of 2020 , with the company utilizing mobile apps such as the NTC app, Run Club app, and its retail app. For the fiscal year 2020, Nike’s digital sales increased by 47% to $5.5 billion from $3.8 billion in fiscal year 2019. ( Source: ICRM India ) This demonstrates excellent situation adaptive planning because Nike: Recognized the situational change  - The pandemic created a shift from physical retail to digital channels Rapidly adapted their marketing approach  - They pivoted from traditional retail partnerships to direct-to-consumer digital strategies Leveraged existing digital assets  - They maximized their existing app ecosystem rather than creating entirely new solutions Measured and responded to results  - The 75% growth in digital sales validated their adaptive approach.  Kargo curbs creative fatigue Our friends at KARGO used situation adaptive planning to avert a mid-campaign crisis. "In one campaign, we noticed performance decline from creative fatigue and recommended a refresh--pivoting from the original plan to run an A/B test," says Kargo account executive Kyle Miranda. "While the adjustment required additional operational effort due to complex targeting breakouts, the creative update ultimately boosted performance. By adapting our strategy to the situation, we achieved a stronger overall outcome." At Exverus, we believe the best defense is a good offense. We developed SAP because we got tired of watching great brands scramble when platforms shifted or consumer behavior changed overnight. Nike's 75% digital sales growth during COVID wasn't luck—it was smart, adaptive planning in action. SAP gives you that offense by turning industry chaos into your competitive edge. The brands that thrive tomorrow are the ones planning ahead today. For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.