We made Premier Protein the top-selling item on Prime Big Deals Day twice - but how could we hold onto our top spot in 2025? The Challenge Premier Protein (PP) had been a category leader in the past, but in 2025, our market position was in real danger. The protein craze in America brought a stampede of challengers nipping at our heels; marketing budgets were being slashed across the board, and brand loyalty was at an all-time low among Millennial and Gen Z consumers. The old playbook wouldn’t work anymore - we needed to think of something truly innovative if we were going to win without increasing budgets. From July-September 2025, we were challenged with staving off the competition, driving immediate sales, and refreshing the PP brand’s image with a new logo and seven new product launches. Instead of replicating old tactics, we tested new ones. Our media plan had three main objectives across the funnel, each with distinct KPIs: Build Equity: Lift overall brand awareness among target audience +7pts or more Test Social Reach innovation, aiming for 10% more efficient video views than concurrent Meta campaign Increase July’s Prime Day sales by at least 20% YoY We targeted everyday health enthusiasts and fitness-seekers, plus GLP-1 users in need of daily protein. The Social Reach Solution Paid Social had always been a strong mid-funnel performer for PP, but in a year when TikTok’s future in the US hung in the balance, and global social media use plateaued, we couldn’t rely on social platforms’ off-the-shelf tools – we invented new ones. Exverus VP of Planning & Strategy Tasha Day oversaw the campaign build, and VP of Performance Marketing Hillary Bram pioneered an adtech collaboration: We partnered with video ad-tech provider SeenThis to develop a first-to-market ad unit called Social Reach, which takes a brand’s existing vertical video assets and spreads them across SSP PubMatic’s premium open web Display slots. This would deliver our top-performing social videos beyond the walled gardens with lightning-fast speed, using adaptive streaming technology. If it worked, it could exponentially increase our reach at no additional creative cost. Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest would run as part of a larger, omnichannel plan that included CTV, Audio, Search, and Retail Media. Results When it came time for quarterly reports, the halo effect created by our social-centered strategy blew us away. Exverus VP of Performance Marketing Hillary Bram initiated the partnership with SeenThis to develop Social Reach at no additional production cost. Our Social Reach test achieved 3.3MM more completed video views than the Meta Ads running during the same period, at half the cost of Meta’s benchmark ($0.03 per click vs. $0.06) - in other words, Social Reach outperformed Meta by 50% efficiency! At the bottom of the funnel, July’s Prime Day campaign delivered exceptional results, achieving a remarkable +31% increase in daily sales average compared to 2024 and an impressive 4.85x return on incremental investment. These outstanding results underscore the power of coordinated paid media strategies during high-stakes retail events. And yes, Numerator confirmed Premier Protein shakes were the #1 selling product on Prime Day for a third straight year! For more media tips, campaign case studies, and industry analyses; subscribe to our free Paid Media Insights newsletter here.

Exverus by Brainlabs launched a sprawling, upper-funnel media play in just three weeks Exverus by Brainlabs is spreading Club Pilates' message of inclusivity and belonging with a broad-reach brand awareness campaign. OCTOBER 7, 2025 (LOS ANGELES, CA) -- Club Pilates, the largest network of Pilates studios globally, launched its first national brand campaign from independent creative agency Zambezi and media agency Exverus by Brainlabs. "Pilates for Every Body" is running paid media across Broadcast, CTV, Social, Search, Audio and Out-of-Home; as featured in LBB Online. Club Pilates is an exciting account win for Exverus by Brainlabs, adding to its robust roster of CPG / health and wellness brands like Premier Protein & Dymatize, Theralogix supplements, and Habit Burger & Grill. The "Pilates for Every Body" campaign balances two goals: reassert Club Pilates' leading spot in the market by utilizing wide-reaching media to build brand salience, and re-engage consumers in the consideration stage with personalized, addressable media at scale. "Our communications framework is built around the message that people of all types can incorporate pilates into their fitness routine for physical and mental health," says Exverus Media Director Vanessa Pinzon. "We're scaling that message while making individuals feel seen and spoken to directly." As Pilates becomes more popular, it's being swept into a fast-paced, filtered fitness culture—one that celebrates aesthetics over authenticity. But as the century-old practice takes off into the pop-culture stratosphere alongside a prevailing image of the ideal body, Club Pilates and Zambezi reinforce the true power of Pilates, a practice built on strength, healing and accessibility. The “Every Body Club Pilates” campaign sends a pointed message that Pilates is intended for everybody, no matter their age, body type, or activity level. “Since 2007, we’ve opened our doors to all bodies, all ages, and all abilities—whether you’re just starting out in Pilates, new to movement or simply seeking strength,” said Amanda Croce, Chief Marketing Officer at Club Pilates. “We believe the practice isn’t about looking a certain way—it’s about feeling better, moving better, and belonging.” The campaign debuts today during The View where it will continue to run through the end of the year, in addition to Good Morning America, GMA3, and General Hospital. About Exverus by Brainlabs Founded in 2014, Exverus by Brainlabs is a global, independent media agency building growth-stage brands through full-funnel media planning, traditional and programmatic advertising, retail media & e-commerce, paid search, paid social, and analytics. Our data-driven media plans combine precise market research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus by Brainlabs is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust. Learn more at exverus.com. About Club Pilates Founded in 2007, Club Pilates is the largest Pilates brand by number of studios, designed with the vision of making Pilates more accessible, approachable and welcoming to everyone. Based in Irvine, CA, Club Pilates has appeared in both Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 and Fastest-Growing Franchises nine years running, Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 lists multiple times, and was honored with Forbes’ Best Customer Service Award. Club Pilates offers extensive training certification for its instructors, including its 500-hour training program. Club Pilates is headquartered in Irvine, CA and part of the Xponential Fitness family of brands, a leading curator of boutique health and wellness brands. To learn more about Club Pilates, visit https://www.clubpilates.com. For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

We don't do this work for the trophies. But when an industry as demanding as media planning stops to say this campaign was something special, we're not going to pretend it doesn't mean something. So, we're proud to share that Exverus by Brainlabs has been named a winner of the 2026 MediaPost Planning & Buying Award in the Pharma/Health/Wellness Thercategory for our "Wellness Women Can Trust" campaign on behalf of client Theralogix. The award was presented at the annual MediaPost Planning & Buying Awards ceremony on April 15, 2026, at The University Club in New York City. The Brief: Do More With Less Theralogix has been developing rigorously tested, affordable nutritional supplements — focused on fertility, uterine health, and menstrual regularity — since 2002. The brand deserves to be found. The challenge in Q2 2025 was that women searching for health information online were drowning in conflicting, often misleading advice. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, women's health remains severely underresearched, and declining public trust in institutions since the COVID pandemic has made it harder than ever for science-backed brands to cut through the noise. Our mandate was aggressive: improve Social ROAS by a minimum of 50% quarter-over-quarter, launch Google Performance Max at a $3 ROAS, and grow overall brand sales at least 10% year-over-year. The twist? We had 18% less media budget than Q1 to do it. Congratulations to Media Director Georgia Schreiner (2023 AdAge Media Planner of the Year), Senior Media Planner Jillian Telman, and every specialist across search, social, programmatic, analytics, and ad ops who made "Wellness Women Can Trust" a campaign worthy of that name. The Strategy: Full-Funnel, High-Precision This is exactly the kind of brief that makes our team lean in. Rather than chasing reach with a scatter-shot approach, we built a precision media plan anchored in audience intelligence — reaching the right women with the right message at the right moment in their health journey. According to EMARKETER, search behavior is being fundamentally redefined by generational shifts. Social platforms today aren't just discovery channels; they're search engines and points-of-sale simultaneously. We built a media plan that treated them that way, diversifying across social commerce, search, programmatic, and emerging channels to maintain a balance between brand building and performance without sacrificing either. Learn more about how to reach digital-savvy consumers everywhere they search and shorten the path to purchase. The Results: Unprecedented Performance In three months, the numbers didn't just hit targets. They redefined them: Meta ROAS more than doubled quarter-over-quarter ($4.66 → $9.77) TikTok Search ROAS surged 293% Google PMAX generated $107K from 1,217 new customers at a 4.3 ROAS, clearing the $3 objective Web traffic grew 20% while cost-per-view dropped 3.55%, despite the smaller budget Overall purchases rose 18%, ROAS lifted 21%, and annual sales grew 19.5% YoY — nearly double the goal The bottom line: In one quarter, with less money, Exverus delivered 19.5% year-over-year sales growth for Theralogix — nearly double the target — by building a diversified, full-funnel media plan that met women where they actually search, discover, and buy. What this means for our clients This win (our latest in a long line that includes 8 Adweek Media Plan of the Year awards, 3 Ad Age Small Agency of the Year honors, and 3 Cannes Lions finalist recognitions) reflects the talent of the entire team who brought this campaign to life. For our clients, it's a signal of something more important than hardware: it means the thinking, tools, and team we bring to every engagement are being measured against the best in the industry — and coming out on top. Most importantly, we helped real women find a supplement brand that actually delivers on its promises. That's the work that matters. Exverus Senior Manager of PR & Communications Michelle Andrade accepted the award onsite on behalf of the media planning & buying teams. Frequently Asked Questions What is media planning? Media planning is the strategic process of determining where, when, how, and to whom a brand's advertising should appear across paid channels — from paid social and programmatic display to search, native, streaming, and beyond. Done well, it's not a logistics exercise. It's a creative act: one that requires deep audience insight, disciplined data analysis, and the ability to connect the right message to the right person at the right moment in their decision journey. Learn how growth-stage brands can outsmart the sleeping giants with smaller budgets but bigger ideas. What is the MediaPost Planning & Buying Award? The MediaPost Planning & Buying Awards are an annual competition recognizing excellence in media strategy, planning, and buying across categories including social media, performance media, native marketing, and health/wellness. The awards are based on the belief that the process of planning and buying media is as creative and impactful as traditional advertising creative development. Exverus by Brainlabs won the Pharma/Health/Wellness category at the 2026 Awards for the "Wellness Women Can Trust" campaign, created for nutritional supplement brand Theralogix. What results did the Theralogix campaign achieve? In Q2 2025, the campaign delivered: Meta ROAS that more than doubled quarter-over-quarter, a 293% surge in TikTok Search ROAS, 18% growth in purchases, a 21% ROAS lift, and 19.5% year-over-year sales growth — on 18% less media budget than the prior quarter. What is Exverus by Brainlabs? Exverus by Brainlabs is a Los Angeles-based, full-funnel media planning and buying agency. Founded in 2014, Exverus was acquired by global digital agency Brainlabs in 2025. The agency manages over $100M in annual media spend and has earned recognition as a three-time Ad Age Small Agency of the Year (Media), an eight-time Adweek Media Plan of the Year winner, and a three-time Cannes Lions finalist. Ready to talk about what precision media planning can do for your brand? Let's connect.

How our Megabrand ad campaign helped Voodoo Ranger outpace the craft beer field The Challenge: Competition brewing New Belgium Brewing's wild child, Voodoo Ranger, was facing a storm of competition from challenger brands crowding the craft beer category. The brand needed more than another standard media buy to defend Voodoo Ranger's spot at the top of the charts. They needed a full 360 campaign built to match the brand's edgy, adventurous identity at scale, across every channel where their audience actually spent time. The Strategy: An ad campaign on every screen New Belgium brought us in to bring that identity to life across a fully digital, 360 media campaign. Working with Voodoo Ranger's visually striking, edgy creative assets, designed by creative agency Fact & Fiction, we programmatically bought a carefully chosen mix of premium CTV, Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube, and other inventory as part of New Belgium's larger marketing effort. The Results: Mega beer sales! The Megabrand campaign surpassed all of New Belgium's goals for the year. Cross-channel ad awareness rose 44%, brand favorability rose 23%, and business sales grew 26% year-over-year, with the product line surpassing its full-year sales targets. Our work was recognized industry-wide. It won Best Alcoholic Beverage Marketing Campaign at the 2024 MediaPost OMMA Awards, and Adweek Media Plan of the Year for Best Use of Programmatic Media. Live Rangerously! About the Director As Associate Media Director at Exverus, Shelby’s media planning team (currently serving New Belgium & Bell's Brewing and Right Guard) combine fresh, creative ideas with sharp, precise data for industry-leading results. Shelby's work ethic and expertise have earned Adweek Media Plan of the Year, MediaPost OMMAs, & The Drum Awards. She previously ran media strategy for McDonald’s, Corona & Corona Hard Seltzer, plus entertainment properties across multicultural audiences. For more media buying news and tips, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

Exverus earned Gold at the 2025 Festival of Media North America Awards for "The Chosen: Indie Streams to Big Screens" The Challenge: It’s red carpet season in Hollywood, and all eyes are on the stars of Hollywood Boulevard premiering their new blockbusters. But could the next box office hit be an indie TV show…set 2,000 years ago? We proved it could! Led by Exverus VP of Media Planning & Strategy Tasha Day and Media Director Anna Elema, the planning and performance marketing teams behind the campaign engineered an entirely new model for the entertainment industry: Instead of movies starting in theaters then going home to streaming, we took an existing TV series and expanded it to movie screens. It was an unusual strategy; we didn’t have a dollar to waste. We had to build major anticipation to make Season 5’s theatrical debut successful! "It's exciting to be part of this unconventional way of bringing entertainment and content to people. I do think it very much could be the way of the future. It's shifting from traditional studios to making it about what the fans want, and they're showing (or they're proving) that they want it by investing in it." --Tasha Day, VP of Media Planning, Exverus by Brainlabs The Strategy: Infiltrate mainstream culture Our media strategy leveraged the show’s biggest strength: community. Community-building has been core to The Chosen’s business model from day one. Unlike traditional big-studio funding, they relied on a patchwork of individual contributions, nonprofits, licensing fees, and merch sales to keep the lights on. We knew video-driven media, featuring heart-stopping visuals everywhere fans gathered online, would be huge. But viewing platforms are fragmented, so measurement would be a challenge; and engaging with social media or an app does not equate to going out to the movies. We needed to bridge the gap. A job like this required a few influential people to rally the masses: Enter famed Vogue photographer Annie Leibovitz, who shot gorgeous portraits of the cast on set. With the help of NPRP Media, we took over Times Square & digital billboards around the world To maximize Leibovitz’s work in public, we planned our biggest digital out-of-home (DOOH) media activation ever: a Times Square takeover followed by multilingual billboards across the globe: Los Angeles, Rome, Madrid, Sao Paolo and more. Digital audio would be another exciting avenue for storytelling and calls-to-action; while interactive digital media builds would cultivate community and drive traffic. For fun and measurability, we designed immersive, shareable Snapchat lenses to make Gen Z fans get hands-on. The Results: A record-breaking year We catapulted awareness and fandom larger than we thought possible! And set a personal box office record in the process… Non-viewer awareness of the show increased 44%, to a whopping 72% in Season 5! DISQO brand lift studies showed an aided awareness level 4.6x Entertainment category norms. After the Times Square takeover, financial contributions to the show spiked significantly Variety, Yahoo!, IMDb, The Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon, The View, and other top-tier outlets featured the iconic strategy. And most importantly, "The Chosen: Last Supper" sold 6.1MM tickets, grossing $50MM in theaters to set a new record and putting the franchise at over $140MM in global lifetime revenue! Our omnichannel media plan reached beyond core audiences while expanding The Chosen as genre-breaking entertainment. We were even awarded Gold for Best Campaign by an Indie Agency at the 2025 Festival of Media: North America Awards! Watch the official campaign case video below: About the Indie Agency Award Festival of Media: North American Awards (FOMNA) was launched in 2017 and has significantly grown every year since. It recognizes, benchmarks and amplifies the best of the best media work from North America and Canada. The jury, featuring industry leaders from Google, The Coca-Cola Company, Meta, PepsiCo, Amazon, Microsoft, Mars, L’Oréal, and Audible, convened for the final round of judging to determine this year’s winners. The awards were announced live on Thursday, December 11th, 2025 in New York. See the full list of winners here. About the Director Anna Elema is a Media Planning Director at Exverus and CampaignUS' 2026 Media Planner/Buyer of the Year honoree. Currently overseeing full-funnel advertising strategy for smash TV hit 'The Chosen', Anna's 11 years growing Fortune 500 brands like MasterClass and Stella & Chewy's have earned Adweek Media Plans of the Year, MediaPost Planning & Buying Awards, and MediaPost OMMAs. She earned her degree in Psychology from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Wonder what we can do for your brand this year? Drop us a line below, and let's talk!

AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude will soon collapse the customer journey into a single conversation, and brands need a full-funnel media strategy to own them. Key Takeaways: Declining click-through rates don't mean your marketing is failing — they may mean it's working. As AI Overviews and LLM answers absorb more of the discovery process, brands should track "share of model" (how often they're cited and mentioned inside AI-generated answers) alongside traditional share-of-voice metrics, rather than relying on website clicks as the primary success signal. Agentic commerce has moved from concept to measurable reality. GenAI-driven traffic to Amazon rose 3,000% during Prime Day 2026, and roughly 8% of consumers are already completing purchases directly within AI platforms like ChatGPT — early adoption numbers that are expected to climb as retailers deepen partnerships with AI providers. Brand building and performance marketing are no longer sequential — they have to run at the same time. When an LLM answers a product question, it's weighing brand mentions, website authority, customer reviews, and product data simultaneously, not moving a consumer through separate awareness and conversion stages. Full-funnel media strategy is now table stakes, not a long-term investment to "graduate" into. Consistency across search, product data, and retail listings determines whether AI models cite your brand at all. Because LLMs pull from multiple signals at once to generate a single answer, brands need aligned, specific, and accurate information across search content and retail product detail pages (PDPs) to be surfaced and recommended in AI-driven shopping conversations. Learn tested and proven methods of outsmarting the competition with agility, brand positioning, and creativity. On a hot, Arizona day in March 2026, Exverus VP of Performance Marketing Hillary Kupferberg (now Bram) took the stage to tell a roomful of marketers and media buyers: You're behind. She was talking about the dawn of AI shopping, or agentic commerce, a process in which consumers turn to AI chatbots like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity for product recommendations, and an AI shopping agent fills their basket. It's the future (no, the present reality) of e-commerce, and brand marketers need to adapt their marketing strategies quickly. When the whole product discovery-to-purchase pathway is collapsed into a single chatbot conversation, traditional advertising tactics like Paid Search driving clicks to a website become irrelevant. Let Hillary explain: Zero-click Search Marketing We're entering a world where better marketing produces worse-looking Search metrics. One of our CPG brands saw a 30% decline clicks to site but were actually winning and gaining share in AI overviews. Brands relying on website clicks today to measure their success are actually falling behind, and your marketing is looking worse. So, we need to measure differently. We all know the old terms of share of voice, but what we're quickly finding is that in order to win today, you actually need to be looking at share of model. Is your brand or your product being cited and mentioned in these LLMS? The reason this matters is, if we evaluate all these new forms of technology under our own old models, we're going to lose. Now we're marketing to AI and consumers. So we really are thinking about this differently today, rewriting success. And when we look at all the new new traffic sources, where are leads coming from? Is it ChatGPT? Is it Copilot? Is it Gemini? These things matter. Reddit is a huge source that's really powerful. For one of our brands, we were able to identify that Reddit is the third most visible domain on Google, and that's pulling into all of the AI Overviews. Agentic commerce On Amazon Prime Day, we saw a 3,000% increase of GenAI traffic to Amazon. That's huge! And we really entered a tipping point that is quickly transforming the commerce world. The point of sale is now inside the conversation. Discovery is happening within all of these conversations. And if you think about the first prompt you ever gave AI, "I need a new pair of sneakers" is very different than how I talk to AI now and likely you do, as well. Really in-depth prompts about exactly what type of hiking shoe I need, that it needs to fit in my carry-on, I want them to be waterproof, only in blue. These are the types of information that customers are giving; they're having deep conversations with AI to find the right products. They're not visiting your website, but ultimately what we're seeing with retailers and commerce partners actively partnering with OpenAI is the future of retail and e-commerce. Conversational AI is a new purchase channel. As of very recently, we can start to buy ads there. But even without paid media, this is a really important tool for your brands to be thinking about because AI is predicting, recommending, and ultimately completing the transactions all within that chat. The retailers, as they continue to partner with OpenAI, will have really strong purchase data that isn't happening on your brand site. And we see that people are really leaned in. 63% of users are doing this for research and discovery, and 53% take it a step further and compare products and prices. So everything from your search to your retail PDPs need to be specifically consistent and translate to the AI so the AI models can mention and cite your brands and your products when relevant. A full-funnel media approach When we talk about building a brand, we're really talking about creating authentic relationships, repeat purchases, and brand enthusiasts. But LLMs have collapsed the timeline. In the old world, you'd invest in brand awareness for months, watch awareness metrics climb, then capitalize on that brand equity through performance channels like retail media and search. Brand and performance were sequential. Now, they're simultaneous. When a consumer asks ChatGPT or Claude, "What's the best protein powder for weight loss?" the LLM is pulling from: your brand mentions your website authority your customer reviews and the specificity of your product data, all at once. It's not deciding between brand awareness and conversion intent; it's weighing credibility signals and purchase readiness in a single answer. If you've only invested in performance metrics (ROAS, conversion rates), you're invisible to the LLM. If you've only built brand awareness, you won't show up in the purchase recommendation. You need both operating as one scientific brain. That's not a nice-to-have anymore; that's table stakes. Actionable Takeaways I encourage you to save this slide because these are tangible things you can bring back to your organization to introduce new ways of measuring success in this agentic commerce world. And just remember that if your organization is still measuring clicks, you're a little bit behind. But the good news is we're here to help. FAQs about AI shopping Q: I loved your insight about Reddit and how brands could get some leverage there. Jay Walker Smith [of MediaPost] wrote a piece recently that the number one source of expert information on the LLMs is Reddit. Number two is Wikipedia. Is that dumbing down the expertise, and is there going to be kind of backlash for brands who are using LLMs for, how should I say, less than perfect information? A: Definitely. It's it really is the wild west. I can't predict what will happen, but I think it's a "both/and situation" between what's happening on Reddit and Wikipedia (more of that user-generated [content]), plus what the brand is putting out. So you have to do both to in order to succeed. And so it does take a lot to be commerce-ready and visible and consistent across many different touch points where the formats are different. How people want to consume the information is different, but brands that are paying attention to both I think will be ahead. Q. The relationship between AI and search is undeniable in terms of the level of disruption there. I'm curious what you're seeing in the ripples with programmatic and display as well, because if that whole behavior and model shifts where people aren't searching online, and we're not retargeting them, and going through that traditional funnel, what are the recommendations, or where do you see programmatic moving with AI now? A. I think programmatic will take a lot of signals from what we're seeing and learning honestly with search as new releases are happening, in terms of product, and what the actual ad formats available will be, and it'll change over time. Again, I don't think it's replacing what we've seen. A lot of fears around volume of search decreasing didn't actually come to play; volume of search is actually up, but how people are consuming and ultimately getting the information is just resulting in less clicks. So, what we're expecting in the programmatic space is even more innovation in terms of ad formats and similar results in terms of expectations around click-based performance. Q. I'm excited now that you said we will soon be making a purchase within an AI platform, and I'm just curious, can you share anything about like a personal purchase that you found very smooth through an AI platform? A. Definitely. Walmart is doing it really well. [Adoption] is low right now. We're at about 8% of people are actually transacting within ChatGPT. I think there's still concerns around adoption and trust. So, giving ChatGPT your credit card is the default, but actually you're giving Walmart your credit card. Purchases that I've made are pretty boring, but mostly in the grocery category. For further reference Watch Hillary's presentation video: MediaPost Live on YouTube. "The New Path from Discovery to Digital Shelf." March 2026. For more on personalization in AI shopping: EMARKETER. "How AI has remade product pages, discovery, and personalization." March 2026. For different retailers' offerings: ADWEEK. "Walmart and Target Are Battling to Show Up in AI Shopping Tools. Here's How Their Strategies Compare." March 2026. About the Author Hillary Bram is the VP of Performance Marketing at Exverus by Brainlabs where she holistically oversees the agency's robust retail media and e-commerce team, programmatic advertising, paid search, and paid social teams. Over a decade-plus in advertising, Hillary's expertise has expanded to meet each new technological innovation, bridging gaps between channels for the strongest possible returns. Previously, Hillary served as Director of Digital Strategy for top luxury brands, winning industry awards and speaking at conferences like IAB.

It's not all backpacks and pencils; any CPG brand can get in on the spending frenzy. Creators, Coupons, Click-and-Mortar shopping drive back-to-school sales in a year of uncertainty It's almost time for the kids to head BTS (back to school)! *Hold for applause* Beyond being the "most wonderful time of the year" for parents, it presents an incredible opportunity for a midyear revenue bump for brands of all types, not just folders and notebooks. So, how do you build a campaign that converts? Let's answer some... FAQs about back to school media planning: When should we start running back-to-school campaigns? Should we target parents or kids? How should we allocate budget between media channels? How do we compete with Amazon's dominance in the BTS space? How do we track the impact of upper-funnel awareness on lower-funnel conversions? When should we launch back-to-school media campaigns? Start in early summer and keep going. The back-to-school season is a quick flash in the pan. Many consumers decide on purchases weeks before school actually starts, so don't wait too long to launch your campaigns. In 2026, the National Retail Federation reported that 32% of shoppers had started their back-to-school shopping by early June, up from 22% just two years ago! But don't cut it short, either! Different states start school in different months. And some families wait to get teacher supply lists or class schedules to buy supplies, so last-minute deals are a key component of the season. Stay active through September! Should we target parents or kids separately? Consider parents' challenges and concerns when sending their kids back to school. After all, kids aren't the only ones with new schedules in the fall! Parents and caregivers adjust their weekday routines, too, so your messaging should reflect this. New solutions to save time or energy will surely be appreciated! For food and beverage brands, parents need on-the-go convenience for rushed breakfasts, packable lunches, dinner between practices, and car snacks. Brands that offer prepared or pre-cooked meals, ingredients that speed up or simplify the feeding process can capitalize on parents' needs through their messaging. Over half of millennial parents say their kids influence their back-to-school purchases (relatable content right there). While much of your content should center on explaining to parents why your product should be their go-to, don't forget about co-viewing media opportunities like Connected TV and YouTube, so the kids know it, too. A mix of channels that speak to both parents and children will go a long way toward your success. A one-night event and a month-long tournament are fundamentally different math problems. Here's how to plan for each. How should we allocate budget between media platforms? This, of course, will depend greatly upon your unique audience, product, budget, and goals. But there are a few main ways to frame your media strategy: a. Product-focused approach Naturally, CPG brands will want to focus their marketing budgets on retail media networks like Amazon, Walmart, and Target with sponsored search marketing. Adding back-to-school-related keywords to your search mix can boost visibility and drive sales. For example, 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. b. Content-focused approach These days, shoppers predominantly discover brands on social media and learn about trends from social influencers. Deloitte’s back-to-school survey showed that 75% of Gen-Z parents and 46% of millennial parents plan to use social media in their shopping journey. JanSport backpacks’ “Always With You” campaign used absurdity and humor in its TikTok and YouTube ad spots to appeal to Gen Z shoppers. This strategy hooks viewers with entertainment and then talks about the product, as opposed to centering product features like the search strategies above. Social media platforms are now brand discovery hubs, and search engines are now mid-funnel. Learn how to meet savvy consumers everywhere they search. c. Blended approach Historically, most BTS shopping took place in brick-and-mortar stores. But now, click-and-mortar shopping is the preferred modus operandi. This could look a few different ways: Buy Online and Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) Click and Collect, or buying online and returning in-store (BORIS) Discovering brands in one digital channel and purchasing in another So, a linear model of your customer journey is really indefensible now. Learn some more updated ways to think about your ideal customer's path to purchase below: How do we compete with Amazon's dominance in the back-to-school space? Though everyone is trying to save money amid inflation, offering discounts alone won't set your brand apart. The strong sales reports coming out of this year's Prime Day indicate that people are willing to spend right now! What keeps you top-of-mind in a sea of sameness is your brand equity, and it must be nurtured year-round to show up when it counts. Click to learn how to build brand equity that lasts Emphasize a specific brand value that's important to your ideal buyers. For example, clothing brands could highlight their commitment to “sustainable fashion” or “eco-friendly” materials. A food brand could boast "allergy-free" or "nontoxic", something important for most children. Highlight something unique your competitors don't have. AI LLMs are the funnel now. Surely we couldn't get through an article about product marketing without mentioning AI or agentic commerce, could we? Real quick: what the retailers and commerce partners actively partnering with OpenAI are designing the future of retail and e-commerce. Conversational AI is a new purchase channel. And, as of very recently, we can start to buy ads there. Learn more below: AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude will soon collapse the customer journey into a single conversation, and brands need a full-funnel media strategy to own them. How do we track the impact of upper-funnel awareness on lower-funnel conversions? You can do this a few different ways, depending on your campaign objectives, budget, and KPIs: A. Utilize full-funnel attribution models Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA). MTA models give credit to all touchpoints in the customer journey, allowing you to understand how upper funnel activities contribute to conversions. Media Mix Modeling (MMM). MMM analyzes the overall impact of different marketing channels on sales, helping you understand the contribution of upper funnel efforts. We’ve got the breakdown on how to determine whether MMM or MTA is right for your media campaign analysis! B. Implement testing Geo-Testing. Run campaigns in specific geographic areas to isolate the impact of upper funnel activities on sales and conversions. A/B Testing. Test different ad creatives, targeting strategies, and other variables to optimize your upper funnel campaigns. Analyze Data from Multiple Sources. Integrate data from various platforms (Google Analytics, social media analytics, advertising platforms) to get a holistic view of your marketing performance. C. Zoom out to the lifetime customer relationship Long-Term Perspective. Recognize that upper funnel marketing often has a delayed impact on conversions, and avoid focusing solely on immediate results. Avoid the trap of short-termism! Build Relationships. Emphasize building brand loyalty and fostering long-term relationships with customers, not just focusing on individual sales. Dig deep into your particular audience’s content & consumption habits, and build a custom-tailored media plan that makes your brand stand out from the crowd (in a good way). For more media buying tips, campaigns, and agency news; subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter here.

Inside the paid media strategy behind a tentpole night in sports marketing FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2025 (LOS ANGELES) — Legendary Hall-of-Fame boxer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao historically emerges from retirement and returns to the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) ring Saturday, July 19, 2025 against challenger Mario Barrios, and media agency of record Exverus Media is behind the promotional campaign. But the boxing world has changed since Pacquiao’s retirement in 2021 — fans increasingly gather and share their excitement on TikTok and sports podcasts, while TV viewing is more fractured than ever. Exverus and PBC have been working together since early 2024 to bring exciting matches like Tank vs. Martin and Canelo vs. Berlanga to a new generation of fans everywhere they watch. Planning media for the Super Bowl is very different from the World Cup. Learn how to plan one-night bursts and monthlong tournaments alike. So, to expand brand awareness for PBC and sell pay-per-views on Prime Video, the Exverus team (led by Media Director Vanessa Pinzon and Senior Planner Anna Acuna) has been driving a video-first media mix that includes social media, YouTube, Spotify Video ads, and custom partnerships with TMZ and Overtime. "We had our work cut out for us on this fight,” says Pinzon. “Pacquiao is such a recognizable name; all we had to do was get the word out of his return, and we knew fans would come running to buy the event.” Meanwhile, shoppable CTV ads are running across live sporting events like the MLB and NBA Summer League, while Rich Media branded takeovers provided by Kargo are reaching multicultural audiences on sites like Barstool Sports, Univision, and Telemundo Deportes. Interactive TV ads collapse the path between entertainment and purchase. As Pacquiao said last month at a media workout in Los Angeles, "This fight is very important to me because it’s history. I believe I’d be the first Hall of Famer to win another world title, and I’d also break my own record as the oldest welterweight world champion.” The event is available for purchase on Prime Video and fans will have continued access to the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets and PPV.com. About Exverus by Brainlabs 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. Our data-driven media plans combine precise market research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust. Learn more at exverus.com. LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube About Premier Boxing Champions Launched in 2015, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) is a live boxing television series that features the greatest array of boxing talent in all weight divisions, with fighters representing over 22 countries including the United States and Mexico. From former Olympians to Unified World Champions, the series features consistent quality programming where the best fight the best in thrilling, high-stakes matchups. Dedicated to delivering the highest quality product in the sport, PBC has consistently dominated the Boxing world with championship fights and spectacular events and has established itself as a powerhouse in the world of combat sports. For more details, visit premierboxingchampions.com. Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

FAST, or free ad-supported streaming TV, is staking its claim in the streaming wars A growing number of Americans would rather see ads than pay for subscriptions. The SVOD (subscription video on demand), or streaming, wars are hotter than ever, between Paramount (trying to) merge with Warner Bros and Netflix getting into podcasting. But there's another, more quietly growing corner of the overall streaming sandbox. Ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) and Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels are emerging as compelling alternatives for both viewers and advertisers. While the FAST market is still nascent, recent data suggests a bright future ahead. What are the most popular free ad-supported streaming services? The days of FAST being a well-kept secret are long gone. According to Comcast, 6 out of 10 households with connected TVs are using FAST services like Tubi, Xumo, Pluto, The Roku Channel, or Freevee; signaling a dramatic rise in adoption. These networks include full-screen TV programming across entertainment genres, news, sports, and local channels that premium CTV streamers don't provide. In fact, research published by Performance Marketing World shows that almost 7 in 10 CTV users prefer FAST to premium options! Learn the pros & cons of Premium CTV vs. FAST, measurement that matters, and how CTV drives downstream sales growth. Why is FAST growing in popularity (besides that it's, well, FREE)? Simply put, the ease of use. All you need is internet and your laptop, phone or smart TV. No subscription required, and sometimes you don't even need to log in. Just flip it on and scroll through channels, like TV in the good ole days. If you haven't tried it for yourself, check out Tubi or Pluto TV and you'll find everything from live sports to classic episodes of The Price is Right. More importantly, these platforms are delivering on their promise – many viewers report positive viewing experiences on FAST channels and enjoy the content they offer. News programming leads the pack in popularity, but the content spectrum spans far beyond headlines. Crime TV series, movies, and various other genres have found their home on these platforms, creating a diverse content buffet that rivals traditional cable offerings. The linear nature of FAST channels, mimicking traditional TV's familiar flow, has proven to be a significant draw for viewers seeking a more structured viewing experience. This quick yet comprehensive guide to programmatic advertising will help you make smarter investments in CTV, Display, Video, DOOH, and more. Are FAST channels worth the buy for advertisers? For advertisers, FAST platforms represent a goldmine of opportunities. These services offer precision targeting capabilities that traditional television can't match, allowing brands to reach specific audience segments with unprecedented accuracy. The ability to connect with cable subscribers through a digital medium, combined with cost-effective advertising rates, makes FAST an increasingly attractive proposition for media buyers. Benefits of advertising on free ad-supported streamers: More efficient & higher impressions than other CTV platforms Additional touchpoints to reach your audience on incremental platforms More flexibility to find your audience, given fragmented viewership habits More access to premium content across smaller platforms However, the terrain isn't without its challenges. Transparency remains a persistent concern in the FAST channel market. Direct buyers currently enjoy privileged access to valuable data – such as Samsung's automatic content recognition (ACR) information – while programmatic buyers often face limited visibility into their advertising performance. What's the future of FAST media buying? The future of ad-supported streaming services points toward a fascinating convergence with traditional linear television. Industry leaders anticipate increased focus on personalization and enhanced user experiences, blending the best aspects of both worlds. Major players like Comcast Advertising and Xumo are already pioneering this evolution, developing sophisticated tools and services for advertisers looking to capitalize on the FAST phenomenon. These platforms are also investing more resources in advertiser education, helping brands understand and leverage the unique benefits of free, ad-supported television. As viewers embrace these free alternatives and advertisers discover their potential, FAST channels are positioning themselves as a vital component of future media plans. While social media platforms face increasing scrutiny and premium CTV channels command premium rates, FAST channels represent an exciting frontier for brands seeking to connect with audiences from the comfort of their couches. Curious about telling your brand's story on FAST or traditional streamers? Drop us a line! We love talking TV. For more ad buying news and tips, join our free, weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

Digital streaming may dominate music and podcasts, but AM/FM radio is still king for news and sports. Learn how to build it into a high-performing, full-funnel media plan. AM/FM Radio: We're all ears When we talk about audio advertising, we usually mean music and podcasts. Those two are mostly streamed digitally these days. But for news and sports, it's...still the radio? Yes, believe it or not, recent Edison Research shows that just under 70% of all daily time spent listening to news is happening on AM/FM Radio, with sports close behind at 61%. And Radio makes up 67% of all daily time spent with ad-supported audio in the US! Source: Nielsen Meanwhile, Nielsen projects AM/FM Radio overtaking linear TV in ratings among ages 18-49 by a margin of 47% in 2025. Finally, iHeartMedia reports that the #1 use of Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker is AM/FM Radio, with iHeart-owned stations being the most popular in the US! Are radio ads still effective? These audiences are worth investing ad dollars in -- if you want thoughtful, engaged consumers in your target group! In December 2024, Digiday relayed data from Lumen Research showing: "News consumers are 2.5 times more likely to pay attention to ads when consuming trusted news content than ads displayed across social media platforms. This heightened attention is directly linked to better recall and action." Placing your brand in the context of a journalistic outlet listeners trust to provide accurate, high-quality information creates a positive brand perception that lasts. Source: Westwood One Local radio advertising vs. Digital radio campaigns Local radio advertising appears on radio stations within a specific geographic area to reach geo-targeted audiences. Benefits include: Efficiency: Reach large audiences while avoiding waste. Trust and brand safety: Radio stations adhere to strict FCC content guidelines. Versatility: Audio spots communicate a variety of messages like sales, events, & brand storytelling Loyalty: Local stations often have loyal listeners who tune in regularly and engage. Read Here How to advertise on the radio Of course, audio is just one piece of your advertising strategy. Here are a few best practices for integrating Local Radio advertising into a full-funnel media plan: 1. Clear, consistent creative Radio spots are excellent sonic branding opportunities, but they're short. Focus on one simple, memorable message with a clear call-to-action (CTA). 2. The Multiplier Medium Radio gets its nickname by converting existing demand (increasing purchase consideration by 18%) while creating future demand (increasing awareness by 50% and lifting sentiment 32%). Mix radio with sales-driving channels like search or retail, and watch the magic of the multiplier effect. 3. Get local & personalize Conduct deep market research to understand the differences in media consumption habits and lifestyles for audience segments in different parts of the country. Then, create tailored campaigns for each of your designated market areas (AI can help!) to resonate with listeners efficiently and influentially. Local stations can also lend a grassroots approach to your media plan, offering added value in terms of local event sponsorships, ticket giveaways, onsite remote activations with local talent and more. 4. Tie radio performance to multiple business KPIs Reach is good, but website traffic is a much stronger metric (a vanity URL can more directly attribute radio ads to web traffic). Brand lift or awareness studies measure radio's impact on audience perceptions. And quarterly or yearly brand revenue growth can be attributed to radio by offering radio-specific promo codes or URLs. Read here How much do local radio ads cost? The pros at Ad Results Media report that, in 2025, a 60-second spot is sold by the cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM) or cost per rating point (CPP), averaging between $5 and $750. The final cost depends upon several factors, including: size of the target audience listener demographics time of day it runs ad length and more. A good media planning team will help you decide how much of your total advertising budget you should devote to radio for the highest possible return on investment (ROI). Read Here If you've been underinvesting in radio, don't worry: Your competitors probably are, too! Tell your brand's story across the airwaves, and reach millions of receptive listeners in enjoyable environments. For more advertising news and tips, join our free, weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

With third-party cookies on life support, it's imperative that brands target audiences based on the media they consume, not personal data. The media buyers at Exverus always consider context when targeting consumers. Why contextual advertising impacts ROI The ad industry has been studying the effects of context since 1958, but many marketers have shrugged it off like a task they'd get around to eventually. That era just ended. With third-party cookies on life support and privacy regulations tightening globally, contextual advertising isn't just timely - it's table stakes. But convincing your CFO requires answering one simple question: "Does contextual advertising deliver measurable ROI for brand campaigns?" The answer is yes, but not reasons you might expect. Unlike performance campaigns where you can draw a straight line from click to conversion, brand campaigns operate on a longer timeline and require more sophisticated measurement. Contextual advertising fits naturally into this framework because it influences brand perception at scale without relying on invasive tracking. Research from Integral Ad Science (IAS) shows that contextually aligned ads deliver a 23% increase in detailed ad recall and a 27% boost in recollection of broader brand narratives. Furthermore, research shows contextual ads are 50% more likely to be clicked on, and they deliver 30% higher conversion rates. Why? When ads appear in content consumers already care about, they inherit that positive attention. When ads align emotionally and cognitively with surrounding content, they feel helpful, rather than intrusive. Many brands know intuitively that reaching audiences in relevant content environments matters, but translating that intuition into budget justifications requires data - not just vanity metrics, but true impacts on the business. Here's how. Key metrics that demonstrate ROI Brand lift A properly structured brand lift study measures whether your contextual placements are actually moving the needle on awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. We've seen contextual campaigns deliver brand lift increases ranging from 5% to 25% depending on category, creative quality, and media mix. The key is using test-and-control methodology to isolate the impact of your contextual placements from other marketing activities. A scientific approach to measuring paid media's impact on actual business growth Viewability & Attention Because contextual ads appear in relevant content environments, users are already engaged with related topics—they're not being interrupted mid-scroll through unrelated content. Industry benchmarks show contextual placements often achieve 5-15 percentage points higher viewability rates than behavioral targeting, with some premium publishers seeing viewability rates above 80%. More importantly, attention metrics (measured through eye-tracking or engagement proxies) tend to be stronger when the ad aligns with the content context. Advertisers can now measure the quality of attention paid to their ads. But is it worth the investment? Cost-efficiency Contextual advertising typically delivers 10-30% lower CPMs than behavioral targeting, especially on premium publisher inventory. Why? Because you're not paying the "audience tax"—that premium charged for highly specific behavioral targeting segments. Lower CPMs mean your brand campaign budget stretches further, achieving more reach and frequency within the same investment. Cross-channel attribution Contextual advertising rarely operates in isolation, and its impact often shows up in downstream channels. We've tracked significant increases in branded search volume (15-40% lift is common) following contextual brand campaigns, along with measurable improvements in direct traffic and organic social engagement. Eliminating data silos and maximizing visibility into the customer journey is crucial to understanding how your omnichannel campaigns are performing. MMM can track the impact of upper-funnel, brand-building tactics on sales performance downstream. Examples of contextual targeting The Chosen meets viewers where they already watch For 2025's The Chosen: Indie Streams to Big Screens campaign, Media Director Anna Elema and her team gathered insights about their target audience using market research tools like MRI Simmons. Then, they determined the media mix based on channels the typical consumer of that profile already frequents, rather than relying on identifiable data from the consumers themselves. At the end of the campaign, the Analytics team partnered with DISQO for a cross-channel brand lift study to capture the impact of paid media across Search, Social, CTV, Audio, and others holistically. The study showed a +5.6% brand lift, or a staggering 4.6x the industry standard! This client was an indie production with a limited budget, so we couldn't waste a dollar appealing to irrelevant audiences. Contextual targeting helped us efficiently reach viewers in brand-safe environments they already trust and enjoy. Exverus VP Tasha Day explains the award-winning strategy that sold $5MM at the box office Premier Protein teases premium recipes in Pinterest One of Exverus' largest clients, Premier Protein, knows well the power of social media advertising and social commerce, but platforms like Instagram and TikTok are saturated - it's hard to stand out! Pinterest, by contrast, is more niche and specifically interest-based. Users visit Pinterest actively hoping to be inspired, learn new things, and discover new products. As part of an ongoing, integrated media strategy, the Premier Protein team at Exverus took over the Pinterest homepage and search page with dayparted recipe videos to catch coffee drinkers in the morning and fitness enthusiasts later in the day. The results? Reach that exceeded Pinterest's CPM standard by 14% and Engagement that outperformed benchmarks by 8%! Click to see more Premier Protein activations on Pinterest Seedtag explodes awareness & consideration for Colgate Click to see more of Seedtag's campaign case studies Switching gears now: An ad-tech vendor we work with, Seedtag, illustrates how contextual advertising maximized brand awareness and positive perception for Colgate Plax mouthwash. Seedtag deployed its custom Contextual Impact Display, Contextual Branded Video, and Contextual Engagement Display formats against online content related to wellness, lifestyle, sports, and health that Colgate users enjoy. The ad units felt informative, rather than disruptive. As a result, brand favorability spiked 44%, and purchase consideration lifted 12% among Colgate's target consumers. Seedtag's cookie-less solutions drove measurable impact on the brand's sustained growth. Brush up on the basics of programmatic advertising with real FAQs from marketers. Final Note Consider multidimensional alignment: Match not just the topic but the emotional tone, energy level, and cognitive environment of the content your ad runs against. A funny ad in a sitcom only works if humor connects authentically to your brand story. For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

Google's Gemini offers virtual try-on for clothes shoppers. The new brand discovery channel In 2026, product recommendations from Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Amazon's "Buy For Me" are no longer experimental—they're fully operational. And over the next few years, agentic commerce will evolve the whole shopping experience. The question isn't whether your customers will use AI agents to shop – it's whether your brand will be the one they recommend. What is agentic commerce? Agentic commerce, or agentic shopping, is shopping online powered by AI agents acting on humans' behalf. These AI agents could be embedded into generative AI platforms and/or retailers' own e-commerce sites, automatically recommending or purchasing products based on the human's needs and parameters. What is an example of agentic commerce? To borrow an example from McKinsey, "Imagine that a promising new job opportunity requires you to relocate your family across the country....You need to find a comfortable home with a manageable commute, decide what to bring and what to sell, and engage a trustworthy moving company to deliver everything on time. Then there’s the issue of finding new doctors, veterinarians for the pets, a gym, and after-school programs for the kids. It’s overwhelming. Now imagine that you had an autonomous AI agent to handle these tasks for you. With a deep understanding of your budget, lifestyle, commute preferences, kids’ hobbies, and even your pets’ needs, the agent can get to work. To research neighborhoods and housing options, it synthesizes data from multiple sites and platforms, scanning myriad real estate listings and recommending the most appealing choices. When you e-sign your lease, the agent reviews the terms to ensure anything atypical is highlighted and gets your attention." The possibilities are truly infinite. One day soon, AI agents could: automatically research and book travel schedule appointments help with supply chain logistics, and so much more! What should marketers know about agentic commerce? It completely reshapes the customer journey. Instead of starting a product search on Amazon and a flight search on Priceline, for example, consumers could use AI chatbots as the starting point for everything. This means that, instead of splitting your media spend between "brand-building" and "performance driving" channels, you'll need to build omnichannel ecosystems that an AI agent can easily understand. As of 2026, most retail media spending still occurs onsite (mostly on sponsored search and product listings). But that model breaks down when discovery shifts upstream to AI agents who filter and recommend brands without shoppers even needing to visit a retailer or website. The path to purchase will collapse into an instant, and so will data collection and learnings for brands. There is, however, a risk of losing visibility over the customer journey. As Forbes points out, "While orders may be attributed to ChatGPT, Gemini, or other LLMs, merchants are largely in the dark about everything that happened before the transaction." Winning at agentic commerce requires product data quality, structured content, and creative assets designed for AI comprehension, not just search rankings. How can brands get recommended by AI agents? Ensure your site is visible to each major GenAI tool For example, ChatGPT uses a web crawler called OAI-SearchBot to find, access, and surface information in ChatGPT search. For your site to be discoverable in ChatGPT, make sure you aren't blocking OAI-SearchBot. You may need to update your robots.txt file, to ensure OAI-SearchBot has access. For Anthropic's Claude, log into your claude.ai account. Access your profile settings. Look for the Web Search feature and toggle it on if it's currently disabled. Other GenAI tools like Perplexity and Google's Gemini may have their own processes for ensuring searchability. Become a trusted source of information Build your brand authority as a reputable source that AI chatbots will want to reference. This cannot be done by simply buying placements in AI answers. It has to be earned through positive publicity, good reviews/referrals, and producing informative content. More on how to do that below: Our parent agency, Brainlabs, is the domain expert on GEO and organic AI visibility. Feed your products directly to the bots ChatGPT launched brand plugins back in 2023 so the bot could relay accurate, up-to-date brand information directly to searchers asking questions. Now, you can provide product feeds directly to ChatGPT to potentially show up as a recommendation. OpenAI's submission periods open and close, so sign up here to be notified of the next opening. Audit your product data infrastructure When deciding which products to recommend, GenAI tools scan the structured metadata of product pages (product description, price, etc.) and third-party reviews for its summaries. This means your copy needs to be thorough, informative, and highlight key features that searchers might be looking for (budget-friendly, limited time only, sustainable, etc.) Are your SKUs tagged with deep attributes (price, size, ingredients, ESG scores)? Is your catalog synchronized in real-time across all retail partners? Also, as website content becomes more Q&A-style and less keyword-based, so should your product copy and media messaging. Anticipate likely questions and answer them naturally to get recognized by AI platforms. "Visual search is growing, especially among younger users, so don't neglect your image SEO. Keep your product photos fresh and appealing, with thoroughly descriptive image descriptions, captions, and alt text. These steps will help users discover your brand content." -- Michael Robbins, Exverus Associate Director of Search & Social The choice is simple: adapt your retail media strategy for an agent-first world, or watch your share of voice—and share of cart—get algorithmically optimized away. Need help? The retail media & e-commerce media buying experts at Exverus know how to keep brands top-of-mind and added to baskets everywhere. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here.