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.

Even for national or global brands, localizing the messaging and targeting can significantly increase revenue and media ROI. Photo Credit: Valeriia Miller When it comes to ad targeting, bigger isn’t always better.  Even for national or global brands, not every product or marketing campaign will be relevant to every consumer. Spending ad dollars to reach irrelevant consumers is a waste, so segmenting is non-negotiable! On a recent earnings call, Adidas  CEO Bjørn Gulden said, “We need to be a global brand with a local mindset. And I say local again and again and again – the world is developing in a way that you need to be successful locally. And, locally, it always starts with the consumer and the athlete.” And today, a wealth of technological developments are making it easy to get super-precise with your targeting and make the deepest impact for your brand. Why is local marketing important in 2026?  First, in years of economic uncertainty , media buyers need to be extra judicious in allocating every dollar for the maximum return. Focus your advertising budget into areas with the highest potential for conversion (either now or down the road).  Second, we’ve all heard it ad infinitum , but the media consumption landscape is fragmented . Everybody’s watching, listening to, and scrolling something different! Local marketing is a great way to broaden and retarget your audience, wherever they might be online. A recent Gallup poll  shows that Americans’ trust in the media is down  nationwide, thanks to misinformation and bias running rampant. People may be more trusting and responsive to messaging in their local news and communities than mass media outlets.  Source: Gallup 2024 Furthermore, SOCi’s Local Visibility Index 2024  reported that high-visibility brands  increase their revenue 2-3x the rate of the average company are more than twice as likely to be seen by consumers searching for local businesses online Collectively earn about $54.1B per year left behind by low-visibility brands Finally, EMARKETER  reports that 68% of US internet users say localized messaging from national brands makes the ads more relevant … …but only 26% of marketers consider strengthening hyperlocal advertising a top priority! That’s a big opportunity for your brand to swoop in and meet the neighbors.  Hyperlocal advertising significantly increases consumer curiosity, trust, and purchase intent. How do I optimize my Google Business Profile to show up when people search “[my product/service] near me?" Google  prioritizes three main factors when determining which businesses show up for "near me" searches: Relevance  is how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. This means your Google Business Profile category, business description, services, and attributes need to align closely with search intent. Distance  (or Proximity) is self-explanatory – the proximity of the business to the searcher is a key factor affecting the positioning of the listing in Google Maps. Google considers the user's location to show the nearest relevant businesses.  Prominence   relates to how well-known and reputable your business is, both online and offline. This includes your review quantity and quality, citations across the web, and overall online authority. Other factors may include customer reviews, multiple locations (businesses with more have an advantage), and recent activity with the listing.  Learn how to adjust your content and search engine marketing strategies for AI-powered brand discovery. How can AI help with hyperlocal advertising? AI has always been the engine of programmatic advertising , which enables precise targeting and measurement  for optimization.  But now, you can get really granular with the help of machine learning models that build AI audience personas   based on behavioral patterns and media consumption in a given zip code.  Generative AI technology helps with dynamic creative optimization (DCO)  by producing multiple variants of a creative visual  asset to test at scale. DCO tech  can recognize patterns between audience behaviors and times of the day or year, customer attributes, and creative aspects.  How can I market to a specific region offline? One of the best ways to reach regional audiences is to sponsor local events.  Professional, college, or even high school sports bring people together by the thousands; and the audiences are attentive, in a positive mindset, and loyal to their teams. Concerts and music festivals do the same. Leveraging this built-in passion and sense of community can really serve your brand.  Out-of-home (OOH)  or digital- out-of-home (DOOH) media  is another great way to expand awareness and spread your message at scale. Dynamic creative optimization comes in handy here, too – you can automatically switch your messaging depending on the time of day, weather, or foot traffic patterns. The creative possibilities are endless, and programmatic DOOH  media buying makes precise targeting and measurement a breeze.  “We've heard skepticism about whether OOH works, but we've made a real impact for clients when we've paired foot traffic measurement with our OOH campaigns. We geofence the OOH targeting, and we can see who has passed by and whether they come into stores. From there, we can track lifts or changes in foot traffic after a billboard goes up. We've seen increases as high as 37% for a single store!” - Georgia Schreiner, Exverus Media Director Experiential activations  like pop-ups, in-store appearances, and guerrilla stunts make a big impression, bring people together, and spur millions of organic social posts for scale. How do I determine which markets to run paid media campaigns in? When we run national campaigns like Equinix B2B  or The Chosen  theatrical premieres, we carefully choose the most important designated marketing areas (DMAs) based on factors like:   Audience fit , which suggests conversion potential Scale of media availability Proximity to selling stores/retailers Size of addressable target audience in each market DMAs have historically been defined by TV and radio advertising networks, but they’re important for efficiently running paid social , search , out-of-home (OOH), experiential, and other media channels, too!  It takes a team of expert media planners and analysts to compile a bird’s eye view of your hyperlocal advertising’s impact on overall brand-building and sales growth.  To ask questions or find out more about hyperlocal, national, or global media planning strategies, drop us a line below! For more ad buying news and tips, join our free, weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

What brands need to know about generative engine optimization (GEO) to drive sales rather than traffic Artificial Intelligence (AI) has wedged its way into our daily lives, revolutionizing how we work. From Gmail's suggested replies to HubSpot's AI Assistant, AI has simplified tasks such as responding to emails and planning our schedules. However, its impact on business marketing is more profound and is poised to reshape the digital landscape. What's next for AI-powered search marketing? Google keeps pace While generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity challenge Google's long-held search dominance, Google is keeping pace with a flurry of new developments like AI Overviews in search results, Multimodal AI, Gemini 3, Meridian, and PMAX, just to name a few. In fact, Exverus Associate Director of Paid Search Michael Robbins predicted to ADWEEK in 2025: "Google Gemini will even the field with ChatGPT in 2026. ChatGPT struggles to keep pace on quality and profitability because it doesn’t have the advertising infrastructure Google does." As a media buying agency, we're keeping a sharp eye Google and other AI platforms piloting ad offerings for our clients. Agentic commerce AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity and retailers like Amazon and Walmart began rolling out AI shopping assistants in 2025, helping online shoppers discover brands, recommend products, and compare prices. Brands, in turn, have begun plugging their product info and marketing activations directly into AI App SDKs to meet and convert consumers right where they search. We expect agentic discovery and shopping to quickly develop and transform e-commerce marketing in 2026 and beyond. Click to learn how your brand can get recommended to shoppers by AI chatbots & shopping assistants. Optimizing for conversion value, not just visibility or clicks Google processes 16.4 billion searches daily versus ChatGPT's 800 million queries—a volume gap that seems insurmountable. But here's what the market share charts don't show: AI search visitors demonstrate 4.4x higher conversion rates than traditional organic search visitors, according to a June 2025 SEMRush study. Since we can't buy AI search ads yet, brands must treat AI Overview citations as their competitive moat, shifting focus from traditional rankings and traffic to authority and brand visibility. FAQs about GEO What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? According to SEO.com, generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing your brand to be more visible in generative AI search engines. To appear in generative engines, you need to create good content, answer questions directly, and build your brand visibility. The emerging generative models of search engines prioritize speed and efficiency, resembling chatbots more than the conventional keyword-driven search model. To align with these changes, content must be easily digestible and provide direct answers to users' queries. Why are my click-through rates dropping? AI Overviews (AIOs) are fundamentally altering search result layouts. Recent research confirms a significant shift in search behavior: both organic and paid CTRs have reached historic lows, especially for queries featuring AIOs. AIOs contribute to "zero-click" searches, where users get answers directly in the search results, reducing website visits. While CTRs drop, search marketing remains critical for brand authority, trust, and engagement. Your content can still drive awareness and consideration for your business; it just needs to evolve away from optimizing for clicks and toward optimizing for sourcing in AI-generated answers. Plus, your brand website is already writing your ad copy: PMAX, Advantage+, and TikTok Smart Creative all scrape brand sites to generate ad copy. PMAX optimizes across Google's entire ecosystem, not just traditional search placements. Our clients see optimal results when deploying multiple campaigns with robust creative assets and comprehensive audience data. How do I optimize my content for GEO? Answer frequently asked questions (FAQs). Instead of writing around keywords, answer questions your audience is likely to ask about the topic in natural language (no fluffy corporate speak!) Structured data. Schema markup makes a website 6x more likely to appear in rich snippets and reduces the cost per acquisition (CPA) by an average of 23%! First-party data fuel. High-performing first-party data strategies begin with observed on-site behavior. Sites with strong event tracking see 2.8x higher conversion rates! Keep it up to date. Google scans your site every 24–48 hours to optimize ads. Outdated content means outdated targeting. Technical hygiene is non-negotiable. Web vitals, schema markup, load speed, mobile responsiveness—these now determine media performance. Test different ad formats to maintain visibility. While AI Overviews don’t allow direct ad placement, Google says other formats like PMAX and Shopping Ads can still be included in AIOs if they're aligned with the searcher's intent. Additionally, Google's Demand Gen campaigns deliver immersive, discovery-focused ads designed for upper-funnel objectives. Include case studies or examples. The word "examples" in a page title or header is a strong signifier to LLMs - and humans love them, too! Repurpose earned media coverage for your owned channels. Quotes or interviews in reputable publications, brand mentions, and positive reviews all contribute greatly to your AI Search ranking. (Thank your PR team!) While some tactics are universally beneficial, it's crucial to tailor them to the specific needs of each business. For instance, a clothing company might prioritize "Gen Z fashion tips" over technical jargon, while health snack food brands may focus on authoritative content and statistics instead of excessive keyword use. How do I measure AI visibility? Rather than click-throughs or site visits, AI visibility as a metric incorporates many different signals pointing to your company's authority level, expertise, and trustworthiness. Here are some of the emerging metrics of GEO success, as reported by WARC: Source: WARC "Future of Media 2026" While AI tools offer powerful awareness-building capabilities, success in using them still hinges on human direction and high-quality data inputs. Fortunately, we're all stocked up on both. For further reference: Brainlabs, "Rethinking marketing metrics in the age of AI Visibility." Profound, "AI Platform Citation Patterns: How ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity Source Information." For more ad buying news and tips, join our free weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

Reddit has evolved from a niche forum into a marketing powerhouse, reshaping how consumers make decisions & how AI answers their questions. When someone asks an AI chatbot for product recommendations or advice, there's a strong chance Reddit's community discussions are directly shaping that answer. Key Facts: Reddit is now among the most-cited domains by AI models , making it a ripe opportunity for brands to be visible in AI results. Users are more likely to trust recommendations and make purchases from Reddit forums than other social media platforms. Brands can get started with this 7-step Reddit marketing strategy: Audit your audience's Reddit behavior Start with a test budget Test Reddit's standard ad formats Experiment with high impact, custom ad formats Consider organic participation Understand Reddit's emerging Shopping ecosystem Measure beyond ROAS If you're still pouring all your ad dollars into Meta and Google while ignoring Reddit, you're missing one of the most compelling opportunities in digital advertising right now. The platform has quietly evolved from a niche community hub into a marketing powerhouse that's reshaping how consumers make decisions—and how AI answers their questions. 2025 Updates: Reddit dominates AI-generated answers Here's the headline that should grab every marketer's attention: Reddit claimed the number one spot as the most cited domain for AI across all models in Q2 2025, according to data from analytics platform Profound. It was cited twice as often as Wikipedia in the top ten most cited domains. While ChatGPT still relies most heavily on Wikipedia, both Google AI Overviews and Perplexity—the AI models consumers are increasingly turning to for answers—rely most on Reddit as a source. This isn't just an interesting data point. It's a fundamental shift in how information flows online. When someone asks an AI chatbot for product recommendations, travel advice, or buying guidance, there's a strong chance Reddit's community discussions are directly shaping that answer. More than 70 million people now use Reddit's on-platform search each week, and the platform is actively positioning itself as a go-to search engine. For brands, this creates a powerful multiplier effect. A well-placed, authentic contribution to a Reddit discussion doesn't just reach that subreddit's community—it potentially influences millions of AI-generated responses and search results for months or even years to come. Click to learn how we successfully built supplement brand Theralogix' trustworthy reputation and grew sales with Reddit marketing. Why diversifying beyond Meta and Google pays off The advertising landscape is more concentrated than most marketers realize, and that concentration represents a missed opportunity. Google and Meta capture 88% of mobile app ad spend despite shifting user attention, while independent apps have over 2 billion global daily active users—equal to Instagram and TikTok combined. The financial case for diversification is compelling. As EMARKETER reported in August 2025, consumer app marketers who diversify their media mix beyond Google and Meta see an average increase of 116% in Day 30 ROAS. Among categories with statistically significant data, shopping, education, and health and fitness marketers achieved the strongest results, with average Day 30 ROAS improvements reaching 214%. This isn't about abandoning Meta and Google—they remain essential channels. It's about recognizing that your audience's attention has distributed across platforms that your advertising budget hasn't yet followed. Learn social media advertising budget allocation: 60% Meta, 30% TikTok, 10% Reddit. Click for expert tips, metrics, attribution models & real case studies. Why Reddit works: Trust, authenticity, & influence Reddit succeeds as a marketing channel because it operates fundamentally differently from other social platforms. According to Reddit's own research, the platform delivers three critical advantages: Trustworthy 7 in 10 Reddit users agree that Reddit is a trustworthy platform to inform product and brand decisions—outperforming Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Pinterest, Discord, Snapchat, and YouTube. Authentic 69% of users agree that Reddit conversations offer authentic experiences that make it easier to compare products. Influential Reddit users are more likely to buy a product or brand if conversations on Reddit recommend it. The platform's structure around niche subreddits means you're not just targeting broad demographics—you're reaching people who are actively engaged with topics directly related to your product or service. Someone browsing r/fitness or r/personalfinance isn't passively scrolling; they're deeply invested in that interest and actively seeking recommendations. Reddit's long game: Why it matters now Reddit stands out as an under-monetized digital media channel—it earns below-average ad revenues per hour of time spent compared to other major social networks, trailing both Snapchat and X in monetizing its user activity. For advertisers, this under-monetization is actually good news. It means less competition for ad placements, lower costs per impression, and opportunities to establish brand presence before the platform becomes saturated. Reddit is building new advertising tools including product ads, shopping ecosystems, freeform ads, and AMA (Ask Me Anything) units. While Meta and TikTok are established and crowded, Reddit being in build mode means first-mover advantage for advertisers willing to invest now. The platform is also playing the long game on user attention. Reddit is the social platform where consumers are projected to maintain the most "time spent" year over year. Unlike scroll-heavy platforms where users mindlessly consume content, Reddit users are leaned-in, actively seeking information, and often closer to a purchase decision. A simple Reddit marketing strategy that works Based on our experience helping clients build successful Reddit presence, here's the approach we recommend: 1. Audit your audience's Reddit behavior Identify 3-5 subreddits where your target customers genuinely spend time. Use Reddit's search function to see what questions they're asking and what problems they're trying to solve. Match your targeting to the funnel Reddit offers sophisticated targeting options that let you reach audiences based on communities (specific subreddits), interest groups, keywords, and standard demographics. The key is aligning your targeting with where users are in their journey. For example, if you're marketing a fitness supplement: Upper Funnel (Awareness) : Target broad fitness communities like r/fitness and r/bodybuilding Mid Funnel (Consideration) : Focus on nutrition-focused communities like r/nutrition or r/loseit Lower Funnel (Conversion) : Reach users in action-oriented communities like r/MealPrepSunday or r/Supplements This funnel-based community targeting ensures you're delivering the right message to users at the right stage of their decision-making process. 2. Start with a test budget Allocate a small percentage of your social budget (5-10%) to test Reddit promoted posts across your identified communities. Start with awareness objectives before moving down funnel. Test Reddit's standard ad formats Reddit offers three core ad products to get started: Promoted Posts : Reddit's flagship ad format that reaches users in their feeds as they explore content from relevant communities. These look native to the platform and blend seamlessly into the browsing experience. Conversation Placements : Deliver your ad within a conversation thread, beneath the post and before comments, engaging users when they're most leaned-in to a particular topic. Product Ads : A newer offering specifically designed to display important products across all Reddit platforms, reaching lower funnel goals and driving high-intent users to your site with a native look and feel. 4. Experiment with high-impact custom formats Once you've established baseline performance with standard ads, consider Reddit's non-standard offerings: Freeform Ads : This highly engaging format allows for heavy information coverage using multiple asset types (images, videos, text). Users click the ad to read full content rather than leaving Reddit immediately, making it excellent for storytelling and upper-funnel brand building. Promoted AMAs : "Ask Me Anything" sessions are uniquely Reddit formats that allow brands to connect with the community in an exclusive, authentic way. Pick a recognizable host (like a founder, subject matter expert, or brand ambassador) and set the stage for relevant interaction. Reddit has streamlined AMA ad creation directly in Ads Manager with dynamic CTA buttons that drive users to RSVP and participate. Takeovers : For maximum impact, consider Reddit Takeover (site-wide homepage takeover), Category Takeover (owning top communities in your target category for 24 hours), or First View (owning the first unique ad impression on Reddit's Home and Popular pages). Data shows that takeovers incorporated into a full-funnel strategic plan can drive a 68% increase in conversion rates and 12% improvement in cost per acquisition. 5. Consider organic participation. While paid advertising is the fastest way to scale, having team members genuinely participate in relevant subreddits (with full transparency about their affiliation) builds authentic brand equity that amplifies paid efforts. 6. Understand Reddit's Emerging Shopping Ecosystem Reddit is actively building out shopping tools for H1 2026 testing, including organic shopping features, upper funnel shopping ads, and lower funnel shopping ads with contextually relevant dynamic product ads served in product conversations with Reddit-native social proof. Early adopters of these tools will have opportunities to shape how shopping evolves on the platform. Measure beyond immediate ROAS Given Reddit's long-tail nature and influence on AI/search, consider assisted conversions, brand lift, and longer attribution windows when evaluating performance. The brands winning on Reddit today aren't necessarily the biggest or best-funded—they're the ones willing to meet users where they are, contribute value to communities, and think strategically about how the platform's unique characteristics create marketing leverage. That's an advantage any brand can develop with the right strategy and commitment. Ready to develop a Reddit strategy that drives real results? At Exverus by Brainlabs, we help brands build authentic presence across emerging channels while maintaining efficient customer acquisition. Let's talk about what's possible for your brand.

Not just for content creation, generative AI can already optimize ad personalization, predictive analytics, and real-time data monitoring. Generative AI, the advertising industry's buzziest buzzword, is emerging as a powerful tool that could potentially reshape the way we as advertisers strategize our campaigns. But for media planners, it can be difficult to see how generative AI can actually help in day-to-day tasks. When you're constantly planning, launching, and optimizing campaigns, it's easy to dismiss anything that doesn't immediately improve efficiency or increase ROI. But the truth is, generative AI is already proving its worth in media planning and will only become more important in the future. Initial findings show that when AI-based media buying is employed the ROAS can double or triple compared to previous efforts. So: How can generative AI be used for media planning? Here are a few applications available TODAY that we're testing for our clients. Precise Audience Targeting AI's Deep Learning enables a breadth and depth of knowledge in how targeting is applied to ad campaigns. Instead of broad audience targeting segments like "in-market auto shoppers", AI unlocks the nuances of an individual's consumer journey and has a much deeper understanding of the context of the ad. It analyzes customer data and third-party signals to provide segmentation recommendations, making data-based strategies more effective and efficient. The uncomfortable truth is that traditional audience targeting wasn't just legally problematic—it was strategically flawed. We paid a premium "audience tax" for behavioral segments that promised precision but delivered diminishing returns. Consumers rejected invasive tracking. Regulators caught up. And the foundation crumbled. But here's the opportunity: The collapse of cookie-based targeting is forcing brands to rebuild smarter, more sustainable segmentation strategies. At Exverus, we've been helping clients navigate this transition for years, and the results speak for themselves. The new playbook: Three pillars of post-cookie targeting 1. Contextual intelligence. Modern contextual advertising goes far beyond keyword matching. It's about aligning your message with the emotional tone, content environment, and audience mindset. Research from Integral Ad Science shows contextually aligned ads deliver 23% higher ad recall and 27% better brand narrative recollection. We've seen it work: Our campaign for The Chosen achieved 4.6x the industry standard brand lift by meeting viewers in content they already trust and enjoy—no personal data required. 2. First-party data as your moat. The brands winning right now are building direct relationships with customers through owned channels: email lists, loyalty programs, zero-party data collection. This isn't about replacing third-party cookies with creepy alternatives—it's about earning trust and permission. Retail media networks exemplify this perfectly, offering first-party purchase data at scale while respecting consumer privacy. 3. Privacy-first measurement. Ditch vanity metrics like clicks and impressions. Invest in tools that respect consumer privacy while delivering real business insights: marketing mix modeling (MMM), attention metrics, brand lift studies, and AI-powered contextual solutions. These aren't workarounds—they're upgrades that measure what actually matters. Ad Personalization Generative AI can be used to create custom ads based on the viewer. This capability is so much more than the "dynamic" ads of the past. Imagine the ability to deliver custom video ads informed by the viewer's demographics and location, and those decisions being made in real time and at a fraction of the cost of producing multiple video commercials for different markets/regions. At Exverus by Brainlabs, we've spent 12 years refining our approach to full-funnel media planning for growth-stage, culture-creating brands. Here's what demonstrably works. Improved Programmatic Advertising Performance AI is driving improvement in programmatic advertising performance by powering recommendation engines based on past performance and enhanced audience targeting. Unlike its human counterparts, AI never sleeps. This makes real-time bidding and programmatic buys a breeze. Answers to all the questions you never thought to ask. Automated Planning Documentation The generation of crucial media planning documentation such as investment plans, campaign parameters, creative assets, and media placement selection is being automated by AI, leveraging campaign-level insights in the process. Data-Driven Virtual Assistants Tools like Omni Assist provide data-driven insights, notifications, and recommendations throughout the planning and buying workflow, reducing discovery time and accelerating learning. But as with any tool, generative AI is only as good as the data and inputs it receives. The onus is still on us to provide the strategy, prompts, brand information, and feedback to make sure the tech is working for us, and not the other way around. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here.

Social media platforms are now brand discovery hubs, and search engines are now mid-funnel. Learn how to meet savvy consumers everywhere they search. Need efficiency in your paid media plan? Save money on lower-funnel media spend by building awareness and demand for your brand among new consumers before they search. What is discovery-driven demand? Consumers, especially of Gen Z, are increasingly discovering brands without actively seeking them in a process that WARC  calls discovery-driven demand. The consumer journey  isn't a straight line anymore—it's a multidimensional, curiosity-driven web shaped by discovery-first platforms. We've found that establishing brand recognition earlier in the journey dramatically reduces the premium you'll pay for bottom-funnel conversions. This upstream approach doesn't just build awareness—it creates efficiency across your entire media investment. Is social media a search engine now? December 2024 data from ForbesAdvisor shows that social media has rapidly overtaken traditional search engines like Google and Bing as the first choice for product and trend discovery among Gen Z and Millennials. Interestingly, only 64% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials use search engines for brand discovery, a significant decline compared to 94% of Baby Boomers. Instead, popular social platforms are becoming primary search tools, with 46% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials preferring them over traditional search engines. A whopping 44% of Gen Z discover new brands on social media daily! Why the shift? Trust and community. Social networks like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have given voice to influencers and creators who have credibility with younger generations, which traditional marketing efforts lack. Ads are nice, but it's amazing to have a creator who fits the demographics of your target buyer and talks about your product.   That's why partnerships, influencer marketing, and user-generated content are vital to today's campaigns. Micro and macro communities have been built around these individuals, creating a sense of authenticity and connection  that search engines (and brands) simply can't compete with alone. While social media platforms can often feel enraging, distracting, or dividing; Pinterest commits to being an oasis of self-expression, discovery, and inspiration. How else do Gen Z shoppers discover brands? Here are a few ideas for reaching new consumers everywhere they’re open to inspiration:  1. Optimize for social-search  and retail-search Apply SEO principles to: Instagram , where captions perform better than hashtags to meet searchers in discovery mode TikTok , which is ripe for expanding reach and influencing viewers, particularly on its For You page and in search results Retail media networks , which can pair shopper data with sponsored recommendations more precisely than ever Exverus’ paid search expert Michael Robbins advises, “Find the long-tail search terms that resonate with your consumers best, and aim to own those key terms. Be specific; don’t take your hands off the wheel, going broad-match or letting the ‘algorithm’ do the work.” CASE STUDY: For Dymatize protein powders, we chose to highlight the brand’s unique flavor offerings (like Fruity Pebbles!) in the creative assets for social and retail media, and in turn, we saw searches for those same flavors spike significantly. Influencer and UGC social content effectively drove Dymatize branded searches 2. Invest in (and repurpose) visually engaging content. TikTok videos, Pinterest  boards, and Social Reach activations pique curiosity and engagement. Pinterest is especially well-suited for reaching people not looking for a particular product but open to inspiration.  And don't just tout a product, build a community. Research suggests that as many as 60% of millennial purchases are driven by FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. Build the perception that owning a particular product means belonging to a larger community, and young adult customers will loyally align themselves with your brand.   3. Create new paths to purchase. Our award-winning Premier Protein & Dymatize campaign for October 2023 Prime Day did just that. On TikTok  and Instagram, we served up the kind of influencer content our target enjoys to create awareness; nurtured consideration and urgency with TikTok’s interactive features; and attached shoppable links from the social videos directly to the Amazon product pages with excellent deals to follow through with purchase. Learn more below: Start the conversation. To be recommended by AI-driven search , focus less on website click-through and more on product feeds that answer searchers’ natural questions. Engage meaningfully in conversations on Reddit , which trains AI models, as well. Reddit has evolved from a niche forum into a marketing powerhouse. Learn how consumers make decisions and how AI uses Reddit to answer their questions. Get OOH and IRL. High-impact, out-of-home (OOH) media activations are excellent awareness-builders that drive branded searches.  John Hoover, SVP at NPRP Media , has the proof: “OOH media drives 7x more social engagement and search than any other format. An impressive 48% of people exposed to OOH featuring a celebrity or influencer visit the product or brand’s website afterward.” Case Study: When MasterClass sought Exverus’ help announcing the new talent on their platform (Gordon Ramsay, Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, etc.) we partnered with NPRP Media to implement a can’t-miss blend of large-format and digital OOH, paired with social retargeting, in multiple target demo areas. As a result, we saw a 667% boost in MasterClass searches, 47% lift in positive brand sentiment, and a 25% lift in aided brand awareness. The campaign won two Adweek Media Plan of the Year awards! Digital OOH media activations for MasterClass significantly raised branded searches Businesses that rely on traditional search traffic are being left in the dust by generative AI tools and shifting consumer behavior.  Don’t wait to be searched for—strategically position your brand where discovery happens organically, creating demand before consumers even know what they're looking for. Ready to rethink your discovery strategy? Let's discuss .  This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

In August 2025, Premier Protein and Milk Bar debuted free, protein-enhanced dessert menu items with media support from Exverus by Brainlabs. Photo courtesy of Premier Protein Key Facts: Launch Date : August 2025 Promotion Hours : 3:00pm-4:00pm daily (Power Hour) Locations : Milk Bar NYC, LA, DC flagship stores + new Chicago location Delivery Partners : GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash Featured Product : Blueberry Pancake Super Cookie Nationwide Availability : milkbarstore.com shipping Marketing Support : Exverus by Brainlabs (media agency of record) Key Personnel : Christina Tosi (Milk Bar Founder), Amy Larek (Premier Protein Senior Director of Marketing) Full Press Release: (EMERYVILLE, Calif.) August 1, 2025 --   Premier Protein  understands the power of an afternoon sweet treat – but doesn't believe in sacrificing flavor for nutrition. That's why they're collaborating with the iconic team at  Milk Bar  to deliver protein-packed menu items this August. That's right, the minds that brought you the viral cereal milk ice cream, birthday cake truffles and compost cookies are now baking with the dependable, yet delicious, Premier Protein to create a decadent Protein Menu all month long. With support from media agency of record  Exverus by Brainlabs , Milk Bar will be hosting a daily Premier Protein Power Hour, right when that afternoon slump hits! During the hours of 3pm – 4pm, fans can get one protein menu item for FREE at participating Milk Bar locations (NYC, LA and DC) and on partner delivery apps (GrubHub, UberEats and DoorDash)., ensuring your midday treat has the power to fuel your journey and keep the party going! "As a mom, business owner, and eternal dessert lover, I'm always looking for ways to fuel my day without sacrificing deliciousness," said Christina Tosi, founder of Milk Bar. "That's why I'm so excited to team up with Premier Protein on this delightfully unexpected yet truly crave-worthy collaboration, proving you really can have your cake and eat it too." "At Premier Protein, we believe that a health and wellness journey shouldn't mean compromising flavor. That's why we've partnered with Milk Bar, whose creativity and impressive flavor innovation we've long admired, to bring to life a delicious menu made with some of the most popular products in our portfolio." -- Amy Larek, Senior Director of Marketing For fans who can't make it to the flagship stores, Blueberry Pancake Super Cookie will also be available at the new Chicago Milk Bar store and online at  milkbarstore.com  for delivery nationwide. Premier Protein:  Instagram ,  Facebook ,  TikTok ,  Pinterest   Exverus by Brainlabs:  Instagram ,  LinkedIn ,  YouTube   For more media buying campaigns, news, and tips, join our Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

Exverus by Brainlabs was awarded Gold for The Chosen: Indie Streams to Big Screens full-funnel media campaign. DECEMBER 12, 2025 -- Independent media planning and buying agency Exverus by Brainlabs has been awarded Gold for Best Campaign by an Independent Agency at the 2025 Festival of Media: North America Awards for The Chosen: Indie Streams to Big Screens. 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 by turning a small, indie TV show into a $50MM smash at the box office globally. We took over Times Square in NYC with giant DOOH featuring promo shots by Vogue photographer Annie Leibovitz. We leveraged community power, interactive digital units, and appeared on tentpole TV events to drive theater ticket sales. As a result, we lifted Aided Awareness by 4.6x the Entertainment category benchmark, sold 6.1MM tickets globally, and generated over $50MM in box office revenue, charting in the Top 3 among big-studio blockbusters. Watch the official campaign case video below: "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 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 Exverus by Brainlabs: Founded in 2014, Exverus by Brainlabs is a global, independent media agency growing brands through full-funnel media planning & buying, traditional and programmatic advertising , retail media & e-commerce, paid search , paid social , and analytics . Our data-driven media plans combine brand and performance under one scientific brain 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 . Wonder what we can do for your brand this year? Drop us a line below, and let's talk!

Exverus VP of Media Planning & Strategy Tasha Day spoke on the Screen & Sponsor podcast about the omnichannel media strategy for TV's smash hit “The Chosen”. An excerpt of their conversation is below. Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcast S&S: I'd love to hear about the different channels that Exverus is hitting with this and what inspired you to go with those particular mediums. Tasha Day: We like to look at everything. As I mentioned, at Exverus we're believers in a full funnel strategy; that awareness is just as important (it’s critical) to drive conversion results (ticket sales, merchandise sales, etc.) And so we have a varied media mix that we employ to drive results for “The Chosen”, which includes:  For our ongoing merch plan, it's everything from Video and YouTube, where we know we can target not only faith-based content but other history content and things that resonate with the kind of viewers who would be interested in “The Chosen”.  For our upcoming campaign, for example, for the release of Season Five, this is gonna be next-level because we know we really need to make a splash. And so we've got tons of tentpole activations from:  Times Square Out-of-Home March Madness lots of high-impact CTV that connects directly to ticket sales through a QR code Display: We'll be retargeting people who were exposed to our CTV in the first week and then letting them know: Part Two is gonna be coming out this weekend; Part three is coming out the next weekend. Paid Search to capture interest in all the demand we're creating as a result of featuring "The Chosen" in these super cool Out-of-Home wallscapes and taking over Times Square.  It's gonna be really exciting! "We're creating a moment for 'The Chosen' this year." Shoppable CTV Ads: Are Consumers Ready for T-Commerce? And then, since you brought up the app, we've seen tremendous results driving app downloads for "The Chosen". In fact, in three months, we helped drive an additional million downloads, so they've got over 5 million now. And [we’re] using Display and Search placements in Apple to drive serious web traffic; we saw over +211% increase in where-to-watch web traffic, which would lead people to download the app, so they could watch previous seasons of “The Chosen” for free.  That's the great thing about “The Chosen”, is that they want to make it accessible to everybody regardless of where they live or what language they speak . So it's available in 50 languages, and we also support the effort globally. We have media buys – YouTube, for example, in 20 international markets pushing viewership through the app so that people know that it is available to everyone. It's available for free, so they can join the community and get excited about what really is a very emotional drama that's really fun to watch. S&S: Of course, this is a special instance, but as you're talking, I'm just thinking to myself: It's almost like a DTC play, because you and the filmmakers are managing this full-funnel experience for everyone. And if you're working, I assume, with a traditional distributor, then maybe there are more stipulations about how you might approach something like that, which will be a question for another time! But it's just something that came to mind as you were talking – perhaps this is a new way we're gonna start seeing things get made and then supported by agencies. T: Absolutely. And 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. I mean, it's shifting from traditional studios to really making it about what the fans want, and they're showing (or they're proving )   that they want it by investing in it. The series has been available on multiple streaming partners in the past, and they're consolidating this year. I don't know if I'm at liberty to share quite yet who that one streaming partner is gonna be, but it is a big one! Just the fact that the streaming partners were competing  to be able to have the rights to stream all the seasons and this new one, shows what kind of demand and interest there is in the show.  We're super stoked about this year, as well as the fact that there's gonna be coming theatrical events that are even bigger. Because what happens after “The Last Supper” is the series of events that happen in the story, between the crucifixion and the resurrection…there's so much story to tell. It's really exciting to be a part of it. S&S: I am kind of curious. What challenges do you guys face? I imagine being crowdfunded that, sometimes you guys have to maybe pull back budget or things like that? Or is it because you guys have the nonprofit? Does it come in pretty well? Is your budget pretty consistent?  T: No. Actually, it has not been. One of the biggest challenges that we faced initially and that we've been communicating and working with “The Chosen” – and they've been great partners, they see us as experts and true partners, and they listen to what we have to say – is coming in, knowing what it really takes to break through for theatrical release, because it is competitive. And with declining movie attendance as it is, plus many features coming out on the same weekend, it's gonna be really challenging to make an impact, with $3MM nationally. I mean, that's just pennies when you're talking about a theatrical release.  And so over the past year, we have had many, many conversations and shared much data to prove how an increased investment would benefit them in terms of reach and frequency, media best practices, and principles we'd be meeting that would set them up for success to help them reach their theatrical ticket goals and their merchandise sales goals. It has very much been an education along the way, both for us and for them as our partnership has grown, to prove why more investment was actually going to help them unlock their business goal success. So, their investments are up much more – 4x [higher] this year than they were last year. So it is working, and we have a ton of faith that all of that media and increased media investment is going to make the impact that they need to keep the show going.  S&S: I imagine that you guys have to spend a lot of time figuring out the lifetime value of a crowdfunded project. Right? Are they sticking around and then also buying the merch and how you guys are able to benefit from that? I'm curious, what are you guys' main KPIs? I guess you have the app installs, the viewership, and (I imagine) return on investment, but I'm just curious.  T: Yeah, it does vary by initiative. For the theatrical piece, they've done a lot of research; they actually have really smart research people on their end who formerly worked at Disney. And their goal for this theatrical release is to increase their awareness, because through research, they realized that was one of the biggest barriers to getting people to actually attend subsequent theatrical releases. Nobody knew that there was a release one weekend, and then two weekends later, they were gonna release the next couple of episodes in theater. So, we have an awareness increase: a hard number that they want to reach, say, they wanna get to a 55% awareness [goal] with this campaign, which I totally think we can do, especially because we've done the work, and we know what our media plan will get them.  But then also, in tandem with that is ticket sales. They have ticket sales KPIs . They've got numbers that they have to meet. And so, we're connecting the pipes on the back end and implementing things like I mentioned, like the QR code that will lead to ticket purchase on our CTV so that we can track ticket activity on our end so that we can monitor how well the media plan is delivering against those ticket sales goals.  Of course, merch is a really interesting one, and we've done some really, really cool things there because merch was all about a revenue increase goal. And so, we have done a lot of work connecting the pipes on the back end between their Shopify accounts and our dashboards and data and implementing multi-touch attribution that attributes how much merchandise sales each channel is providing – how much CTV, for example, or how much Search is contributing to the revenue goals. We've learned so much about the different multi-touch attribution models there are between algorithmic and linear. And I know it seems like I'm seeking a different language, but it's been super interesting to put such concrete results against our media plans for merch.  S&S: Well, I think it's interesting too. You always hear of media agencies that wind up helping their clients actually discover new target audiences . I talked to some folks at some point that said, We didn't realize that our home security camera could be interesting for fish owners who wanted to watch their fish while they were gone. So just funny things like that. But it seems like there's an opportunity with all this data and analytics to really go deep for them and then bring them insights that maybe they didn't even know. T:  Absolutely. And that's another one of our goals for this year's campaign is that they identified some areas where we can beef up viewership even against women, which might seem counterintuitive, but the majority of viewership comes in through men who bring it to their family. And so, one of the goals is: How can we find the right insights to connect with women so that we're getting women to also start the viewership chain and bring it into their home? Of course, the a-ha  moments come not only with research upfront but as we activate the campaign and look at performance. That's going to be a particular focus this year, is to figure out how can we really connect with women and then optimize our plans so that we're speaking to them in a way that then fuels word-of-mouth or it grows the fanbase with women specifically.  S&S: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Tasha, for sharing all of these insights. I feel like I learned quite a bit about the process of marketing a series. So really appreciate having you on, and until next time.  T: Thanks so much for having me. This has been really fun. For more advertising news and tips, join our free, weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

In 2026 and beyond, audience segments will reshuffle; media channels will converge; paths to purchase will shorten; and AI will optimize everything. Media planning requires a long-term view and full-funnel integration. The rules of media planning rewrite themselves every quarter: Consumer behaviors shift overnight; new platforms emerge while established channels merge and transform; AI-powered optimization tools promise to automate what once took teams of analysts weeks to accomplish. But here's what stays constant: the need for strategic, data-informed media planning that connects brands with audiences across the entire customer journey. At Exverus by Brainlabs, we've spent 12 years refining our approach to full-funnel media planning for growth-stage, culture-creating brands. Here's what demonstrably works. Table of Contents What is media planning? Elements of a full-funnel media plan Brand vs. performance media Omnichannel marketing Example of award-winning campaign Measurement & attribution FAQs about media planning & buying What is media planning? Media planning is the strategic process of determining where, when, and how to deliver marketing messages to target audiences. It's about making informed decisions on channel selection, budget allocation, timing, and creative deployment to achieve specific business objectives. Think of it as the blueprint for your marketing investment. A strong media plan answers critical questions, like: Which channels will reach your ideal customers most efficiently? How should budget be distributed across awareness, consideration, and conversion tactics? What frequency and timing will maximize impact without wasting spend? How can we build creative, unique activations that stand out from our competition? Media placement choices aren't guesses; they're based on surgically precise audience data points gathered from multiple sources. Elements of a full-funnel media plan Budget, Timing, and Scope of Work Category background / business challenge. What problem are we solving for? Objectives. What specific campaign key performance indicators (KPIs) are we working toward, and how will they solve our business challenge? Insights. Define the target audience(s). Gather competitive insights. What media does the target audience consume? What research can inform our strategy? Strategy. What will be the key elements of our plan? How will we space out activations throughout the given timeframe? How will paid media collaborate with earned media, owned content, and other agencies? Execution. Make the idea come to life! Monitor performance and adjust in real time. Measurement. What are the results? Did we meet our KPIs? Did our KPIs accurately align with business goals? What did we learn for the next campaign? Timing Considerations Media planning is a marathon, not a sprint When times are tight, many marketers feel the pressure to close the sale and place a disproportionate emphasis on short-term performance metrics -- that's understandable! But be careful not to lose sight of your long-term brand equity. While the immediate ROI metrics can look attractive and seem to reinforce this approach, we caution marketers not to get short-sighted and overlook the importance of long-term brand-building. This mistake is called short-termism. Short-termism is the marketing fallacy of focusing too heavily on acquiring new customers and activating sales, at the expense of building long-term customer retention and loyalty. The most successful media strategies balance immediate performance goals with long-term brand building. Track leading indicators that signal future performance, not just lagging metrics that report yesterday's results. Invest in understanding how different tactics work together over time, not just in isolation. See an example case study of a brand that "went dark" after seeing some initial gains below: 'Always-on' vs. Spend spikes Being consistent with your brand media spend over time is imperative. But being evergreen isn’t simply doing the same thing all year — it’s about adapting to consumer behavior and business cycles so the brand remains relevant off-season. A “set-it-and-forget-it” media campaign that simply repeats the same content or messaging all year can get stale. Audiences’ needs, contexts, and attentional bandwidth change throughout the year; what worked during a product-launch window or seasonal peak may not resonate mid-year. Constant presence without variation can erode brand identity, rather than reinforce it. Brands and their media teams should lean on data-driven signals and adjust the strategy in real time by shifting budgets, pivoting messaging, or launching new offerings. Balance tentpole moments (for brand-building impact) with strategic always-on presence in high-intent channels (retail media, search) and advanced measurement (brand lift studies, multi-touch attribution, incrementality testing) to see the strongest results. Example: This plan depicts paid media running throughout the campaign timeline but mixing up the formats and spend levels around tentpole moments. Brand vs. Performance Media Combine brand and performance under one scientific brain The old divide between brand and performance marketing is quickly dissolving, but the tension between immediate results and long-term value creation remains. Smart media planning finds the right balance for your specific business context. Performance marketing delivers measurable, trackable results. Direct response tactics drive immediate conversions, generate leads, and produce clear ROI metrics. These campaigns justify their existence through attribution models and conversion tracking. Brand marketing builds mental availability and emotional connections that compound over time. It creates the conditions for efficient performance marketing by reducing friction in the purchase decision. Strong brands enjoy higher conversion rates, lower customer acquisition costs, and greater pricing power. But these benefits often appear months or years after the initial investment. The optimal brand-performance mix depends on several factors: your market position product category customer lifetime value (CLV) purchase frequency, and competitive intensity. New brands typically need heavier brand investment to build awareness and consideration. Established players might shift more budget toward performance tactics that convert existing demand. Unfortunately, most brands underinvest in brand building. They over-index on performance tactics because the results are visible and immediate, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that slowly erodes long-term growth potential. The metrics look good quarter over quarter, but customer acquisition costs creep up and market share stagnates. Click to learn real case studies of brands that built equity effectively vs. those that didn't. The solution isn't abandoning performance marketing. It's integrating brand and performance tactics into a unified, full-funnel approach where upper-funnel brand activities amplify lower-funnel conversion efficiency. Test different budget allocations. Measure impact across multiple time horizons. Find the mix that balances short-term results with sustainable long-term growth. Omnichannel marketing: New paths to purchase The linear marketing funnel is dead. Modern consumers don't follow predictable paths from awareness to consideration to purchase. They zigzag across channels, devices, and touchpoints in patterns that seem chaotic but reveal underlying logic when you know where to look. Someone might discover your brand through a podcast ad, research options on their phone during lunch, compare features on a desktop at work, and finally purchase on a tablet at home three weeks later. Or they might see social ads for months, ignore them completely, then convert immediately after receiving a promotional email. The variations are endless. Omnichannel media planning acknowledges this complexity. Instead of forcing customers into predetermined funnels, it creates multiple paths to purchase across interconnected touchpoints. Different channels play different roles for different customers at different moments. Click to learn several new models for mapping consumer behavior that evolve beyond the linear funnel. Omnichannel media planning requires several capabilities: Consistent messaging across channels. Adapt creative to each platform's format and context while maintaining brand coherence. Cross-channel measurement. Track customer journeys across touchpoints rather than evaluating each channel in isolation. Flexible budget allocation. Shift resources toward channels and tactics proving most effective for specific customer segments. Media channel convergence accelerates these needs Social media is becoming social commerce. Streaming TV ads are now shoppable CTV. AI Chatbots are the new search engines Social and Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are now discovery hubs The boundaries between awareness, consideration, and conversion channels blur as platforms compete to own entire customer journeys. For 2026, expect paths to purchase to shorten as channels become more integrated and AI-powered personalization becomes more sophisticated. Example of award-winning omnichannel media campaign Exverus by Brainlabs' "Premier Nutrition: Winning Prime Day" campaign was awarded a WARC Effectiveness Award for Best Path to Purchase in 2024. The campaign demonstrated ingenious tactics for successfully bridging social media with e-commerce, making Premier Protein shakes one of the top-selling items on Amazon during its October 2023 Prime Big Deals Day event. Learn more below: Instead of loading up on Amazon Ads, we met consumers on social media platforms and smoothly drove them to Amazon purchase pages. Measurement & Attribution They say, "What gets measured gets managed," but measuring full-funnel media effectiveness remains one of marketing's hardest problems: attribution models break down in omnichannel environments; privacy regulations limit tracking capabilities; platform-provided metrics serve platform interests more than advertiser needs. Effective measurement requires a multi-layered approach that combines different methodologies to build a complete picture of media performance. No single metric or model tells the whole story. Start with business fundamentals. Revenue, customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), market share of voice (SOV). These north-star metrics connect media activity to actual business outcomes. They should anchor all other measurement efforts. Impressions and CPMs are just vanity metrics. Learn to track your paid media investment's real impact on overall business growth. Layer in channel-specific performance metrics. Click-through rates, view-through rates, engagement metrics, conversion rates. These tactical indicators help optimize individual campaigns and placements. But resist the temptation to over-optimize channel metrics at the expense of business outcomes. Add incrementality testing to understand true causal impact. Geo-tests, holdout groups, and controlled experiments reveal which tactics actually drive incremental results versus simply capturing existing demand. This is where you separate correlation from causation. Implement marketing mix modeling to understand how different tactics work together and inform strategic budget allocation. These statistical models analyze historical performance across all channels to quantify each tactic's contribution and interaction effects. Learn how AI powers MMM for comprehensive looks at campaign results, plus when to use MMM vs. MTA (multi-touch attribution). Complement quantitative measurement with qualitative insights. Brand tracking studies, customer surveys, and market research provide context that numbers alone can't capture. They explain the why behind the what. Brand lift studies are a scientific approach to measuring your upper-funnel media's impact on real business demand creation. The measurement environment will continue evolving throughout 2026. Privacy-focused attribution models, AI-powered analytics, and cross-platform measurement solutions promise to improve data quality and insight generation. But the fundamentals won't change. Great measurement requires clear business objectives, rigorous methodology, and honest assessment of both successes and failures. FAQs about media planning and buying How much should I budget for media planning? Media budgets vary widely based on: company size industry growth stage competitive intensity As a general framework, B2C companies typically invest 5-15% of revenue in marketing, with media representing the largest portion. B2B companies often spend 2-10% of revenue. High-growth startups may invest 20-40% or more to capture market share. Work backward from your customer acquisition cost targets and lifetime value to determine sustainable spending levels. Which media channels should I advertise on in 2026? Media channel selection depends entirely on where your target audiences spend time and how they make purchase decisions. That said, several channels show particular strength heading into 2026: Digital Advertising Channels Retail media networks for driving sales, even for non-CPG brands Connected TV (CTV) and Digital Audio for reaching broad audiences Influencer / Creator partnerships for trust-building Search and Social for capturing high-intent demand The way to differentiate from what all your competitors are already doing (especially if you don't have the budget to outspend them) is to think outside the box and build creative campaigns that stick in people's minds better than a digital ad. Experiential Marketing Campaigns Gen Z shoppers have been skipping digital ads since they were born. They grew up in a world where social media and technology are ubiquitous, making it harder for traditional advertisements to capture their attention. Experiential marketing is about creating immersive experiences that engage consumers on a deeper level. Photo Credit: Habit Burger & Grill / Yum! Brands. Click to learn how Habit embedded itself into Los Angeles culture by joining Dodger Stadium and becoming a home base for fans. Contests & Sweepstakes Get your target audience engaged and excited, rather than passively consuming ads they likely won't recall later. Contests and sweepstakes with enticing incentives get people involved and emotionally invested in your brand more deeply than with your competition. Here's an example of an Adweek award-winning contest campaign we ran for former client Stella & Chewy's: Click to read more about how this massively effective campaign worked! How do I prove media ROI to C-suite executives? Connect media activities directly to business outcomes using clear attribution and incrementality testing. Report in business language (revenue, customer acquisition, market share) rather than marketing jargon (impressions, reach, engagement). Show both short-term performance and long-term brand building impact. Use control groups and holdout testing to demonstrate causation, not just correlation. Be honest about measurement limitations and uncertainty rather than overstating confidence in attribution. Is it cheaper to hire a media agency or buy media in-house? The right model depends on your resources, expertise, and strategic priorities: In-house teams offer greater control, brand intimacy, and agility. Agencies provide specialized expertise, cross-client insights, and scalable capacity. Many successful brands use a hybrid approach: in-house strategists and planners who set direction and manage performance, with agency partners providing specialized capabilities in areas like creative production, platform expertise, and advanced analytics. Learn more here. How often should we revise our media plan? Media strategies should be revisited quarterly at minimum, with major strategic reviews annually aligned to business planning cycles. Tactical optimizations happen continuously, with real-time adjustments daily or weekly and always-on refinements monthly. The key is distinguishing between strategic pivots (which require careful consideration and cross-functional alignment) and tactical adjustments (which can happen quickly based on performance data). Don't confuse motion with progress by constantly changing strategy without giving tactics time to work. Learn why media plans need time to accumulate growth, like an investment account, rather than day trade. What role does AI play in media planning? AI excels at tactical optimization, pattern recognition, and processing large datasets. It can: predict performance personalize creative, and identify audience segments at scales impossible for human teams. But AI doesn't replace strategic thinking. Humans still need to set objectives, define brand positioning, understand market dynamics, and make judgment calls that require business context. As a Brainlabs agency, we operate under a philosophy of Real Intelligence - the optimal blend of artificial and human intelligence that enables brands to connect directly with consumers. Using Brainlabs' proprietary Cortex AI system, we bring the most cutting-edge technologies to growth-stage brands worldwide. Ready to build a full-funnel media strategy that delivers results? At Exverus by Brainlabs, we combine strategic planning, data-driven optimization, and cross-channel expertise to help brands navigate the complexity of modern media. Let's talk!

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. In 2025, the National Retail Federation (NRF)  projected that families with students in elementary through high school plan would spend an average of $858.07 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, down from $874.68 in 2024. The NRF projects back-to-school spending to decrease about 1.9% from 2024. Back to school consumer trends 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) Or discover brands in one digital channel and purchase in another Source: Snipp Interactive, “A Guide to Back-to-School Marketing” This can make media planning and measurement tricky! So, how do you ensure your campaign converts? Let's answer some: Frequently asked questions 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? What's the ROI difference between creator partnerships vs. paid ads? How do we track the impact of upper-funnel awareness on lower-funnel conversions? When should we start running back-to-school 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. According to the NRF , 67% of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing items for the upcoming school year as of early July to get in on Prime Day, Target Circle Week, and other sales. 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. 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: 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. 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. Repurpose content across channels At Exverus by Brainlabs, we recently developed a new ad format called Social Reach  in partnership with SeenThis. Social Reach takes brands’ existing mobile video creative assets and splashes them across Pubmatic’s premium supply of Display slots on the open web, maximizing their reach with no extra production. Premier Protein was the first-to-market brand, and their Social Reach campaign outperformed Meta Ads by 50%  in the same period! Build paths to purchase On TikTok and Instagram, serve up the kind of user-generated content (UGC) or influencer content your target audience enjoys to create awareness, then nurture consideration and urgency with interactive countdowns and tappable links, then drive traffic from discovery to your product pages with excellent deals awaiting. 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. And get into the wild west of generative AI product recommendations  while it’s still fully organic!  Adobe  reported in February 2025 that 47% of US consumers use genAI to receive product recommendations, and 43% use it to seek deals.  What's the ROAS difference between creator partnerships vs. paid ads? In the US alone, EMARKETER  forecasts influencer marketing to grow 14.2% in 2025 to $9.29 billion—not including paid media amplification or spend outside social media. We all see this trend in our feeds every day! In terms of ROAS, Influencer Marketing Hub  reports brands seeing an average return of $5.78 for every $1 spent on influencer media campaigns, as opposed to $2-4 for the average social media advertising campaign.  Consumers place deep trust in the creators and influencers they relate to, and that trust translates to big bucks. Learn more about how to find the right influencers  to partner with here.  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 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 entire customer journey 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).  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 .

Exverus cofounder Talia Arnold tells Matt Hofherr on the Optimism Always podcast what qualities make a successful media planner and organization. I'm grateful to have Talia Arnold, managing partner of the award winning media company Exverus Media. With Talia's innovative approach to media strategy and a proven track record of delivering impactful campaigns, she truly is a driving force in the industry. So join us as we discuss her journey, the evolving media landscape and the creative strategies that set Exverus apart. Let's get started. Watch the full conversation here: How we win advertising industry awards MH: You seem to be on this row of winning Media Strategist of the Year , Media Plan of the Year . What do you attribute that business momentum that you guys have right now? What's leading to all this success? TA: The first thing is, winning an award has two components to it. One is, is there a compelling narrative around the brand and what they were trying to do? And was the agency able to do something different and breakthrough and creative outside the normal expectations ? That's one part of it. The other part of it is are you able to demonstrably prove a business outcome for the client? And so we are just extremely disciplined on both of those two elements when we create our campaigns. I would say, we've always been very (and I know everyone says this but) results-focused . We start with: what does the client want to do? Okay, great. How are we going to measure that? What are specific actions that we're going to take to measure that specific outcome? What tech do we need to bring into place? We bring all the people together, not just the media planners and the buyers and the strategists, but, the analytics and the ad ops team to figure out exactly what we're going to put into place to make sure that we're measuring those outcomes. Do we need to, you know, bring on a third party to do good custom research? Do we need to field post consumer surveys to make sure that we achieve certain objectives? So the results part almost comes first, and then we go to, how are we going to get there? And oftentimes the clients that we're working with, we call them culture-creating, growth-stage brands . So when we say they're culture-creating, that they're either creating a new category or they're operating differently in a category that exists, and they're at a phase in their growth where they're really relying on paid advertising to get them to the next level. So that presents a huge challenge for us as the media agency to be responsible for such a big portion of the business they want to drive. But that also allows us to be just very aggressive with the things we want to do and what we recommend. And so we look for again, to go to the drawing board and say what is, what is unique about this business challenge? How are we going to meet the consumer's needs and deliver this brand experience to them in a way that's going to be more impactful than what our competitors are doing? The ideal brand client MH: That's fascinating to me. What is the perfect client for Exverus Media? Is it a CPG, West Coast? TA: Even though we have a lot of experience in consumer goods and CPG, and that's been foundational, to me it is much more about mindset . And the types of clients that we absolutely love working with are the ones that want to, um, look at things holistically. So one of the biggest challenges that we see with any client that's trying to grow their business, as they'll tell us is, "I have so many different departments. I've got my email, I've got my home over here, I've got brand marketing handled by this person, I've got sales over here. I've got all these elements, but they're disjointed. They're kind of working well, but we don't know what's working the best, and we don't know how to bring it all together. And that is perfect for us because we have developed systems and processes to help those types of clients look at everything together. And it goes back to, what I was saying about the truth. One of the first service offerings we provided to clients was we said, whether Exverus is running the media or someone else is running it, we don't care. We'll help you report on everything, and we'll tell you what's working and what's not and where you should put your money. We don't care if it's within our budget or someone else's budget. We're going to tell you what's the best way to spend dollars moving forward. So, clients who are ready to bring things together, look at everything holistically, and be willing to test some new things. Qualities of a successful media planner MH: If you're a media strategist today, what are the qualities you have to have? It seems like you need a math brain, but there is an art to it. If you're hiring someone, what does a young media strategist nowadays need to have, what skill set? TA: I think the biggest thing that someone needs to have is a progressive, forward-thinking mindset . Basically what I'm saying is if you're a person who likes routines and regularity and things to be constant and organized, forget it. Forget it. This is what I love about this industry. I love that you can be math, science, creative psychology, sociology, politics, entertainment. It is all of those things. So you kind of have to be a Jack or Jane of all trades. And you have to be interested in technology 100% . You have to be interested in popular culture, you have to be interested in people and how people's minds work, you have to be interested in new products and new services. And that's another reason why I like this business. I love going to the grocery store, I love shopping, I love looking at different products and packaging and thinking about why they might have been created and who they appeal to. Incentivizing passion & creativity in a media agency MH: I just gotta pay you a compliment, and I felt it when I met Bill, too. Part of the secret sauce you guys have is your company, and I've met a bunch of people at your company, you're all wicked smart, but you pass the airplane test. Like if I'm gonna sit next to you on a plane or Bill, we're gonna have a great conversation. So you're just good, caring human beings, but you're really curious and you love it . And one of the reasons the show is called Optimism Always is that I love what I do. It's constantly learning. It's constantly evolving. How do you keep your company innovative and on top of it? Do you guys do off-sites? TA: Yeah, it's crucial, especially now. It used to be very much about talking to publications and big media companies; I would meet with ESPN and The New York Times and CBS like, those are my media partners and they're going to come up with all the ideas. That's not what it is anymore. Now it's also, oh, we'll just put the money into Facebook and Google and we can reach 90% of our audience . But the research and the data all shows that creativity and emotional experiences are what get you to that next level. And so, so that's why we do focus so much on the creative and innovation and new ideas. It's part of our process. We hold an all-agency brainstorm for every project that we do. Everyone gets a brief ahead of time. You have a couple days to read the brief. You jot down your notes in a collaborative document. You come to the one-hour meeting, and everyone talks and shares their ideas, and no idea is a bad idea. We incentivize people financially for coming up with creative ideas . Like if you present something to a client that's never been done before, you get a bonus. If the client approves that idea, you get more. Anytime we're working on a project and we're looking at something, we should be asking ourselves, Okay, what's new and different and exciting here? The team is just very active on Slack, everyone's reading the trades. Everyone's really hungry to go to conferences. Exverus employee retention & culture MH: What do you think your tenure is with your company? Do you think people are staying longer than the average? TA: I think so. Our stats are really strong. I think we have over 90% retention . Maybe 10% of people swap out. We've learned that it can be harder for people to feel part of the culture remotely, so if we hire someone remotely now, we're being much more conscious about, Are you sure that you want to be in a remote role? What's the plan going to be for you to come out here? We make it an incredibly dynamic environment. We will make it so that you're constantly learning new things . You're probably working on different accounts. I just hired a new VP and a new SVP just last year and they're coming in after 10 years of experience or nine years or whatever, and they're building new capabilities and stuff for the agency that didn't exist before. How we're using AI at work MH: Are you optimistic about AI being able to take some of the repetitive, time consuming tasks off your plate? How would you describe its role today within a media business and where it might be tomorrow? TA: We're used to it being part of the backend of a lot of the technology that we use already. So, for example, finding target audiences, being predictive about who we should reach, generating headlines for search ads or social media ads. I think the area where there's still development is the work that is boring and manual, like billing. We haven't figured that out yet, that's one area that I look forward to. And I just think the speed at which like information can be summarized is super helpful. You know, we use it for creating briefings, creating quick summaries and recaps and meeting notes and making email writing better, things like that. Management & leadership styles MH: How would you describe your own leadership style? TA: I am a very action-oriented person. So I am very solution-driven, get to the point, solve the problem, remove obstacles, and move things forward. That is my style of leadership. I'm super direct. Very low levels of bureaucracy or process, I'm just kind of like, What's the best way to get from here to there? Okay, let's do it. I'm also kind of creative and free flowing and let's share ideas . For more media buying tips, agency news, and case studies, subscribe to our weekly   Paid Media Insights  newsletter.