(LOS ANGELES) April 15, 2024 -- Exverus Media has hired Melanie Mogey as Media Planning Supervisor on the Dymatize team. Melanie has been in the advertising world for 17 years, starting as a graphic designer for the University of South Florida newspaper, where she discovered her advertising passion for media. She spent 16 years honing her skills at a Colorado Springs agency, starting in traffic and climbing the ranks to the Media & Integrated Strategy Department, serving automotive brands, not-for-profits, banks, and medical accounts. She thrives as an extension to her clients’ teams and finds immense satisfaction in seeing her media plans come to life. Exverus Media is a data-driven media agency based in Los Angeles, amplifying global, growth-stage brands through CTV, video, out-of-home, experiential, retail media, paid social, paid search, and programmatic advertising. Our omnichannel media campaigns combine precise research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust. Exverus is Adweek 's 2024 Breakthrough Agency of the Year and 2x Ad Age Small Media Agency of the Year . Follow us on LinkedIn here or Instagram here . For all press inquiries, contact: Michelle.Andrade@exverus.com

The prestigious honor goes to agencies who have shown significant growth & innovation in the last 5 years. We are honored to be named Adweek’s Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year !! 🏆 Our talented team and brave clients earned this award through their creativity, tenacity, and honesty.  “Exverus clients appreciate the customization and personalized attention they get from the agency, as is evidenced by the brand Stella & Chewy’s , a raw pet food company that found Exverus because it could help the brand punch above its weight in the crowded pet food market.  ‘They have the years of experience, but they also are incredibly nimble and are able to be reactive in the moment and adjust to suit our needs in a really thoughtful way”, Betsy Radue, senior director of media, PR, and digital marketing for Stella & Chewy’s told Adweek.  ‘One of the best things about Exverus is how they really focus on prioritization and keep us honest about the metrics that matter to our business goals.." - Doug Cornille, chief growth officer at BellRing Brands [parent company of Premier Nutrition Company] Cornille added that the Exverus team is extremely proactive, challenging the brand and ensuring it has the best media plans.” Read more about our decade of successful campaigns for brands like CLIF Bar, New Belgium & Bell’s Brewery, and Kum & Go here:  https://www.adweek.com/agencies/adweek-breakthrough-media-agency-of-the-year-exverus-media/   For media strategy tips, research, and analysis; subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights   newsletter for free here .

Time to send that old sales funnel to the antique shop and build holistic media strategies that convert for the long term. Are you still using the funnel to represent your brand's marketing campaigns? It's OK, we get it! The funnel looks clean and is easy to understand. But today's campaigns aren't so simple. The Marketing Funnel is Dead. No longer do consumers learn about, consider, and purchase products in neat, linear progression as they once did. (Actually, did they ever?) Shopper journeys are messy, unpredictable, and constantly evolving in our omnichannel world. In our latest whitepaper, " Put that Funnel in the Antique Shop: Rethink Your Customer Journeys to Maximize ROI ," we'll break down: Why the linear marketing funnel is dead for brand strategy The latest research in building better frameworks What modern marketers are doing to drive brand growth Why most media channels are becoming full-funnel, including retail media and social commerce How not to fall into the trap of short-termism and play the long game instead If you're ready to break down channel siloes and embrace a more holistic approach to marketing and media strategy, we wrote this guide just for you. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights   newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

The prestigious honor goes to one excellent media strategist industry-wide annually. Exverus Media's VP of Media Strategy Tasha Day has won the prestigious Campaign US title of Media Buyer/Planner of the Year for 2024! The winners were announced at a ceremony in New York City on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Tasha describes  Leading Lightly: Lower Your Stress, Think with Clarity, and Lead with Ease  by Jody Michael as one of her favorite leadership books. As it turns out, she also epitomizes what the book describes as “mental fitness”: the ability to engage constructively and positively in life and work every day, no matter what stressors she encounters. Day brings [19] years of media planning experience to her current role as VP, managing media strategy and operations across all but one of Exverus’ clients. Her leadership helped pull the agency out of the pandemic and into 145% growth in three years. From Stella & Chewy’s Petfluencer Contest to [winning] Tiger Woods’ TGL Golf, she is able to focus on both the small details and the big-picture ideas. Stella & Chewy’s Petfluencer Contest was one of the company’s most successful programs ever. Pet owners used Exverus’ location data technology 269% over projections, while boosted influencer posts resulted in four times the landing page traffic. Day’s use of data-enriched storytelling allowed consumers to feel seen, which was crucial to the smooth rollout of media plans.  Watch Tasha talk more about this wildly successful campaign and how it naturally collected robust sets of zero-party data for the brand: Tasha helped pull Exverus out of the pandemic and up to 145% growth in 3 years while caring for a family, home, and herself. The agency celebrated industry-leading growth of 53% from 2022-2023 and has received numerous other industry accolades this year. She also initiated Exverus’ Sharing is Caring program, in which rotating team members present on industry topics to the rest of the agency. Recent topics included “The Role of Paid Search in a Media Plan”, “How to Best Utilize Chat-GPT in Marketing”, and “Taking Feedback Well”. Exverus has earned its place as one of LA Times' Top Places to Work for 2023 , largely thanks to Tasha's leadership, as reflected in the agency's remarkable 92% employee retention rate in 2022 and consistently high ratings by her staff. Tasha is mental fitness epitomized (and powered by technology). Top-tier industry publications regularly cite Tasha’s expertise, and her hard work is a key ingredient of our agency’s numerous award wins. She was recently the only agency representative chosen to speak on a major conference panel about how CPG brands can build up consumer data while respecting privacy and trust , something Tasha and her team are mastering every day. She explains how Stella & Chewy's used consumer data to build another successful, experiential campaign for long-term customer loyalty , and how data informs all of the media strategies her teams build: See all the Campaign US 2024 Agency of the Year winners here .

Cinematic trailer-style ads play in theaters where craft IPAs are poured (LOS ANGELES) Feb 14, 2024 – Just in time for Valentine's Day movie dates, New Belgium Brewing Voodoo Ranger is launching Tropic Force IPA with a media campaign targeting beer drinkers across the nation with a cinematic twist. As part of an end-to-end customer experience, movie trailer-style TV spots will run across streaming video, online ticketing sites, and even play in theaters where Voodoo Ranger is served. “Tropic Force is one of our most important innovations of 2024 and we wanted to launch the brand in a unique way”, says Dave Knospe, Senior Director of Brand for Voodoo Ranger. “We wanted to play up the cinematic nature of our new TV spot, so using cinema placements at theaters where drinkers can enjoy Voodoo Ranger beers was a natural fit.” Voodoo Ranger, made by New Belgium Brewing, is the #1 craft beer brand in the US. Tropic Force IPA is the latest addition to its Force line of beers and it features tropical natural flavors and a full-throttle 9.5% ABV.  Voodoo Ranger works with Los Angeles-based media agency Exverus Media and Boulder-based creative agency Fact & Fiction. Exverus Media won the New Belgium & Bell’s brewery account in 2023.  The Exverus Media team, led by Shelby Dolan, targeted theaters that serve Voodoo Ranger and placed the trailers just before the lights drop for maximum impact. To supplement the theater ads, the team purchased Homepage Takeovers on ticketing websites for the opening weekends of guaranteed hits.  “Voodoo Ranger is a vibrant, energetic brand for adventurous, drinking-age adults, so meeting them on the big screen in winter makes total sense”, says Dolan.   About Voodoo Ranger IPA Voodoo Ranger, made by New Belgium Brewing, is the fastest-growing and #1 brand in craft beer. Initially launched as three beers in 2017, Voodoo Ranger has released over 20 beers in the past few years including Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA and Juice Force IPA. About Exverus Media Exverus Media is an award-winning, data-driven media agency dedicated to growing modern brands . Our omnichannel strategies combine precise market research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus dedicates itself to transparency and long-term client trust. Exverus is the 6x-winner of Adweek 's Media Plan of the Year Award and 2x Ad Age  Small Media Agency of the Year. Media Contact Michelle Andrade michelle.andrade@exverus.com  | +1.919.219.3571

The newest e-commerce platform boasts the full funnel, but not all brands are on board. It's undeniable that TikTok has swiftly evolved from a source of entertainment to a bustling marketplace. With users in the US alone spending over $363 million on TikTok Shop purchases in November, it's evident that the platform's direction has taken a seismic shift. But what does this mean for marketers and advertisers? Is TikTok Shop the New Mall? For many, the transition of TikTok into a shopping destination might feel abrupt -- we're accustomed to scrolling through dance challenges and recipe videos, not virtual storefronts. But with over 150 million users in the US, the potential customer base is too ripe for many brands to ignore. However, despite the allure of tapping into this massive audience, some brands are hesitant to jump on the TikTok Shop bandwagon. Concerns about the proliferation of low-cost, low-quality products flooding the platform may deter those who want to maintain a luxurious, exclusive brand image. Combining Entertainment with E-Commerce For brands contemplating their next move, it's crucial to recognize that TikTok's identity is evolving. Rather than viewing TikTok Shop as a separate entity from the platform's core functionality, it's more productive to see it as an extension. It's a seamless integration of discovery and entertainment with tangible product purchases. TikTok Shop is the full funnel: awareness, influence, and purchase on one page. While it's true that the TikTok Shop hasn't yet translated into profits for parent company ByteDance, its pivot towards e-commerce signals long-term sustainability. This shift underscores the platform's potential as a lucrative marketplace. Crafting a TikTok Shop Strategy So, what's the optimal strategy for marketers in this evolving landscape? Rather than shying away from the TikTok Shop, there's a way to embrace it strategically. By carefully curating products and implementing effective paid media campaigns, brands can strike a balance between leveraging TikTok's popularity and preserving their brand image. Finding success on TikTok requires understanding both of its "faces": the entertainment side and the commerce side. Whether you're creating your own social content or working with influencers, the content can't be siloed from the sales. TikTok is reportedly planning to make all videos shoppable one day, so they must be considered in tandem. As the platform strengthens the relationship between social media and commerce, savvy marketers have an opportunity to carve out their niche in this new ecosystem. In conclusion, while TikTok's transformation into a virtual shopping mall may feel unfamiliar, it presents an exciting opportunity for marketers willing to navigate this new terrain. By embracing strategic adaptation and leveraging the platform's immense reach, brands can position themselves for success in the ever-evolving world of e-commerce. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

Company culture awards based upon anonymous employee satisfaction surveys Independent media agency Exverus Media of Hollywood, CA has been named one of Southern California's Best Workplaces in 2023 by the LA Times B2B Publishing team. Awards were given out to 65 organizations, divided into two size categories, based upon the results of anonymous employee satisfaction surveys administered by third-party firm DataJoe LLC. The list was published in a special Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Forum magazine because, "when factors such as diversity, equity, inclusion, communication and transparency from leadership and true growth opportunities are present at a workplace, great things are bound to happen." "Creating an agency where employees feel supported being themselves and doing meaningful work has been our priority since day one", says Bill Durrant, Exverus president and co-founder. "We're grateful to be recognized by our city among such respectable organizations." Exverus has had women and people of color in founding and executive leadership positions since its inception in 2014 – we were built on a vision of inclusion and belonging way before they became popular buzzwords. Of our 40+ employees, a majority identify as people of color and/or LGBTQIA+; also, easily a quarter of Exverians are working parents, with whom we provide the flexibility and compensation needed to integrate work and family life in an expensive city. Our retention rate for the last year was an outstanding 92%, and we have not done any layoffs. For all press inquiries, please contact Michelle Andrade at michelle.andrade@exverus.com .

The decentralization of social media networks will require social marketers to adapt. Social media has long been under fire for creating echo chambers that keep users locked into their perspectives, spreading misinformation, and harming teens' mental health. The revolving door of trends, new platform features rolling out every week, and the inundation of advertisements are constant thorns in the craw of every social media user. But what if there was a way to break out of these limitations and create a decentralized, user-controlled social media experience? Enter the fediverse, a new ad tech word sandwich combining "federated" and "universe." What is the meaning of fediverse? What is the purpose of the fediverse? How does the fediverse affect marketers? What is the meaning of fediverse? The fediverse will be a large, decentralized social network that aims to re-connect and re-imagine what we know as social media. Instead of having a different user account for each centralized network (i.e., Instagram or TikTok), the Fediverse will allow you to have one user account for many interconnected platforms and communities. Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads have already agreed to join and allow their users to communicate across platforms. Whether or not the fediverse actually comes into being depends upon other major platforms joining, too. What is the purpose of the fediverse? Decentralizing social media is all about ownership and control. When you use centralized social media platforms, you give up your data, content, and personal information to a corporation that commodifies it. For advertisers, that's a goldmine. But for users, it can lead to privacy breaches and data misuse. And it can be a barrier to sign-up and engagement. It's the reason Jack Dorsey started Bluesky. Even Mark Zuckerberg understands that users want more control over their data, recently stating, “Not everyone wants to use one product...and I think making it so that they can use an alternative but can still interact with people on the network will make [the] product more valuable.” How does the fediverse affect marketers? It's not all bad news for social media advertisers and brand marketers. As more and more people turn to the Fediverse for a more user-controlled social media experience, advertisers will have to adapt and find new ways to reach their target audience. This could mean creating sponsored content that is more relevant and less intrusive than traditional ads or collaborating with influencers through the fediverse. For inspiration, look at Reddit or Quora to understand how to craft natural, branded responses to questions being asked by users . This can position your company as a source that adds and builds upon the discourse on the network rather than an impediment. Perhaps if users are served ads on a platform they actually trust, they'll be more responsive. Ultimately, the goal of the fediverse is to create a more open internet, one where users have control over their data and content, and communities can thrive without fear of censorship or algorithms that prioritize profit over user experience. To learn more about the impact of the fediverse on the advertising industry, check out these excellent explainers by Ad Age and Digiday . This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights   newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

Amazon joins the ranks of streamers offering ad tiers, and new data shows viewers embrace the format. Back in June 2023, we discussed Amazon Prime Video's announcement of a forthcoming ad-supported streaming subscription tier, and while we were sipping eggnog and counting down, they rolled it out! Come January 29th, subscribers face a choice: pay an additional $2.99 monthly or embrace intermittent ads during their beloved Prime Originals. This announcement from Amazon mirrors an industry-wide trend: a surge in ad-supported payment tiers across streaming platforms. Surprisingly, user acceptance of this model is soaring. Embracing the Rise of Ad-Supported Streaming Contrary to expectations, consumers are showing a growing inclination toward ad-supported streaming. Recent data from Antenna highlights a notable shift. During the first half of 2023, 25% of new sign-ups opted for ad-supported tiers , a substantial leap from the 20% recorded in 2021. This remarkable upswing within a mere two-year span signifies a changing dynamic in viewer preferences. Platforms in the Spotlight: Ad-Supported Success Stories In the realm of ad-supported streaming, Hulu stands tall, reigning with the largest user base on these tiers. Nevertheless, competitors like Peacock and Paramount+ are gaining ground swiftly, offering their own ad-supported alternatives. Forecasts suggest that by 2024, almost two-thirds of users on these platforms will gravitate towards ad-supported tiers. Notably, newcomers Netflix and Disney+ are primed for substantial gains, with projected increases of 69.7% and 45.1% in their ad-watching audiences, respectively. We'll see how Prime Video fits into the mix! "The influx of ad-supported streaming as a whole will give media buyers a big-picture sense of how their CTV ad spend measures up against other channels like retail or social media." A Lucrative Intersection: CTV and Advertisers For streamers, the surge in ad-supported subscriptions translates into a dual benefit: a broader avenue to engage audiences and a steady influx of revenue from advertisers. This burgeoning trend means a consistent stream of income for platforms, as users increasingly opt for ad-inclusive tiers. The financial upturn is not only a testament to user acceptance but also a lucrative opportunity for marketers seeking to tap into engaged audiences. For brands, the proliferation of ad-supported streaming spells favorable news. The expansion of premium, targetable inventory on Connected TV (CTV) heralds a significant breakthrough. The increased ad supply alleviates the long-standing struggle with CPM inflation , offering brand marketers a broader canvas to showcase their offerings to a more receptive audience. However, as we previously discussed , Amazon is a walled garden , meaning that limited viewership analytics and first-party data will be released to advertisers. But the influx of ad-supported streaming as a whole will give media buyers a big-picture sense of how their CTV ad spend measures up against other channels like retail or social media. The forthcoming months promise an exciting trajectory for both streaming services and advertisers. It's not just a trend; it's a seismic shift in how viewers engage with content. We're keeping a close eye on all the latest developments in CTV and programmatic advertising , so subscribe to our free, weekly newsletter to know what the experts know.

Worried about third-party cookies going away and need zero party data? Our VP, Tasha Day, gave a stellar talk at the MediaPost Brand Insider Summit: CPG in Santa Barbara, CA spilling the beans on how to get ahead of the game. She uses the example of a multichannel media campaign we did in 2023 for Stella & Chewy's in which target pet owners were directed to their local pet store with location data ad tech , invited to scan a QR code and enter info to win a real-life billboard photo of them with their pet! The campaign successfully drove in-store foot traffic, collected thousands of email addresses for Stella & Chewy's CRM, and cultivated long-term customer loyalty all at once. Triple win! Learn the secrets of how Tasha's team accomplished this in the video above, and subscribe to Exverus' YouTube channel for more media strategy ideas and effective marketing campaign examples. Or, if you're more of a reader, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter here .

Nearly three-quarters of consumers have been trying new shopping behaviors in the past year, but the real story was the rise of mobile commerce . Q3 of 2020 garnered $28 billion of transactions on mobile apps alone, and 40% of shoppers are turning to their phones before shopping in-store. So, how can your brand benefit from this tidal shift? 3 Ways Mobile Commerce Can Build Brand Loyalty: 1. Become a One-Stop Shop Customers are looking for one app to shop, get advice, and access new releases instantly. Having a flagship app has proved to be a success for major brands like Adidas, who after expanding their app to include digital drops, personal stylists, and visual product search, saw digital sales go up 51% in Q3 of 2020! 2. Connect With Audience via Mobile Create a connection with your customers by engaging with them. Gather their user profile details ( first-party data !) to offer a personalized brand experience. Connect with them through social media and email campaigns where they feel valued. 3. Give Exclusive Access to Mobile-Only Offers Exclusive offers that give users first dibs on new products make them feel like a special part of a community. Brands who market these offers drive more urgency and frequency in their customers' purchasing behavior: 58% of shoppers say an exclusive offer would increase their likelihood to purchase. 82% say it would increase how often they shopped with a brand. These app-based loyalty strategies will give you valuable first-party data to influence your future media and conversion opportunities. Keeping your customers' various needs in mind will help you master mobile and earn their loyalty through thick and thin. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter for free here .

Collaboration with ad tech partner PadSquad proves lucrative for the pet food brand. While the decision to invest in mobile advertising may be easy, creatively devising ways to stand out and make a lasting impression is far more challenging. Integrating technological advances like AR in advertising campaigns can help your message stand out from the crowd of static or video social ads. Media strategy agency Exverus Media teamed up with PadSquad , the high-impact advertising experiences leader, to develop a new mobile ad experience for Stella & Chewy’s , the raw natural pet food for dogs and cats. Together, we built an interactive AR experience in which pet parents were encouraged to upload photos with their pets, decorate them with AR frames and filters, and upload them to social media. Try it yourself here! Our interactive programmatic mobile experience helped make Stella & Chewy’s a category leader in just a few months. Nearly a quarter-million users engaged with this campaign, leading to a 702% higher engagement rate than standard benchmarks. Stella & Chewy’s experienced an incremental 2% lift in brand awareness from just this one tactic with a <$500K budget. And the campaign won the 2023 MediaPost OMMA Award for Best Mobile Marketing campaign of the year! “This is the sort of participatory advertising that brands dream of,” said Anna Elema, Media Director at Exverus. “Stella & Chewy’s is now a category competitor with a deeper connection to a growing segment of brand loyalists.” Utilizing technology like AR in advertising campaigns requires a strong ad tech partner, a data-driven media strategy, and personal connections with the target audience. In this case, we tapped into the emotional connection people have with their pets and allowed them to be creative with the ad unit, to make something uniquely their own, and to share photos of their pets, which pet owners already love to do. The case study was featured by Adweek here .