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Table of Contents

• Marketing News

  • Your VSL is COSTING you MORE than you make.

  • We're in a period of rapid change in marketing.

  • Beware the Ecom Data Mafia.

  • 2025 Prediction: Here’s how Meta could instantly squash AppLovin.

  • Scale your brand

Your VSL is COSTING you MORE than you make.

We're in a period of rapid change in marketing.

The paths to be a CMO: brand, product marketing, sales & demand generation.

But no matter which path a CMO takes, one thing is certain the challenges they face today are different from those in '21, in '08, and significantly different than before. The role has evolved into a balancing act, requiring a mix of strategy, data, understanding of customers, and technology like never before.

Here’s why the job has become so tough:

➡️ Technology Overload: The martech ecosystem has ballooned to over 11,000 tools. CMOs are tasked with building a seamless tech stack that drives results, aligns with sales, and integrates with the rest of the business. Oh, and don’t forget proving ROI on every investment.

➡️ AI is Changing the Game: There is a mad rush to understand AI and its capabilities. At the same time, it's always changing (Operator, DeepSeek, and more tools every day).

➡️ Balancing Brand and Revenue: Customers expect a brand they can believe in. CEOs expect marketing to deliver measurable growth. The challenge? Building a brand the market admires while demonstrating real business impact at the same time.

➡️ Demand Gen Has Transformed: What used to be lead generation is now full-funnel engagement. CMOs must understand not only who their buyers are but how and when they want to engage—then deliver meaningful experiences that drive revenue and retention.

To top all of this off, they must be able to communicate the needs and value of this to the board, CFO and CEO.

Beware the Ecom Data Mafia.

You don’t need fancy attribution tools.

Or dashboards stuffed with 40 metrics.

They don’t inform. They overwhelm.

They cloud judgment.

Save your money.

Cut the fat from your stack.

Instead, track this:

1. Gross Profit = Net Sales – COGS

2. Cont. Profit = Gross Profit – MKTG

3. Net Profit = Cont. Profit – FIXED

4. If CP > Fixed, scale

5. If NP improves, keep scaling

6. If NP drops, dial back

7. Even if CP > Fixed, cut waste

* E.g., bloated attribution SaaS

8. Target 15% NP

From Mike

2025 Prediction: Here’s how Meta could instantly squash AppLovin.

Beyond the hype, AppLovin is just a platform that makes it easy for smaller DTC brands to buy programmatic inventory within mobile apps.

These monetized apps usually have really bad, low relevance ads. So it's no surprise that showing high relevance product ads would lead to great performance.

Programmatic mobile inventory has been around for a decade. But it's been hard to access if you're a small brand. It's intimating to understand. It's hard to measure. It can be expensive to get started.

AppLovin nailed its mission to make this inventory accessible and approachable. They deserve the credit they are getting.

But, let's not forget what Meta is best at. Being second to market and squashing the competition.

Threads was a clone of Twitter.

Reels was a clone of TikTok.

Stories was a clone of Snapchat.

Marketplace was a clone of Craigslist.

Check-ins was a clone of Foursquare.

Even Facebook was a clone of Harvard Connect, Friendster, and MySpace.

But most importantly, Meta has figured out how to extend its core ad platform to other channels. First Instagram, then Audience Network, then Messenger, then WhatsApp.

So what happens if Meta clones AppLovin and launches AudienceNetwork 2.0 with expansive mobile app inventory?

Every Meta ad buyer would get instant access to the same inventory offered via AppLovin. With less friction, less effort, and less barrier to entry.

This is the big tech playbook. They watch competitors take the big risk to test new ideas and learn what's working. Then they swoop in to become the winner-take-all.

There's nothing stopping Meta from doing this. It's just a matter of time.

Want to scale your brand?

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