Let's be honest: design, logos, colors, and other visually pleasing marketing materials are a lot of fun to create. However, the rise and popularity of audio have become pivotal for brands, and finding your audio identity is essential. In fact, countless studies have been done on the psychology of audio and how it informs and builds an emotional connection between brands and their audiences. Sounds like Netflix's logo animation intro, McDonald's jingle for "I'm Lovin' It," or even Liberty Mutual's "Liberty" jingle have become memorable and iconic. How would consumers associate with those brands if there were no sounds to accompany them? Think about what sounds should exemplify your brand, from podcasts to live audio, commercials, and social media. When a brand chooses the right audio, it can catch on and be more than just an ad or piece of content; it becomes part of your brand's identity. Here are three quick tips to help you get started on identifying your brand's audio identity. 1. Know your customers Whom are you selling to, and what sounds will appeal most to them? Research the average age of your customer, what kind of brands they enjoy the sound of, and what they're looking for from your company. 2. What emotion do you want to convey? Think about how you want your customers to feel when they interact with your brand. Do you want them to feel calm, happy, relaxed, or excited? Each will sound different from the others, so it's essential to choose the one you want your customers to feel and ensure your audio matches that choice. 3. Be consistent Like any marketing strategy, it's important to make sure your tone shines through in your audio branding, no matter where your customers interact with it. Whether through a jingle or a voice, make sure you select the right sounds for your brand, who share its voice, and the perception you want to create for your company.

Why podcasts, streaming ads, and even AM/FM radio are essential marketing channels in 2023 Last week , we discussed the importance of creative visuals in ad campaigns for authentic brand-building. Creative diversification is imperative for telling stories in a manner best received by the target audience and preventing ad fatigue. But equally important is the way your advertisement SOUNDS. TV commercials, radio spots, social and video ads can worm their way into a listener's ears (if they weren't paying attention before!) and stay in their memory long afterward. (How easily could you recall the "Nationwide is on your side" jingle?) In fact, 60% of listeners' ad engagement carries over from the audio content heard immediately before , according to 2023's Sonic Science Volume 2 study. Creating excellent audio ads is part of building your brand's identity as well as selling your product. Learn more about the effectiveness and impact of audio advertising below. W hy is audio advertising effective? H ow can audio ads build a brand? What are best practices for audio advertising? Why is audio advertising effective? Audio ads have the ability to capture and hold the listener's attention. When people are engaged in audio content, such as streaming music, podcasts, or radio, they are more likely to pay attention to the ads that play during those moments. Well-crafted jingles, voiceovers, and music can evoke strong feelings and associations , making the ad more memorable. Another reason audio advertising is effective is the ability to reach well-targeted audiences. With the rise of streaming services and digital radio, advertisers can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring that their message reaches the right audience at the right time. This precision targeting can lead to higher conversion rates. On the backend of campaigns, d igital audio platforms often provide detailed analytics , allowing advertisers to track the performance of their ads. This data can help refine targeting, messaging, and overall ad strategy for better results. How can audio ads build a brand? Audio ads can thoroughly convey a brand's message, values, and identity. Repeated exposure to a consistent audio branding strategy helps reinforce brand recognition and recall. When consumers encounter the brand later, they are more likely to remember it due to the familiarity established through audio advertising. There's a reason brands pay top dollar for podcast host-read ads. By associating itself with a listener's favorite podcast hosts, musical artists, or radio shows, a brand can gain credibility and relevance among its intended demographic. Omnichannel is everything: Audio advertising can be part of a larger multichannel marketing strategy, reinforcing the brand's messaging across various platforms and touchpoints, such as social media, video, and print. What are best practices for audio advertising? Don't just list your product's features; tell your story. Audio ads can tell compelling stories that resonate with listeners. Narratives can illustrate the brand's values, history, or mission, making it more relatable and humanizing the brand. Google recommends using a consistent tone and tempo. For 30-second ads, aim for 55-75 words. And be conversational! A friendly tone helps listeners smoothly transition between entertainment content and ads. Finally, Spotify Audio Ads recommends employing "a combination of background music and sound effects [to] instantly conjure a mood and give context to your core message." The professional media buyers at Exverus do audio advertising for brands directly through platforms like Spotify and programmatically every day. If you have questions or thoughts about how best to get a brand into consumers' ears, drop us a comment below. We'd love to hear from you! This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

The precise, contextual targeting and emotional resonance of programmatic audio advertising are a big hit with brands. Did you know the vast reach and effectiveness of audio advertising can now be matched with the efficiency of programmatic buying? Popular music and podcast platforms like Spotify and iHeartRadio can now be bought programmatically, which lets advertisers target precisely defined audiences with the automation of AI. According to data from eMarketer, digital audio ad spend in the US alone is expected to grow by nearly 44% from 2023 to 2027! That’s a booming business. If you've been on the fence about allocating media spend to audio ads, now's the time to dive in strategically and hand your brand the microphone. Are audio ads effective? In short: yes. Audio ads  have the ability to reach well-targeted audiences and capture a listener's attention. They can thoroughly convey a brand's message, values, and identity  and resonate with a listener emotionally if you employ a strategic sonic branding  strategy ahead of time. Repeated exposure to a consistent audio branding strategy helps reinforce brand recognition and recall , and by associating itself with a listener's favorite podcast hosts, musical artists, or radio shows, a brand can build credibility, relevance, and trust  among its intended demographic. How does programmatic audio work? Just like with CTV, display, or any other programmatically bought channel, programmatic audio advertising is the process of buying audio inventory (radio, streaming music apps, podcasts, etc) through automated means  using a demand-side platform (DSP) and a supply-side platform (SSP). Audio SSPs include Spotify and iHeartRadio, and audio DSPs include Basis Technologies and SmartyAds. A good media agency has partnerships with various ad tech vendors to get your brand the most functionality for the least investment possible. Programmatic Advertising: FAQs for CMOs What are the advantages of programmatic audio advertising? A. Unparalleled Reach and Engagement Audio is an intimate medium. People listen to music and podcasts while they’re driving, cooking, or exercising – it’s a part of their daily routine. If your brand can reach listeners while they’re engaged in daily activities and listening to content they already enjoy, they’ll likely receive and recall your message in a positive light . And you may be surprised to know that the majority of audio listeners are not paying for the premium, ad-free versions! B. Contextual Targeting Programmatic buying goes beyond basic demographics. You can target listeners based on specific content genres, interests, and even the time of day  they're most likely to be listening. Imagine reaching fitness enthusiasts during their morning workout session or targeting foodies while they tune into a cooking podcast. This level of contextual relevance ensures your message resonates deeply with the audience, maximizing its impact. C. Retargeting and Amplification By leveraging insights gleaned from audio campaigns, you can retarget listeners in an omnichannel marketing strategy. For instance, a listener engaged with a sports podcast ad can be retargeted with social media ads or CTV commercials highlighting your brand's athletic wear or sports drinks. This creates a "halo effect,"  reinforcing your brand presence across various touchpoints and driving conversions. D. Data-Driven Campaign Optimization In the age of privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies, programmatic audio offers a valuable solution. It empowers brands to collect first-party data  and track campaign performance metrics  with precision. This data allows you to optimize campaigns in real-time, ensuring your budget is maximized and your message reaches the most receptive audiences. Every single one of your target consumers is likely listening to something – music, podcasts, audiobooks – every day. W ith programmatic audio buying, the right ones can hear your message, too. For more media buying news and tips, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

Dec. 4, 2022 (LOS ANGELES) Exverus Media, Inc. welcomes Melissa Andraos to her newly created role of Senior Vice President of Media Strategy, bridging the gap between planning and performance media activation. Melissa brings 20 years of ad agency experience building integrated digital strategies that drive media value, cultivate innovative partnerships, and leverage data-driven insights to evolve brands across various industries. Before joining Exverus Media, Melissa led the development of digital media strategy for notable brands like Lexus, Honda, Cedars Sinai, Pocky, and CoStar, among others. She has earned numerous industry accolades including Adweek Media Plan of the Year, ThinkLA Innovator Category, and Webby awards. Follow her on LinkedIn here . 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 since 2014. 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. For all press inquiries, contact: Michelle.Andrade@exverus.com

Too many CMOs think of IMC as a vague theory or a checklist, but it's a crucial mindset for planning all your media campaigns. Here's how to adapt for 2025. Photo by Olia Danilevich What is integrated marketing communications? Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is commonly known as the coherence of visual cues, narratives, and messaging about a brand across multiple media channels like search, social, and PR . Thanks to Channel V Media for this handy visual! For our purposes as a paid media agency , it's about unifying audience data, building sequential purchase journeys, and analyzing performance from several different advertising  channels holistically, both traditional and digital. But IMC is so much more than brand colors and boilerplates -- it's a mindset to adopt in every touchpoint of your brand's interactions with the world. When planning your marketing and advertising campaigns for 2025, rise above these common misconceptions to leave a lasting impression with your audience and crush your competition! 5 things marketers get wrong about integrated marketing communications (IMC): Consistency isn't just visual branding Many marketers think IMC is just about maintaining consistent logos and color schemes across channels. While that's certainly part of it, IMC is also about creating a unified narrative and emotional experience that resonates consistently across every touchpoint. This means your messaging, tone, and core value proposition must feel seamless whether a customer encounters your brand on social media , through a podcast ad, on TV , or on a billboard . Data integration is more important than channel-specific execution Some marketers focus too narrowly on the tactics and performance of each channel, comparing one to another, but true IMC success hinges on sophisticated data integration. Your customer data from one platform should inform another, allowing you to create truly personalized, contextual experiences. This means breaking down silos between marketing, sales, customer service, and product teams to create a 360-degree view of the customer journey . The 2024 Salesforce State of Marketing Report showed that fully integrated data is more common among high performers, meaning that investing in unification gives marketers an edge. Attribution is often fundamentally misunderstood Traditional, last-click attribution models are so outdated. Modern IMC requires understanding complex, multi-touchpoint customer journeys. You need advanced attribution models that can track and evaluate interactions across channels, recognizing that a podcast might spark initial interest, while a retargeting display ad might nurture consideration, and a personalized email might drive the final conversion. Marketing mix modeling (MMM) or multi-touch attribution (MTA): Which model is best for your campaign? Emotional continuity is just as important as tactical messaging Brands often get trapped in short-term , tactical messaging tied to specific goals or deals, like limited-time offers (LTOs), immediate calls-to-action, or "try it today", rather than communicating broader brand values for long-term positioning. Effective IMC creates an emotional through-line that makes consumers feel consistently understood, regardless of where they interact with your brand. This means developing a deep, nuanced understanding of your brand's emotional promise and ensuring every communication reinforces that core emotional experience. Why media planning is a marathon, not a sprint Tech stack alignment is a strategic imperative Your martech (or, in our case, adtech) stack is more than just a collection of tools -- it's the engine driving your IMC strategy. So they need to be aligned with your goals! For our media plans, we partner with adtech vendors who provide us with rich consumer data and real-time insights for mid-campaign optimizations as needed. Overall, the key is to view integrated marketing communications as not just a tactical checklist, but as the mindset required to build long-term customer relationships. For more ad buying news and tips, join our free, weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter.

SBE offers new ways to test out bidding options, but is it just for the big guys? Search bidding exploration (SBE) is a secret making its way around search engine marketing circles, despite not having been announced publicly by Google. Adweek reports that Google began pitching SBE to advertisers in the third quarter of 2024 and slowly rolling it out to a select group of beta testers. What is Search Bidding Exploration (SBE)? SBE is an AI-powered bidding optimization tool  that helps advertisers understand how different bid adjustments can impact their ad performance and allows them to test those adjustments easily. SBE finds and drives traffic to overlooked pockets of search traffic called lower-traffic queries. A lower-traffic search query is a search term or keyword that receives relatively few searches compared to more commonly searched terms. These queries often have less competition, which can make it easier for websites to rank higher for those specific terms in search engine results pages (SERPs). How does SBE differ from other search marketing tools? AI tools currently in use like Performance Max and Meta’s Advantage+ tool face criticism because they tend to target audiences who would convert regardless of targeting. SBE would be targeting audiences who are not guaranteed to convert, giving companies that take the jump to use it a potential leg up in conversion.  Key Features SBE offers a new level of experimentation with bidding options in search engine marketing, letting advertisers test the most effective bids in a controlled environment before going live.  SBE leverages historical performance data to optimize bid strategy testing for low-traffic queries, enabling search marketers to predict campaign performance across different conditions. In this way, SBE can instill a higher level of confidence in search marketers as they navigate machine learning and predictive analytics tools.   Budget Constraints SBE seems to have the potential to be the 'it' tool for search optimization; however, there's one catch: SBE currently seems primed for campaigns with larger budgets. This raises the question, will big brands continue to grow bigger?  Google is already oversaturated with advertisements and campaigns from big-budget brands, and AI-powered search is supposed to prioritize the best quality answer for queries. While plans for SBE remain private for now, it will be interesting to see if SBE can improve upon Google’s current model or if it will be more of the same. More Clarity Needed Without much information available from Google yet, advertisers are still curious about its potential for maximizing campaign effectiveness. Since SBE is an automated bidding system, there might not be exact clarity about how or why certain recommendations are made, which might prove frustrating for advertisers. In an age where brand marketers and their agencies need to justify every dollar spent, if there is a lack of transparency, will media buyers even want to use it?  We're keeping a close eye on the development of SBE in 2025 and its potential impact on search advertising. But one thing is for sure – Google's continuing investments in AI and automation are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the world of search engine marketing .  For more media buying news and tips, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

The Festival of Media North America Awards celebrate excellence in marketing, advertising, and media campaigns from agencies large and small. Exverus Media has won the Best Retail Media category at the Festival of Media North America (FOMNA) Awards for Premier Nutrition: Winning Prime Big Deals Day . The honors were given at a ceremony at the Sky Theatre in New York City the evening of December 5, 2024. Premier Nutrition: Winning Prime Big Deals Day was a multichannel paid media campaign that made Premier Protein Shakes the #1 top-selling item across Amazon on Prime Big Deals Day in October 2023! We achieved retail media success by designing a new path to purchase , meeting our target Gen Z and Millennial "Healthy Strivers" where they actually discover and consider brands: social media. Social influencers created engaging videos showcasing our products in their daily lives, resonating with our audience personally. Simultaneously, we employed an Amazon daypart strategy to prioritize ad spend during the historically optimal times of day and a sponsored display remarketing strategy to nurture past Premier Nutrition page viewers down the funnel. The record-breaking sales achievement garnered millions of press impressions. "The final judging session was a dynamic exchange of ideas with jurors thoroughly assessing the outstanding media work that defined North America last year. The level of strategic thinking and execution has set a new bar for media working in the region. What truly stands out is the growing focus on creating campaigns that not only resonate with audiences but also drive lasting impact, reflecting the industry's commitment to pushing boundaries and shaping the future of media." - Leah Mellard, Awards Manager, Festival of Media See all the 2024 winners here ! Founded in 2014, Exverus is a Los Angeles media agency elevating growth-stage brands through full-funnel media planning, traditional and programmatic advertising, retail media & e-commerce, paid search, paid social, and analytics. Our data-driven media plans combine precise market research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust.

A brand marketer's guide to one of the fastest-growing areas of digital media buying If you work in any area of marketing in 2025, you've certainly heard a lot of buzz around programmatic advertising (or programmatic marketing). But what does it really mean, and how's it any different from digital advertising? This quick but comprehensive guide to programmatic media buying will help you build stronger relationships with your media agency and make smarter paid media investments. What is programmatic advertising? What are programmatic advertising platforms? What are the benefits? What are the risks? Which media channels can be bought programmatically? Is Google Ads considered programmatic? What is the difference between digital advertising and programmatic? What is the role of first-party data in programmatic advertising? How is AI used in programmatic advertising? What is programmatic advertising? Programmatic advertising   (or programmatic marketing) is a method of buying and selling digital media (ad inventory) in real time. Programmatic advertising is powered by AI and machine learning to power the auctions themselves, serve targeted ad experiences to consumers, and optimize towards KPIs for efficient marketing efforts. What are programmatic advertising platforms? The programmatic auction has two platform sides: demand-side platforms (DSPs) and supply-side platforms (SSPs) .  DSPs allow ad buyers, inclusive of media agencies (like Exverus), to bid on display, online video, connected TV (CTV) , digital out-of-home media, audio , and rich media across multiple partners in milliseconds. Examples of DSPs include DV360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo, Nexxen, etc. Meanwhile, SSPs allow media owners and publishers to manage their advertising inventory efficiently. Examples of SSPs include Magnite, Google AdX / Ad Manager, PubMatic, and OpenX, among others. What are the benefits of programmatic advertising? Precision Targeting:  Programmatic allows you to target specific audiences based on various criteria such as demographics, interests, and behavior. This precision targeting allows advertisers to reach the right people, at the right time, with the highest likelihood to complete the desired outcome (purchase, video view, download, subscription, etc.) Real-time Optimization:  With programmatic, you can adjust your ad campaigns in real time based on a suite of performance data. This flexibility and ability to learn delivers better results, such as higher click-through rates or conversions. Efficiency and Cost-effectiveness:  Programmatic advertising automates the ad buying process and provides transparency and efficiency. Additionally, the ability to target specific audiences and outcomes reduces wasted ad spend, making advertising campaigns more cost-effective. Access to Premium Inventory:  Programmatic platforms often have access to a wide range of ad inventory (and always expanding), including premium placements on popular websites and apps. This access allows advertisers to reach target audiences across a variety of channels with added visibility, control, and opportunity to optimize towards the most successful tactics and placements. Data-driven Insights:  Programmatic advertising provides detailed data and analytics on campaign performance. This information can help advertisers understand their consumers better and make informed decisions for future campaigns. Cross-device Targeting:  Programmatic advertising reaches people across multiple devices, including desktops, mobile devices, and connected TVs. Brand Safety & Suitability Controls:  Programmatic platforms offer tools to ensure ads are displayed in brand-safe environments pre- and post- bid. These parameters can help protect a brand’s reputation by avoiding ad placement on inappropriate sites or within unsuitable content. High quality media placements yield stronger results.  What are the risks associated with programmatic advertising? Complexity and Fragmentation:  The programmatic advertising ecosystem is complex and fragmented, with multiple platforms and technologies involved. This can make it challenging for advertisers to navigate and optimize their campaigns effectively without a strategic investment and activation strategy in place. Ad Fraud:  One of the biggest concerns with programmatic advertising is ad fraud, where bots or made-for-advertising (MFA) websites generate fake ad impressions. This can lead to wasted ad spend and reduced campaign effectiveness, but there are many ways to protect brands from this risk. Lack of Transparency:  Without proper oversight and transparency, programmatic advertising may seem like an opaque ad buying process, but actually allows for increased transparency and control vs. traditional advertising buying practices. The best way to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of programmatic buying is to work with a seasoned media agency that specializes in media planning and data analysis across the ever-changing traditional and digital media landscape. Which media channels can be bought programmatically? Programmatic platforms can be used to buy media across a variety of channels, such as:  Display Advertising : This includes standard display banner ads, rich media ads, and native ads that are displayed on websites and apps. Video Advertising : This includes pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll video ads on YouTube  and other video streaming services. Optimal video ads are between :06-:30s for digital advertising. Mobile Advertising : Includes all mobile devices, smartphones, and tablets, across apps and mobile websites. Social Media Advertising : Social media platforms offer similar buying platform options for ads, allowing advertisers to target specific audiences on platforms such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. There are also ways to connect social and programmatic activations for continuity in digital advertising campaigns. CTV : Connected TV devices, such as smart TVs and streaming devices, allowing advertisers to reach audiences watching streaming content . Over-the-top (OTT) video content is often included in this category. Audio Advertising : Audio ads   that are played on streaming services, podcasts, and other audio platforms. Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) : Some DOOH  providers offer programmatic buying options, allowing advertisers to purchase ads displayed on digital billboards, screens, and signage -- for example, Vistar and Place Exchange. Paid Search : While not traditionally considered part of programmatic advertising, some platforms offer programmatic buying options for search ads, allowing advertisers to bid on keywords in real time and can connect to other media types for optimization and continuity. Retail / e-Commerce : Includes on and offsite retail media networks, e-commerce digital shelves, and purchase data and trends that can be used for enhanced audience targeting and measurement for online and offline sales. Is Google Ads considered programmatic? Yes! Google’s Display & Video 360 (DV360) platform allows advertisers to programmatically target specific audiences, buy ad inventory across a wide range of channels, and optimize campaigns in real time.  What is the difference between digital advertising and programmatic advertising? Digital advertising  is a broad term that encompasses any form of advertising delivered through digital channels, such as websites, social media, mobile apps, and search engines. It includes both traditional direct buying and programmatic buying.  Programmatic advertising  is a specific method of buying and selling digital ads that uses automation and data to optimize targeting and campaign performance.  What is the role of first-party data in programmatic advertising? Programmatic buying is all about precisely targeting the right audience segments with the right advertisements, so understanding your audience deeply is essential.  First-party data is information collected directly from a brand’s customers. This is the most valuable data because it is unique, relevant, accurate, and in most cases only available to that brand. First-party data is sourced from website behaviors, purchase history, surveys, contact forms, etc. and can also be referred to as CRM data. Comparatively, third-party data is publicly available and comes from other external (sometimes unknown) sources. First-party data enables strong audience builds to implement strategies and tactics within advertising campaigns (re-engagement/retargeting, suppression, modeling/lookalike etc.) (As a side note, zero-party data is information that a current or potential customer has willingly and actively offered, though this is sometimes used interchangeably with first-party data.) In addition to audience targeting, advertisers can also use first-party data for personalized messaging , retargeting, measurement and attribution, and increasing revenue. How is AI used in programmatic advertising? Long before AI became a cultural phenomenon, it was the engine driving programmatic advertising platforms through advanced machine learning. AI-powered algorithms analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and trends in user behavior – that data is used to create highly targeted audience segments based on demographics, interests, and online behavior, as mentioned above.  As AI technology evolves and advances, so too will programmatic buying capabilities. But it’s not perfect yet – let our Managing Director, Talia Arnold, explain: Learn more about the potential use cases for generative AI in media planning  overall, and subscribe to our Paid Media Insights newsletter for more insights and updates on the rapidly evolving world of programmatic advertising.

As AI transforms Google and Bing, a new form of search takes hold of younger adults. Social media is now a search engine Recent data from ForbesAdvisor shows that social media is rapidly overtaking 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! So what does this mean for brands? For starters, prioritizing your presence on social media is no longer optional if you want to connect with younger audiences. 1. Approach your social media strategy with SEO in mind. Keywords in captions perform better than hashtags to meet searchers in discovery mode. Principles of SEO even apply to TikTok, which is ripe for expanding reach and influencing viewers, particularly on its For You page and in search results. Imagine yourself as your target consumer. What are they watching, searching, seeing on Instagram or TikTok? Build your content strategy around that. 2. Optimize your content for mobile and video formats. YouTube's significant search usage highlights the increasing importance of video content . 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 from social platforms. 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 timer 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: Why the shift to social for brand discovery? It largely comes down to trust. 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.   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.   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. Brands need to be welcomed into these spaces, not interrupt them.   We’re not writing the obituary on search yet. But social is making enough noise for us to realign our priorities. This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

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

Los Angeles based media agency wins the MediaPost Online Media & Marketing Award for New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger Megabrand campaign. (OCTOBER 11, 2024) Exverus Media won the 2024 MediaPost Online Media & Marketing Award (OMMA) Best Alcoholic Beverage Marketing Campaign for its work with New Belgium Brewing's Voodoo Ranger IPAs Megabrand. The 360 digital media campaign brought the brand’s visually stunning, edgy creative assets (designed by creative agency Fact & Fiction ) to a carefully chosen mix of programmatically bought premium CTV, Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube, and more. As a result, brand awareness and perceptions lifted exponentially, and the product line surpassed its sales goals for the year. See all the 2024 winners  here .   Exverus Media's New Belgium team is led by Media Director Shelby Dolan and supported by Georgia Schreiner (2023 Ad Age Media Planner of the Year , Marlee Thompson , Anna Acuna , and Kris Chen . Sean Edwards oversaw the programmatic advertising portion of the campaign, while Aaron Silva handled Ad Ops and Charles Lai directed the data analysis. Founded in 2014, Exverus is a Los Angeles headquartered media agency elevating growth-stage brands through full-funnel media planning, traditional and programmatic advertising, retail media & e-commerce, paid search, paid social, and analytics. Our data-driven media plans combine precise market research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust. Follow us on LinkedIn here . New Belgium Brewing was co-founded in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colo., by Kim Jordan, a social worker, who built her company the only way a social worker would: People first. Over the past three decades, New Belgium has turned that ethos into a unique Human-Powered Business model through practices that were and still are rare in the business world: fully paid healthcare premiums for coworkers who need the support, living wage compensation, open-book management, renewable energy sourcing, a free onsite medical clinic and physician, a deep commitment to philanthropy and advocacy, and much more.  Learn more at newbelgium.com . PRESS INQUIRIES: Michelle Andrade michelle.andrade@exverus.com For more media buying news and tips, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter.

Los Angeles headquartered agency also wins 2024 Ad Age Media Campaign of the Year. LOS ANGELES (JULY 25, 2024) -- Exverus Media has been awarded the GOLD title of Ad Age Small Agency of the Year: Media for the second consecutive year, having won the SILVER title the year prior. Ad Age annually bestows the title upon small media agencies who show outstanding revenue growth, employee growth and retention, technological innovations, creativity, and agency culture. Applicants also provide three case studies of successful media campaigns from the previous year. Here's a glimpse of our winning case studies: Ad Age reports: " Exverus has embraced the melding of media channels for clients, using AI-powered ad tech to plan and target marketing to achieve unique business outcomes and tapping into growing channels such as social commerce , retail media networks , and retail ad formats in CTV . " Exverus also took home the silver trophy for Small Agency Media Campaign of the Year 2024 for our ' Premier Nutrition: Winning Prime Day ' campaign, which combined social influencer marketing with retail media dayparting to make Premier Protein shakes the top-selling food/beverage item on Amazon Prime Big Deal Days in October 2023. That same media campaign previously won a WARC Effectiveness Award for Best Path to Purchase in May 2023. Founded in 2014, Exverus is a Los Angeles headquartered media agency elevating growth-stage brands through traditional and programmatic advertising , retail media networks & e-commerce, paid search , social media advertising , and campaign analysis . Our data-driven media plans combine precise market research with creative ideas to confidently allocate every ad dollar for the maximum return. Named for the Latin phrase "from the truth", Exverus is dedicated to transparency and long-term client trust. Our incredible staff of media planners & buyers, performance marketers, ops technicians, and data analysts have shown yet again they're the best in the biz, and we couldn't be more proud or grateful to you all. Time to celebrate!! Please send all press inquiries to Michelle Andrade at michelle.andrade@exverus.com . For more agency news and advertising industry insights; subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights  newsletter here .