The Thrive Performance Marketing Blog
Learn about all things performance marketing and paid digital with the Thrive blog.Ugly ads are better than polished ones
Ugly creative is more effective than highly produced creative— or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode seven of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, you’ll learn how we define ugly creative, what pattern interrupt is, how to harness more unconventional creative in your ad program, and why ugly creative is so useful. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.
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Automated campaigns take advantage of marketers
Automation isn’t the holy grail we’ve been promised — or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode six of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, we tell you what exactly advertising automation is, where we think it goes wrong, how it takes advantage of busy marketers, how we use it, where we test to ensure its effectiveness, and more. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.
2 minute readWhen to expand advertising beyond Google and Meta
Marketing teams should think about expanding beyond Google and Meta— or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode five of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, we discuss why so much ad spend goes into these two channels, how to better optimize them to get the most out of your investment, what “di-worsification” is, why and when to start considering new channels, and where to expand. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.
2 minute readMarketers should be taking more big swings
Marketers are playing it too safe with their advertising dollars and losing money and opportunity because of it. They should be taking more big swings — or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode four of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, we talk about what big swings are, what marketers lose when they play it too safe, how to take calculated big swings, finding the right opportunities and budget, getting team buy-in, and more. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.
2 minute readIncrementality is the only important marketing metric
Incrementality is the only metric that matters — or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode two of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, we delve into the challenges and considerations of using incrementality as your primary method of understanding marketing effectiveness. Our chat includes seasonality, how long these tests take, and the level of sophistication required for different advertising programs. Learn about the importance of regular testing, questioning assumptions in marketing measurement, and how to start your own incrementality tests. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.
2 minute readDoes in-platform reporting show business results?
In-platform reporting doesn't show business results — or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode two of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, we get into why the data from in-platform analytics is easy to manipulate, how too many data points can hurt your reporting (or data puke as Eric so eloquently calls it), and where to use in-platform reporting. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety.
2 minute readHow should we use the marketing funnel in 2024?
It’s time to retire the marketing funnel. Or at least, that was our hypothesis going into episode one of our new video series, The Hypothesis. Over the course of the episode, we talked about how marketers use the funnel today, where they go wrong, how they can use it to their benefit, how we think of it for ads, and where we see this concept 5 years from now. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to get this conversation in its entirety. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.
2 minute readMeasuring incrementality with geo experiments
TL;DR: Geo experiments can show us the real sales impact of ad campaigns but should be designed and interpreted carefully. These experiments assess how advertising influences sales without compromising privacy, dividing regions into test and control groups. It's crucial to consider regional variables, historical data shifts, and test duration when designing experiments — validating results through multiple tests is essential. This form of measurement can help us with over-reliance on cookie-based attribution.
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How to use influencer marketing in your next campaign
Influencer marketing strategies to consider for your next campaign TL;DR Influencer marketing is an important component in your social media strategy amidst declining organic reach. Key tactics include prioritizing authenticity, emphasizing engagement over follower count, leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC) creators, focusing on storytelling, aligning values and content style, and selecting influencers adept at platform-specific content creation.
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