23d • General discussion
State of the Media World for 11.12.2025
An update on a few things we're doing here
Main topics covered:
- Higher CPMs & Lower CTRs: Costs are climbing, especially in financial niches where messaging is restricted.
- Device Targeting Adjustments: In some campaigns, disabling mobile and focusing on desktop + connected TVis maintaining CPAs—even if volume drops.
- Phone Number Policy Issues: Ads with tracking numbers (CallRail, Twilio, GHL, etc.) can trigger policy flags—especially if the number’s history is poor.
- Audience Targeting Updates: Testing mixed audience stacks (3–5 in-market/affinity segments + keyword custom segment + 5% lookalike of Google engaged audience) is currently outperforming pure broad targeting.
- False Negatives in Ad Tests: Great ads can fail early due to randomization. Duplicating test campaigns (2–3 clones) often reveals winners hidden by bad test luck.
- Ad Style That’s Working: Desktop/TV ads using AI avatars cut on green screen with clear offer overlays perform well. Google now auto-generates QR codes on Demand Gen conversion campaigns—use them.
- AI Short-Form Content Strategy: Building 3–5 AI-generated short videos per day (100–150/month) across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and IG to gather engagement data. Run small paid boosts to identify which hooks, styles, or avatars attract the right audience.
- Evolving Funnel Approach: Moving toward a two-step system — first run short “educational/top-of-funnel” AI videos to build video-view audiences, then retarget those with conversion ads. This builds first-party data inside each platform, protecting against tracking and policy changes.
- Community Update: Weekly live calls are paused. Members should post questions in the group; Ian will reply with Loom videos or detailed responses asynchronously.
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State of the Media World for 11.12.2025
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