What I’m Reading, Saving, and Rethinking

Happy Friday! Every week, I save dozens of posts, articles, and newsletters that challenge my thinking. Here's what stood out this week and why I think it's worth your time too.

🔥 This Week's Saves

🔗 The Effectiveness Equation — Google Research Report

Summary
Google argues that true marketing effectiveness is about multiplying strengths across creative, media, measurement, and organization, going beyond just spending more on ads. But there's another important piece inside the report that often gets missed: How incremental sales actually respond to ad exposure and why the relationship isn’t linear.

Why It Matters

Google presents a model where incremental sales = a function of impressions across different channels.

• Incremental sales is about how much exposure you create, not necessarily how much you spend.

• Different channels (like Meta Ads, Google Ads, OTT, etc.) each have their own effectiveness score (how well impressions turn into sales).

• As you get more impressions, the return per impression eventually shrinks (this is called diminishing returns).

My Take

While Google’s "Effectiveness Equation" is a useful mental model, it’s worth staying critical.

• The equation looks scientific, but the inputs (like "creative quality" or "organizational effectiveness") aren’t easy to measure objectively.

• It treats each factor as independent, when in reality they interact — good creative improves media efficiency, good measurement improves creative, fast teams improve everything.

• It doesn’t account for external factors like market saturation, competition, or broader economic shifts that impact effectiveness beyond what you control.

• And of course, remember that Google benefits when you invest more into creative, measurement, and media — services they sell tools for.

Bottom line
Multipliers like creative, media, and measurement matter…but so do market forces, team dynamics, and scale. Great marketing isn’t a simple equation. It’s a complex system.

🔗 Unlock the Power of Search — Google

Summary
Google argues that search isn’t just a bottom-funnel tool for harvesting demand. Search ads actually build brand awareness, consideration, and intent…compounding over time across the full customer journey.

Why It Matters

Google shows that search ads:

• Drive incremental revenue by creating exposure early in the decision journey, not just at the point of purchase.

• Multiply the impact of other channels: people often search after seeing brand, TV, or social ads.

• Increase brand metrics like awareness (+9%), consideration (+7%), and purchase intent (+8%) when run always-on.

• Are undervalued when measured by last-click attribution alone — you need experiments that measure true incrementality.

My Take

While Google's data is convincing about the broader impact of search, it's important to stay critical:

• The report doesn’t fully address the cost of running always-on search: CAC might rise if you chase impressions too broadly without targeting.

• "Always-on" visibility sounds good, but in competitive markets, brand search can get bid up quickly by competitors, inflating costs without clear incremental returns.

• Search is more effective when paired with strong brand-building elsewhere. It’s not a silver bullet on its own.

• And again, remember: Google benefits when you view search as a full-funnel must-have, because it encourages more ad spend across broader query categories.

Bottom line
Search can be a full-funnel engine but only if it’s integrated carefully with your broader marketing strategy. Treat search as a multiplier, not a savior.

🔗 The Uncomfortable Truth About Meta’s Purchase Conversion Objective

Summary
Preston Rutherford highlights that Meta's "Purchase" campaign objective primarily targets a narrow segment of users: those who click on ads and make purchases within short attribution windows (1 or 7 days). This focus overlooks a significant portion of potential customers who exhibit buying intent but don't fit this specific behavior pattern.

Why It Matters

• Limited Reach: By optimizing for immediate conversions, advertisers may miss out on high-intent users who take longer to convert or engage differently.

• Rising Costs: The competition for this small audience segment increases ad costs, as many advertisers vie for the same users.

• Misleading Metrics: Short-term attribution models can create an illusion of performance, potentially leading to misguided marketing strategies.

My Take

It’s important to recognize how Meta’s system actually works:

• Meta’s "Purchase" objective optimizes for fast converters but not necessarily the best customers long-term.

• It encourages brands to chase short-term wins, which can distort acquisition strategy over time.

• It often overlooks high-quality customers who require more touchpoints, longer buying cycles, or who discover brands through multiple channels before converting.

And of course, remember: Meta benefits when advertisers fight over the same small pool of "easy converters," which drives up CPMs and CPA.

Bottom line
If you only optimize for fast conversions, you may be systematically ignoring your best customers. Balance short-term performance with long-term customer value, even if Meta’s default settings push you toward short-termism.

This newsletter is for you. What marketing challenges are you facing in your startup journey? Reply directly to this email with your questions or topics you'd like to see covered in future issues.

Until next week,

Adam

P.S. Found this helpful? Forward it to another founder who might benefit—we're all in this together.