The Efficient Spend Podcast

The Future of Marketing Measurement Is Causal | Talgat Mussin

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN FROM PAID MARKETING EXPERTS 🔔 The Efficient Spend Podcast helps start-ups turn media spend into revenue. Learn how the world's top marketers manage their media mix to drive growth! In this episode of The Efficient Spend Podcast, Talgat Mussin, founder of Incrementality Insider and former measurement lead at Google, Amazon, and TikTok, talks about the complexities of marketing measurement and budget optimization. He shares his journey from contractor to industry expert, explains why attribution models are broken, and reveals how to uncover waste in ad spend using frameworks like geo-experimentation and MMM. About the Host: Paul is a paid marketing leader with 7+ years of experience optimizing marketing spend at venture-backed startups. He's driven $250M + in revenue through paid media and is passionate about helping startups deploy marketing dollars to drive growth. About the Guest: Talgat Mussin is a marketing measurement and incrementality strategist with nearly 10 years of experience leading performance for brands at Google, Amazon, and TikTok. As founder of Incrementality Insider, he helps companies cut waste and scale smarter by turning complex causal measurement and experimentation into clear, actionable strategies. VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.efficientspend.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2FnSThTLWRnLUlnWER6dGoxU1ZPWEZfb1hZd3xBQ3Jtc0ttcWxVMlJTY09pM3pzeUNlZS10YlFkcjMxUWtQcUpfVS05clgyVTFhZzlfX2ZMWXlkT0JUMm5SakhPMmg2cDZrQk1HY3pTMXFBakZHR3hDVWN1aXFtZmVpOEJHVGVMV1Y0cXIzM3J4NkhGOFNSTURubw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.efficientspend.com%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBis] CONNECT WITH PAUL: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGJ1Uzl5dTV1d2Nrdi12Z1h4YjdmcGxjU2cwQXxBQ3Jtc0trYUlRU3NkM3RseFJCOG9aMG93VE80YVJCeVJMNHd5U3hrUVNzcGJzSDhRRWI5enVqcE9veFQxR3FoUnFpckZOWXFnSFh2QXJwbFVEdm9QanlxYjFKem8wSElrTmtVbFpjVGtVM0NRQURFOVZ1cXhORQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulkovalski%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBishttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/] CONNECT WITH TALGAT: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talgatmussin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/talgatmussin/] EPISODE LINKS: https://www.incrementality.net/about [https://www.incrementality.net/about] https://www.marketingevolution.com/marketing-essentials/media-mix-modeling [https://www.marketingevolution.com/marketing-essentials/media-mix-modeling] https://advertising.amazon.com/en/learning-console [https://advertising.amazon.com/en/learning-console] https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/solutions/measurement [https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/solutions/measurement] https://www.facebook.com/business/help [https://www.facebook.com/business/help]

The Future of Content Intelligence With Adology | James Donner

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN FROM PAID MARKETING EXPERTS 🔔 The Efficient Spend Podcast helps start-ups turn media spend into revenue. Learn how the world's top marketers manage their media mix to drive growth! In this episode of The Efficient Spend Podcast, James Donner, founder of Adology, shares how AI is transforming creative analytics and competitive intelligence in marketing. James explains why unlocking insights from ad creatives is the next frontier, how to balance automation with strategy, and where AI still breaks down. He also highlights opportunities in white space detection, consumer sentiment analysis, and building smarter workflows for the future of marketing. About the Host: Paul is a paid marketing leader with 7+ years of experience optimizing marketing spend at venture-backed startups. He's driven $250M + in revenue through paid media and is passionate about helping startups deploy marketing dollars to drive growth. About the Guest: James Donner is the founder and CEO of Adology, an AI-driven creative analytics and marketing intelligence company. With over a decade leading media investment at Media.Monks and helping build Decoded Advertising into a 200-person agency, he specializes in unlocking growth by combining performance marketing expertise with cutting-edge AI insights. VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.efficientspend.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2FnSThTLWRnLUlnWER6dGoxU1ZPWEZfb1hZd3xBQ3Jtc0ttcWxVMlJTY09pM3pzeUNlZS10YlFkcjMxUWtQcUpfVS05clgyVTFhZzlfX2ZMWXlkT0JUMm5SakhPMmg2cDZrQk1HY3pTMXFBakZHR3hDVWN1aXFtZmVpOEJHVGVMV1Y0cXIzM3J4NkhGOFNSTURubw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.efficientspend.com%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBis] CONNECT WITH PAUL: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGJ1Uzl5dTV1d2Nrdi12Z1h4YjdmcGxjU2cwQXxBQ3Jtc0trYUlRU3NkM3RseFJCOG9aMG93VE80YVJCeVJMNHd5U3hrUVNzcGJzSDhRRWI5enVqcE9veFQxR3FoUnFpckZOWXFnSFh2QXJwbFVEdm9QanlxYjFKem8wSElrTmtVbFpjVGtVM0NRQURFOVZ1cXhORQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulkovalski%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBishttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/] CONNECT WITH JAMES: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-donner-8430b555/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-donner-8430b555/] EPISODE LINKS: https://www.getadology.ai/about [https://www.getadology.ai/about] https://www.monks.com/what-we-do [https://www.monks.com/what-we-do] https://mailchimp.com/resources/ai-predictions/ [https://mailchimp.com/resources/ai-predictions/]? https://squareholes.com/blog/2021/04/29/how-the-creative-and-creativity-can-help-drive-your-advertising-effectiveness/ [https://squareholes.com/blog/2021/04/29/how-the-creative-and-creativity-can-help-drive-your-advertising-effectiveness/]

Why Reddit Deserves a Spot in Your Media Mix | Colin Belyea

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN FROM PAID MARKETING EXPERTS 🔔 The Efficient Spend Podcast helps start-ups turn media spend into revenue. Learn how the world's top marketers manage their media mix to drive growth! In this episode of The Efficient Spend Podcast, Colin Belyea, growth marketer and Reddit strategist, explores how Reddit is becoming a high-leverage growth channel. Colin breaks down the shift toward zero-click search, why Reddit content ranks so well in AI and Google, and how to balance paid and organic efforts for long-term brand trust. He also shares tactical advice for measuring impact, building reputation, and avoiding common Reddit pitfalls. About the Host: Paul is a paid marketing leader with 7+ years of experience optimizing marketing spend at venture-backed startups. He's driven $250M + in revenue through paid media and is passionate about helping startups deploy marketing dollars to drive growth. About the Guest: Colin Belyea is a growth marketer and Reddit strategist with over 20 years of experience, leading performance for 15+ VC-backed startups through his work at No Growth, Karmic, and Telescope Digital. He helps brands turn Reddit into a scalable acquisition and trust-building channel by blending paid media expertise with deep community-driven strategy. VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.efficientspend.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2FnSThTLWRnLUlnWER6dGoxU1ZPWEZfb1hZd3xBQ3Jtc0ttcWxVMlJTY09pM3pzeUNlZS10YlFkcjMxUWtQcUpfVS05clgyVTFhZzlfX2ZMWXlkT0JUMm5SakhPMmg2cDZrQk1HY3pTMXFBakZHR3hDVWN1aXFtZmVpOEJHVGVMV1Y0cXIzM3J4NkhGOFNSTURubw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.efficientspend.com%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBis] CONNECT WITH PAUL: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGJ1Uzl5dTV1d2Nrdi12Z1h4YjdmcGxjU2cwQXxBQ3Jtc0trYUlRU3NkM3RseFJCOG9aMG93VE80YVJCeVJMNHd5U3hrUVNzcGJzSDhRRWI5enVqcE9veFQxR3FoUnFpckZOWXFnSFh2QXJwbFVEdm9QanlxYjFKem8wSElrTmtVbFpjVGtVM0NRQURFOVZ1cXhORQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulkovalski%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBishttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/] CONNECT WITH COLIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinjamesbelyea/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinjamesbelyea/] EPISODE LINKS: https://www.nogrowth.ca/our-work [https://www.nogrowth.ca/our-work] https://ads.reddit.com/ [https://ads.reddit.com/] https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/ [https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/] https://news.ycombinator.com/ [https://news.ycombinator.com/] https://platform.openai.com/docs/gptbot [https://platform.openai.com/docs/gptbot]

Lessons from Building LiftLab Media Mix Modeling and Experimentation Platform | John Wallace

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN FROM PAID MARKETING EXPERTS 🔔 The Efficient Spend Podcast helps start-ups turn media spend into revenue. Learn how the world's top marketers manage their media mix to drive growth! In this episode of The Efficient Spend Podcast, John Wallace, founder of LiftLab, explores how combining media mix modeling with experimentation leads to more reliable marketing decisions. John shares lessons from building attribution systems, why marginal ROAS should be every marketer’s north star, and how to balance model outputs with human instinct. He also unpacks the role of AI in media planning and what marketers often get wrong when testing new channels. About the Host: Paul is a paid marketing leader with 7+ years of experience optimizing marketing spend at venture-backed startups. He's driven $250M + in revenue through paid media and is passionate about helping startups deploy marketing dollars to drive growth. About the Guest: John Wallace is a marketing measurement expert and founder with 24 years of experience in econometrics, attribution, and experimentation. He previously founded DataSong and now leads LiftLab, where he helps brands like Sephora, Thrive, and Skims optimize media spend with science-driven insights. John is passionate about building tools that bring clarity, trust, and economic discipline to marketing decisions. VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.efficientspend.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2FnSThTLWRnLUlnWER6dGoxU1ZPWEZfb1hZd3xBQ3Jtc0ttcWxVMlJTY09pM3pzeUNlZS10YlFkcjMxUWtQcUpfVS05clgyVTFhZzlfX2ZMWXlkT0JUMm5SakhPMmg2cDZrQk1HY3pTMXFBakZHR3hDVWN1aXFtZmVpOEJHVGVMV1Y0cXIzM3J4NkhGOFNSTURubw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.efficientspend.com%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBis] CONNECT WITH PAUL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/] CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwallace- [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwallace-] EPISODE LINKS: https://liftlab.com/about/ https://www.amazon.com/Market-Response-Models-International-Monographs/dp/0792381585 [https://www.amazon.com/Market-Response-Models-International-Monographs/dp/0792381585] https://liftlab.com/blog/maximizing-marketing-with-the-ana/ [https://liftlab.com/blog/maximizing-marketing-with-the-ana/] https://www.invoca.com/blog/media-mix-modeling [https://www.invoca.com/blog/media-mix-modeling]

How to Align Product and Marketing at Your Startup | Andrei Vlasov

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN FROM PAID MARKETING EXPERTS 🔔 The Efficient Spend Podcast helps start-ups turn media spend into revenue. Learn how the world's top marketers manage their media mix to drive growth! In this episode of The Efficient Spend Podcast, Andrei Vlasov, growth leader and hybrid marketer, explores how blending paid marketing with product strategy creates sustainable growth. Andrei shares lessons from scaling acquisition across multiple channels, the importance of cross-functional collaboration, and aligning teams around ROI-driven metrics. He also dives into building effective YouTube influencer programs and why sharing insights across teams unlocks greater performance. About the Host: Paul is a paid marketing leader with over a decade of experience optimizing marketing spend at venture-backed startups. He's driven $250M + in revenue through paid media and is passionate about helping startups deploy marketing dollars to drive growth. About the Guest: Andrei Vlasov is a growth and marketing leader with over 15 years of experience across paid acquisition, product, and lifecycle. He’s led full-funnel growth at companies like Hover, Jam.dev, and Goodwall, driving millions of users and scaling cross-functional teams. Andrei now helps startups blend performance marketing with product strategy to unlock sustainable, ROI-driven growth. VISIT OUR WEBSITE:  https://www.efficientspend.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2FnSThTLWRnLUlnWER6dGoxU1ZPWEZfb1hZd3xBQ3Jtc0ttcWxVMlJTY09pM3pzeUNlZS10YlFkcjMxUWtQcUpfVS05clgyVTFhZzlfX2ZMWXlkT0JUMm5SakhPMmg2cDZrQk1HY3pTMXFBakZHR3hDVWN1aXFtZmVpOEJHVGVMV1Y0cXIzM3J4NkhGOFNSTURubw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.efficientspend.com%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBis] CONNECT WITH PAUL: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGJ1Uzl5dTV1d2Nrdi12Z1h4YjdmcGxjU2cwQXxBQ3Jtc0trYUlRU3NkM3RseFJCOG9aMG93VE80YVJCeVJMNHd5U3hrUVNzcGJzSDhRRWI5enVqcE9veFQxR3FoUnFpckZOWXFnSFh2QXJwbFVEdm9QanlxYjFKem8wSElrTmtVbFpjVGtVM0NRQURFOVZ1cXhORQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulkovalski%2F&v=OtD3Cy8UBishttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkovalski/ CONNECT WITH ANDREI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrei-vlasov08/ EPISODE LINKS: https://hover.to/about/ [https://hover.to/about/] https://jonahberger.com/books/contagious/ [https://jonahberger.com/books/contagious/] https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/youtube-stats [https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/youtube-stats] https://influencermarketinghub.com/cpm-calculator/ [https://influencermarketinghub.com/cpm-calculator/]