INSIGHTS FROM EXPERTS ON LINKEDIN
Kerry Cunningham says buyers make the first move when they’re ready, and no amount of early calls or emails will speed that up. His research shows this holds true even for big-ticket deals, though sellers who build relationships early can improve their chances when buyers finally engage. It’s a reminder that how you approach buyers matters just as much as when.
Tim Davidson admits he often tells people not to use LinkedIn ads – even though that’s what he sells – because they’re just not right for everyone. He explains that if you need demos fast, or have a low-priced product, or haven’t nailed product-market fit, LinkedIn isn’t the place to start. Instead, he says, look to Google or Meta for more immediate results, while LinkedIn should be seen as a longer-term play.
Simon McCarthy points out that emotion definitely matters in advertising, but there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for how it works. He warns against oversimplifying emotional impact, reminding us that much of it happens unconsciously and not every brand or ad needs the same emotional outcome. Simon suggests brands ask not just how advertising works, but how it can specifically work for them.
Matt Maynard says most brand growth plans skip the basic question: what category are we in? A new Ehrenberg-Bass study shows that small, low-penetration categories grow by expanding the buyer base, focusing on reach, trial, and distribution, while large, mature categories grow by increasing price per unit and defending their buyer base. Chasing loyalty and frequency across the board doesn’t match how categories actually grow.
Barry Duffy shares how important it is to know if your market category is growing. He’s been impressed by MyTelescope, a tool that helps track category interest and brand share of search. For hot spaces like ESG software, Barry says tools like this are gold for marketing teams looking to understand their standing and spot fresh content topics.
Brendan Hufford explains that content marketing is breaking down, not because of AI or new tools, but because the old tactics – cold outbound, gated content, SEO games – are losing effectiveness. He describes three phases: first, the volume trap, where AI floods the market with low-quality content; next, the credibility collapse, where audiences stop trusting content without real experience behind it; and finally, the unbundling of marketing, where every part of the company becomes part of the storytelling process.
Erik MacKinnon surveyed 50 B2B CFOs and found most demand clear, provable ROI from brand marketing, often within 6–12 months. CFOs trust pipeline metrics like qualified leads, demos, or brand mentions, and skepticism is highest in sectors like finance and staffing, while SaaS companies are more open to longer-term bets. Across the board, CFOs want reporting, attribution, and clear results before approving brand spend.
Peep Laja explains that large brands get outsized returns because of their size: they can pull 20x more ROI from the same ad spend, rank weaker content higher, and benefit from brand familiarity even when smaller competitors pay for attention. While small brands face tough odds, they can compete by specializing on narrow problems, taking bold risks, making their brand visually distinct, over-communicating within a focused niche, and reinvesting gains into brand-building. Peep emphasizes that the only real moat you can build is brand, and it takes active work.
Mac Reddin 🦕 highlights how commenting has become one of LinkedIn’s most powerful growth tactics. He points to Casey Hill ’s experiment – leaving 100 thoughtful comments in a day, generating 250,000 impressions often outperforming standalone posts. Comments expand reach, spark real conversations, and can even seed ideas for future posts. Mac urges people not to spam with AI but to engage meaningfully and bring real social energy back to social media.
Olivia Kory explains why many marketers misunderstand A/B and conversion-lift tests on platforms like Meta and Google. While these tests are useful for optimizing within the platform, they don’t meet the strict academic standards of randomized experiments, mainly because they’re shaped by how the algorithms deliver ads. Olivia, Joe Wyer , and Chandler Dutton wrote a blog breaking this down: creative tests mainly compare how different audience-creative mixes perform, and while holdout tests avoid some confounds, they come with their own limitations. Understanding these nuances helps marketers deploy their budgets more effectively.
WHAT'S NEW IN THE INDUSTRY
Google is testing a search feature that loops users into new search results labeled “Sponsored,” even though advertisers don’t pay for these clicks and can’t track performance. Industry experts worry this blurs the line between paid and organic results, making it harder to understand traffic and potentially overwhelming users. As Google mixes ads, AI, and organic content more tightly, the way search works – and how marketers measure success – is rapidly shifting.
The B2B Institute’s new report focuses on what won’t change in marketing by 2030, emphasizing the long-term importance of brand building, creative strategies, and effective distribution. These durable, sometimes contrarian, ideas help businesses outperform competitors by focusing on timeless principles rather than chasing every short-term trend. The report aims to guide marketers in building strategies that will stand the test of time.
Google Ads is adding new reporting tools to Performance Max campaigns, giving advertisers clearer data on how platforms like Search, YouTube, Display, and Maps drive results. These updates include channel-level performance, full search term reports, and detailed asset metrics, addressing long-standing complaints about PMax being a “black box.” The added transparency could help advertisers fine-tune campaigns and boost confidence in staying with the platform.
Google has updated its Ads Transparency policy to reveal the actual payer behind ads, using payment profile details to display this in the Ads Transparency Center and My Ad Center. This move aims to boost accountability and brand trust, but agencies and advertisers must now carefully manage payer names to avoid misrepresentation. Starting in June, advertisers will also be able to manually edit payer names, adding a new layer of operational responsibility.
CTV ad spend jumped 16% last year and is set to grow another 13% in 2025, outpacing online video and leaving linear TV further behind. The rise is driven by better programmatic tools and shoppable formats, making CTV a top priority for brands, especially in CPG, retail, and pharma. By the end of 2025, digital video is expected to capture nearly 60% of all TV/video ad spend, reflecting a massive shift in where advertisers are putting their dollars.
Google Ads has rolled out four new tools to help advertisers improve first-party data setups, server-side tagging, and iOS app conversion measurement, all while staying privacy-compliant. These updates aim to boost signal reliability and deliver faster, more accurate insights as privacy standards evolve. For marketers, this means better optimization, smarter spending, and future-proofing against tightening data rules.
Google has increased the Search themes limit in Performance Max campaigns from 25 to 50, giving advertisers more ways to guide AI targeting. This expanded flexibility responds to feedback from marketers needing broader reach across diverse products and audiences. With this change, expect new strategies to emerge around theme grouping, overlap management, and refining automation without relying solely on keywords.
That’s the scoop for this week! If you found this valuable and any useful insights caught your eye, feel free to share them with your network.
Until next week!
