Retargeting is one of the most powerful but misunderstood tactics in digital marketing. Too often, it's broken and marketers don't even know it.

In this episode, I sit down with Paul Kovalski, head of marketing at Self Financial and host of the Efficient Spend podcast. Paul has driven more than $200M in revenue through paid media, and he brings a unique perspective on what really works in retargeting.

We talk about:

• The difference between paid and unpaid retargeting

• Why incrementality is the key metric that most marketers miss

• How fintech retargeting is different from retail or e-commerce

• Why sometimes education beats the hard sell

• The role of automation, MMPs, CDPs, and real-time audience updates

• The hidden risks of “set it and forget it” automated campaigns

If you’ve ever wondered whether your retargeting spend is truly moving the needle — or just padding platform reports — this conversation is for you.

00:00 Introduction to Marketing and Retargeting

00:29 Meet Paul Kovalski

01:34 The Goal of Retargeting in FinTech

01:58 Paid vs. Unpaid Retargeting Strategies

04:05 Infrastructure for Paid Retargeting

05:38 Effective Messaging and Creative Strategies

07:01 Measuring Incrementality in Retargeting

08:16 Challenges and Considerations in Retargeting

10:10 Impact of iOS Changes on Retargeting

11:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Retargeting broken? Here's how to fix it