Marketing Operators Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: E055: Meta's Conversion Lift Testing, AI in Creative, and Product Seeding for Scalable Growth
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Hosts: Connor Rolain, Connor MacDonald, Cody Plofker

1. Meta's Conversion Lift Testing vs. Geo Lift Testing with House

In this segment, the hosts delve deep into the nuances of Meta's Conversion Lift Testing compared to House's Geo Lift Testing. They explore the functionality, benefits, and limitations of each method, providing valuable insights based on their firsthand experiences.

Conversion Lift Testing:

• Functionality: Operates at a user level, allowing for incremental measurement by splitting users into treatment and holdout groups.
• Accessibility: Initially skeptical about its availability, Cody mentions, "I was very skeptical up front. Right. Like Meta. First off, when did Meta roll this out?" ([07:21]).
• Pros:
  • Smaller Holdouts: Jason highlights the advantage, "Pro of Conversion lift is smaller holdout, just more tests" ([18:55]).
  • Speed and Flexibility: Enables running multiple tests with minimal impact on overall performance.
• Cons:
  • Attribution Challenges: Connor notes a critical limitation, "If we're running something significant... I would not rely on meta conversion lift to do that for sure" ([20:25]).
  • Limited Cross-Channel Insights: Conversion lift doesn't account for purchases made across different channels, leading to potential attribution biases.

Geo Lift Testing with House:

• Functionality: Utilizes geographic holdouts, excluding specific regions from ad exposure to measure the incremental impact.
• Pros:
  • Holistic Measurement: Offers a comprehensive understanding of channel performance, including Amazon revenue ([15:50]).
  • Causality Over Correlation: As Barry emphasizes, "If you want to hit next level growth, you need to move away from correlation based measurement and move towards causality." ([14:13]).
• Cons:
  • Limited Slots: House restricts the number of concurrent tests, potentially limiting experimentation scope.
  • Larger Holdouts: May lead to significant portions of the target market being excluded during testing phases.

Key Takeaways:

• Complementary Use: Combining both methods can maximize testing capabilities, with Meta’s Conversion Lift offering user-level insights and House providing robust geographic analysis.
• Strategic Application: Use Conversion Lift for intra-channel testing and House for more comprehensive, cross-channel incrementality studies.

Notable Quotes:

• Cody Plofker: "We've run these like kind of overarching conversion list studies in the background... They've looked pretty similar to what we've seen in House." ([07:33]).
• Connor MacDonald: "If it's that big of a thing and I'd want to validate it via house, I would run it via House." ([18:55]).
• Barry Hot: "House is really the most controlled, the most scientifically sound way to do any sort of marketing testing and experimentation." ([15:50]).

2. AI in Creative: Leveraging ChatGPT for Image Generation

The hosts explore the evolving role of AI in creative processes, particularly focusing on ChatGPT's image generation capabilities and their potential applications in marketing.

Current Applications:

• Ideation and Conceptualization: Using AI to generate initial creative concepts, which can then be refined by human teams.
• Content Diversification: Expanding existing creative assets by adding diversity through AI-generated variations.

Potential Benefits:

• Efficiency: Reduces the time and resources needed to produce a high volume of creative assets.
• Scalability: Enables brands to manage large-scale product launches with streamlined creative workflows.

Challenges and Limitations:

• Quality Concerns: While AI-generated images are improving, they may not yet meet the high standards required for all brands. Jason remarks, "I don't think any of them are good enough to put into our ad accounts, but it's just like, all right, man. It's gonna be there soon." ([62:05]).
• Brand Consistency: Ensuring that AI-generated content aligns with the brand’s visual identity and messaging remains a critical task.

Future Prospects:

• Integration into Workflows: As AI tools become more sophisticated, they can be seamlessly integrated into existing creative processes, enhancing productivity without compromising quality.
• Enhanced Customization: AI advancements may allow for more personalized and brand-specific content generation, catering to diverse marketing needs.

Notable Quotes:

• Connor Rolain: "It's almost as if I could see in the future, rather than our studio here in Salt Lake needing to deliver... we might only need to deliver four or five assets for a launch." ([58:51]).
• Jason MacDonald: "The possibilities really feel endless." ([61:18]).

3. Product Seeding for Scalable Growth

Product seeding emerges as a pivotal strategy for scalable growth, with the hosts sharing their strategies, experiences, and metrics for successful implementation.

Program Strategies:

• Automated Outreach: Leveraging AI tools to scale product seeding efforts, enabling the distribution of thousands of products monthly with minimal manual intervention. Jason mentions, "We're going to start sending out thousands of boxes a month, you know, hopefully on autopilot." ([30:50]).
• Personalized Messaging: Crafting compelling and personalized outreach messages to maximize engagement and conversion rates.

Metrics to Track:

• Opt-In Rate: The percentage of influencers who agree to participate after being contacted. Connor highlights the importance of this metric, stating, "opt in rate" is key to understanding initial engagement.
• Post Rate: The rate at which seeded products result in content creation by influencers. Cody explains, "We're starting to do some things like, like measure hit rate." ([37:38]).
• Engagement and Impressions: Assessing the overall impact on brand visibility and content engagement through seeded posts.

Challenges:

• Scaling Efforts: Managing the logistics of large-scale product distribution without overwhelming the team or exceeding budget constraints.
• Maintaining Authenticity: Ensuring that product seeding retains its organic appeal and doesn't become overly transactional, thereby preserving the integrity of influencer relationships.

Success Stories and Insights:

• Connor's Experience: Successfully launched a product seeding program that garnered over 1 million organic views, emphasizing content generation as a significant value-add.
• Jason's Approach: Focused on automating influencer outreach to manage increased volume without compromising on personalization, aiming to enhance content richness and ad performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Cody Plofker: "The hook is, hey, you want some of this awesome product for free?" ([37:51]).
• Jason MacDonald: "Any brand can, like, figure out some angle into social proof." ([46:29]).
• Connor Rolain: "The value of the program's not just on a CPM basis. I'd like to think we're going to get a lot of value from the content being created." ([53:17]).

4. Optimizing Product Seeding Programs

The discussion further extends into optimizing product seeding strategies to enhance efficiency and maximize returns.

Optimization Techniques:

• Social Proof Utilization: Leveraging testimonials, reviews, and influencer endorsements to build credibility and attract more participants.
• Content Quality Assurance: Ensuring that the generated content meets brand standards, possibly through selective seeding or creative guidelines.

Strategies for Improvement:

• A/B Testing: Experimenting with different outreach messages, product types, and influencer segments to identify the most effective combinations.
• Tracking and Analytics: Implementing robust tracking mechanisms to monitor post performance and adjust strategies in real-time.

Future Directions:

• AI-Driven Enhancements: Integrating more advanced AI tools to refine outreach, personalize engagements, and analyze content performance for continuous improvement.
• Expansion into Diverse Markets: Tailoring product seeding efforts to different demographics and geographic regions to broaden market reach.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason MacDonald: "We've been using their Rock thanks... it's been a no brainer for us." ([51:15]).
• Connor Rolain: "We're creating all this content... we have this apparatus that's creating all this content." ([48:36]).

5. Final Thoughts and Future Outlook

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reflect on the evolving landscape of marketing operations, emphasizing the critical role of measurement, automation, and creativity in driving scalable growth. They express optimism about the future integration of AI in creative processes and the continuous refinement of product seeding strategies to achieve higher efficiency and impact.

Key Highlights:

• Continuous Learning: The importance of staying updated with the latest tools and methodologies to maintain a competitive edge.
• Collaborative Experimentation: Encouraging experimentation and collaboration within teams to discover innovative solutions and optimize marketing efforts.
• Strategic Integration: Seamlessly integrating various testing and seeding strategies to create a cohesive and effective marketing ecosystem.

Closing Remarks: The hosts reiterate the value of leveraging both Meta's Conversion Lift and House's Geo Lift Testing, alongside innovative AI tools and robust product seeding programs, to drive significant growth and achieve marketing excellence.

Notable Overall Quotes:

• Barry Hot: "House is really the most controlled, the most scientifically sound way to do any sort of marketing testing and experimentation." ([15:50]).
• Connor MacDonald: "We want to make sure it's like a decently high quality post. We're creating all this content." ([48:36]).
• Jason MacDonald: "The possibilities really feel endless." ([61:18]).

This episode of Marketing Operators provides a comprehensive exploration of advanced marketing strategies, blending analytical rigor with creative innovation. Whether you're looking to refine your measurement techniques, harness the power of AI, or scale your product seeding efforts, the insights shared by Connor, Cody, and Jason offer valuable guidance for marketers aiming to achieve sustainable growth.