The Marketing Millennials: The Truth About Marketing Analytics with Sid Malhotra, EVP at Snap | Ep. 368

Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Sid Malhotra, EVP at Snap

Overview

In this episode, Daniel Murray and Sid Malhotra dive deep into the evolving landscape of marketing analytics, with a sharp focus on measurement, attribution, and how marketers can maximize returns in an increasingly complex, multi-platform world. Sid brings candid insights from his journey—spanning roles at Snap, Grammarly, and Facebook—while offering tactical advice for marketers eager to grow and adapt, especially as holiday campaigns near.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sid’s Marketing Journey & Perspective (01:15–03:28)

• Accidental Marketer: Sid’s background is in engineering, but a serendipitous project led to a lifelong marketing career:
  • “That three month rotation project has turned into an accidental marketing journey to now being an accidental business guy.” (01:34)
• Track Record: Roles included launching Samsung’s first Android phone in Asia Pacific, first head of marketing at Grammarly (moving it into B2B), and helping establish Facebook’s SMB ads business.

2. Rethinking Paid Marketing: Beyond Meta & Google (04:09–07:00)

• Platform Audience Overlap: Many marketers default to Meta and Google, but Sid emphasizes Snapchat’s reach and unique user base:
  • “78% of US Snapchatters will not be on Pinterest…40% not on TikTok…A third will not be on Instagram. This particular audience…isn’t really using many other services.” (05:09)
• Efficient Customer Acquisition:
  • “It comes down to: Is my audience here, and am I going to get them in the most efficient and cost-effective manner? Both of those are becoming more and more true of Snapchat.” (06:26)

3. Snapchat’s Unique User Behavior & Demographic Evolution (07:00–10:06)

• Platform as Communication Hub:
  • Daniel: “My cousins…will only text me if I’m on Snapchat.” (07:11)
  • Sid: “All of those apps that you think are standalone on other platforms are rolled into Snapchat. Very little evidence…that people start using this service, that they actually go and use other services just as much.” (08:08)
• Age Range Myth Busting:
  • “Globally, 1 in 4 Snapchatters are now 35 years or older. In the US, half are 25 or older.” (09:25)

4. The Challenge of Marketing Measurement (11:25–19:34)

• The Hot Wheels Car Garage Problem:
  • Sid shares a story about his daughter’s gifting journey to illustrate attribution's inadequacies—how critical touchpoints like exposure to Netflix (longform content) get missed in last-click or even multi-touch attribution models.
• Evolving Measurement Techniques:
  • Sid: “Most of this journey was missed…That’s the Hot Wheels car garage problem.” (13:41)
  • Advances from partners like Fosfa and North Beam now enable deterministic view-based attribution (matching impressions, not just clicks, directly to purchase) (15:45).
• AI’s Impending Disruption:
  • Daniel: “We’re in an age of non-click content…and with AI, agents are going to go out and find the best SaaS tool…if you don’t have the right way to query [or measure], you’ll miss attribution.” (17:19)
  • Sid: “It takes a fundamentally different mindset for a marketer to know who to give credit to and where to allocate your media budget.” (18:38)

5. Measurement vs. Creativity: The Pendulum Swings (19:34–23:37)

• Over-Indexed Analytics:
  • Daniel: “For the last 10 years, we’ve overly indexed on marketing measurement…it’s making us not as creative as we want to be.” (19:34)
• The Problem with Walled Gardens:
  • “Meta…Google…don’t share data with each other…they want you to feel like their platform is giving you all the credit, when that Netflix movie made someone go to hotwheels.com…that’s why you need to think broadly.” (20:40)
• Creative Adaptation:
  • Sid recommends unpolished, whitelisted creator ads, campaign concepts focused on engagement, and advertorials to build trust rather than just conversions.
  • “The tips I always give: don’t think about polished creative…try new concepts…build trust, not just conversion.” (22:14)

6. Actionable Steps for Testing Snapchat (Tactical Advice) (26:35–32:34)

Sid’s Three-Step Guide for First-Time Snapchat Testers:

1. Integrate Your Data ("Connect the Pipes"):
   • Ensure your website/app is properly tracked—via Pixel, API, or 3rd party tool—before spending your first dollar.
   • “Most marketers that succeed, do this piece really well. It’s a 30-minute job but will be the difference between you winning and you figuring out that this testing worked for you.” (26:54, 29:34)
2. Broad Targeting & Placement (Let Platform Learn):
   • Run campaigns broadly for at least 14 days to allow platform learning.
   • “Don’t bring preconceived notions…let this platform do what it does best for at least 14 days.” (28:03)
3. Lean Into High-Engagement Features:
   • Test "Sponsored Snaps," permission-based content delivered within chat, which drives up to 22% more conversions.
   • “Where the deepest engagement is happening on Snapchat…that’s in chat…Sponsor Snaps…lead to 22% increase in incremental conversions.” (28:45)

7. Analytical Foundations Are Crucial (plumbing analogy) (29:55–32:34)

• Daniel’s Plumbing Analogy:
  • “If you don’t have [tracking] running, a house without good plumbing…is like running your marketing without those essential tools…and that’s also why people don’t test other platforms.” (30:11)
• Sid’s Addendum:
  • “The pipes that connect to one platform can be hooked on for another…connect your pipes to every platform, because these are two-way pipes…” (31:33)

8. Holiday and 2026 Planning: Best Practices (33:47–40:14)

Sid’s Four Tactics for Holiday & 2026 Success:

1. Patience is Key:
   • “Don’t say the toddler can’t walk after their first fall…Give any test at least 14 to 21 days.” (34:00)
2. Monitor Creative Fatigue, Not Just Numbers:
   • Use fresh, platform-specific creative.
   • “If it doesn’t drive engagement, you may need to change that creative. But don’t fiddle with the knobs.” (35:06)
3. Guardrail Metrics:
   • “Pick the metric around first-time new customers…keep your guardrail metric as blended ROAS or CPA over a seven-day window.” (36:53)
4. Lean on Support:
   • “Get in touch with your account team…if something isn’t working, before hitting the end button, talk to support.” (39:40)

• Always-On Spending:
  • “Don’t just go into sine waves of spend…If you’re always on, the seven-day window creates a lot higher ROAS.” (39:15)

9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Attribution:
  • “What it all missed was some of these other touches that actually influenced [the] journey...that’s the Hot Wheels car garage problem.” – Sid (13:41)
• On Creativity:
  • “If you are this overly analytical marketer and doing none of the creativity, you probably are going to lose out…what’s left is creating great content.” – Daniel (19:41)
• On Platform Testing:
  • “All of what I just talked about is no more than 30 minute job…but this 30 minute job will be the difference between you winning and you figuring out that this testing worked for you.” – Sid (29:34)
• On Business Mindset:
  • “Are you stepping into your CEO or CFO's shoes as you're going about your decisions today? …If you keep things boring and you keep asking yourself the question, am I wearing my CEO, my CFO hat? That's a very good hill to be on.” – Sid (40:35, 41:25)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sid's Background: 01:13–03:28
• Why Beyond Meta/Google? 04:09–07:00
• Unique Snapchat Usage: 07:00–10:06
• Measurement Problems & Hot Wheels Story: 11:25–19:34
• Creativity vs. Analytics: 19:34–23:37
• Tactical Guide for Snapchat Testing: 26:35–32:34
• Holiday/2026 Planning: 33:47–40:14
• Marketing Hill to Die On: 40:14–41:59

Where to Find Sid Malhotra

• Snapchat Handle: "the SMB guy"
• LinkedIn: Sid Malhotra
• **Also available via text, email, and IRL with founders

Tone and Style

The conversation is honest, practical, energetic (“no BS!”), sprinkled with stories, analogies (including family and plumbing), and focused on actionable steps marketers can use right now.

Conclusion

This episode delivers an unfiltered look at the biggest issues and opportunities in marketing analytics today. Sid Malhotra demystifies measurement, urges tactical experimentation, plugs the importance of creative adaptation, and ultimately underscores the need for a business-first mindset in all marketing functions—timely guidance as marketers set budgets and seek growth during the holidays and beyond.