Launching the Self-Service Ad Platform

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In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we sit down with Alex Schultz, the CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, to unpack nearly two decades of hard-earned marketing insights from inside one of the most influential tech companies on the planet.

From his scrappy beginnings as an affiliate marketer trying to pay for college, Alex rose through the ranks at Facebook—helping launch self-serve ads, custom audiences, and building the company’s analytics function from the ground up.

Now, as CMO, he shares how he thinks about brand vs. performance, why incrementality measurement is non-negotiable, and what it really took to lead the rebrand from Facebook to Meta in under seven months.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How affiliate thinking creates real marketers
• Why starting with performance-driven urgency creates marketers who understand what actually drives growth
• The self-serve ad platform strategy that unlocked small business scale
• Alex shares how linking product and marketing—from in-product CTAs to retargeting drop-offs—became Meta’s growth engine
• Why incrementality is the foundation of modern marketing
• Forget last-click—true marketers use lift tests, holdouts, and on/off testing to see what really works
• How to build brands on performance platforms
• Yes, you can build a brand on Meta—but only if you measure it right
• The inside story of the Meta rebrand
• Including a midnight WhatsApp from Zuckerberg and a literal house fire
• Why creative strategy—not media buying—is the future in an AI world
• Agencies will evolve, but those who control the data + creative inputs will control outcomes
• How Alex is using creator marketing, email, and retargeting to market his new book, Click Here
• The modern playbook Meta uses… now applied to books

Visit Hachette Book Group for information on how to purchase Click Here: The Art and Science of Digital Marketing and Advertising, out on October 7th.

And you can check out an audio book version on Spotify here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5hsoMSkbpEboe0M4aGqNgZ

Timestamps

00:00 - From Affiliate Marketer to CMO of Meta

02:00 - Building Facebook’s Growth Engine and Analytics Team

06:00 - Lessons From the Affiliate Mindset

08:00 - Launching Self-Serve Ads and the First Custom Audiences

11:00 - Rebranding Facebook to Meta: Inside the Strategy

15:00 - Building Brands with Direct Response vs. Top-of-Funnel Marketing

18:00 - How WhatsApp’s Brand Story Shifted Perception

20:00 - Why Alex Wrote "Click Here" and Its Core Principles

24:00 - The Future of Agencies and AI in Advertising

28:00 - Marketing the Book Using Meta Strategies

Hashtags

#DTCpodcast #Meta #AlexSchultz #DigitalMarketing #BrandStrategy #AffiliateMarketing #Rebranding #MarketingBook #GrowthMarketing #AdvertisingStrategy #MarketingTips #SocialMediaMarketing #BusinessGrowth #CMOInsights #MarketingPodcast

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