#259 Paid Ads | In this episode, Dave is joined by Pranav Piyush, founder and CEO of Paramark, a platform helping B2B marketers run real experiments to measure ad performance. Pranav brings a sharp point of view on attribution, channel performance, and how to actually prove what’s working across your paid media mix.

Dave and Pranav cover:

Real-world results from 7 B2B ad campaigns, including branded search, YouTube, billboards, and Performance Max
Why most marketers are misusing the word “test” and how to run true experiments with lift, control, and causality
How even small teams can apply experiment design (on a $10K budget or less) to make smarter spend decisions

Whether you're managing a big budget or just getting started with paid campaigns, this episode will help you think more critically, and confidently, about where and how to invest in B2B marketing.

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro
(04:07) - – Why Paramark pulled real data from 7 B2B ad campaigns
(06:37) - – Attribution vs. experimentation: what most marketers get wrong
(10:07) - – Correlation vs. causation explained (with a LinkedIn example)
(12:52) - – How to run a real test (hint: you need a control)
(14:07) - – Branded search test results: $1M+ saved, no performance loss
(19:07) - – Why strong SEO makes or breaks branded search tests
(20:07) - – Billboard test: how one brand proved real lift with out-of-home
(23:37) - – What “digital out-of-home” looks like in B2B
(25:07) - – YouTube ad tests: one big win, one big flop
(29:53) - – How to run tests with small budgets ($500–$10K)
(34:23) - – Connected TV (CTV) test results from a Series F SaaS brand
(36:23) - – What happens when a multichannel test works—but isn’t efficient
(38:23) - – Paramark’s Exit Five sponsorship test (real numbers shared)
(41:53) - – Why content needs to drive short-term lift, not just long-term “brand”
(44:53) - – How Pranav used LinkedIn to drive inbound from day one
(46:53) - – Your attribution model is lying, give your audience more credit
(48:23) - – When 7 ad tests fail in a row…and the 8th one works
(49:53) - – Performance Max test: why it worked for one brand
(51:53) - – How long to run a test? Use data, not gut
(53:53) - – Bonus: Pranav’s hiring playbook for his first marketing leader
(57:53) - – Wrap up and final takeaways

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***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Paramark.

It’s November. 2026 planning is already here. And the stuff you’re doing right now will decide how next year plays out.

But here’s the problem: most teams are still planning next year's marketing strategy based on the WRONG DATA because of broken attribution and a misleading gut feel. And you can’t make smart budget calls if you’re just guessing what’s working, what’s not, and where to put your next dollar.

That’s where Paramark comes in. They help you replace the guesswork with actual insight backed by $2 billion in analyzed marketing data. They’ve figured out what actually drives incremental growth across every channel including LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, Google, CTV, even OOH.

And right now, they’re offering a private 1:1 consultation with their CEO and CMO, Pranav and Sam, who have led marketing teams at companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Microsoft, and Shutterfly.

In this 45-minute strategy session, they’ll help you measure the real impact of every marketing dollar, pull insights from your current media mix, and design a 2026 roadmap that’s rooted in data, not gut.

This is a heck of an offer. And it’s real. And will go fast. So if you want to future-proof your marketing strategy for 2026, don’t miss out on this offer.

Grab your spot at paramark.com/brand-consult.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
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