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Bonus: Alex Schultz, CMO of Meta — Scaling Growth and Rebranding a Trillion-Dollar Brand

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Oct 1, 2025

Guest

Alex Schultz

In this insightful chat, Alex Schultz, CMO of Meta with nearly 20 years at the company, shares his journey from affiliate marketer to a key player in Meta's transformation. He discusses the strategic rebrand from Facebook to Meta, revealing the whirlwind of decisions behind it. Alex emphasizes the synergy between performance and branding, while advocating for incrementality in measuring marketing success. He also touches on creative-driven campaigns, like the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, and the evolution of marketing through AI, stressing the importance of clear measurement and strategic briefs.

30:10

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ANECDOTE

Midnight WhatsApp And The Seven-Month Rebrand

Alex recounts Mark Zuckerberg asking him to rebrand the company from Facebook to Meta and giving him seven months to do it.
He admits he had never done a rebrand before and his team thought he was mad but they completed it during the pandemic.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

From Affiliate To Meta Growth Lead

Alex describes his start as an affiliate marketer and how paying for college forced performance-driven thinking.
He used SEO, paid search, email and product changes to grow Facebook users and advertisers.

insights

INSIGHT

Analytics Built The Mobile Transition

Building an analytics function allowed Facebook to optimize mobile user flows and ads.
Alex argues analytics is foundational to both product and marketing decisions.

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From Affiliate Marketer to Meta Growth Leader

02:03 • 2min

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Building Meta's Analytics Function

04:07 • 1min

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Why the Affiliate Mindset Trains Results-Focused Marketers

05:22 • 3min

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Launching the Self-Service Ad Platform

08:04 • 3min

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Leading the Facebook-to-Meta Rebrand

11:00 • 3min

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When Brand and Performance Must Work Together

14:11 • 3min

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Measuring Brand Impact with Incrementality

16:56 • 1min

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Creative-Driven Campaigns and the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses

18:00 • 2min

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The Enduring Importance of Strategic Briefs

19:30 • 31sec

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Why Alex Wrote Click Here

20:02 • 3min

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Timeless Marketing Principles and Measurement Evolution

22:50 • 2min

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How AI Will Change Agencies and Creative Roles

24:34 • 3min

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Applying Meta's Playbook to Marketing a Book

Confessions of an Ad Man

David Ogilvy

In 'Confessions of an Advertising Man,' David Ogilvy shares his insights and experiences from decades of advertising, providing practical advice on creating effective campaigns. The book emphasizes the importance of research, creativity, and honesty in advertising, offering timeless principles for marketers and business leaders.

#4723

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Reality in advertising

Rosser Reeves

Rosser Reeves' "Reality in Advertising" is a classic text that emphasizes the importance of a strong unique selling proposition (USP) in advertising. Reeves argues that advertising should focus on a single, clear message that differentiates the product from its competitors. He advocates for a direct and persuasive approach, emphasizing the benefits and value proposition of the product. The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in advertising, marketing, or sales. Reeves' emphasis on clear messaging and a strong USP remains highly relevant today. His principles provide a solid foundation for effective advertising strategies.

#608

• Mentioned in 39 episodes

Ogilvy on Advertising

David Ogilvy

This book provides comprehensive insights into the world of advertising, covering topics such as how to get a job in advertising, how to choose an agency for your product, the secrets behind effective advertising, how to write successful copy, and the role of research in advertising. Written with brutal candor and generosity, Ogilvy shares his extensive knowledge and experience in the industry, making it a valuable resource for both professionals and those interested in advertising.

#565

• Mentioned in 41 episodes

Scientific advertising

Claude Hopkins

Written in 1923, 'Scientific Advertising' by Claude C. Hopkins is a seminal work in the advertising industry. The book outlines an advertising approach based on testing and measuring, highlighting the importance of split testing and coupon-based customer tracking. Hopkins stresses that advertising should be treated as a science, with every ad rigorously tested to determine its effectiveness. He also emphasizes the power of direct response and the need for ads to focus on salesmanship, encouraging immediate action from the target audience. The book is widely regarded as a must-read for anyone in marketing and advertising, with principles that remain relevant today.

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup

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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