Mobile Dev Memo Podcast

Season 5, Episode 10: Podcast: Understanding "Brandformance" marketing (with Jess Jacobs)

Mar 5, 2025

Jess Jacobs, CMO of MDVIP and former senior marketing leader at Shopify and Wayfair, dives deep into 'Brandformance' marketing. She explains how merging brand-building with performance strategies can drive measurable business results. Jacobs discusses the misconceptions surrounding brand marketing's analytical rigor and the importance of integrating top-of-funnel efforts with direct response. She also shares insights on effective marketing team characteristics and the balance needed for successful brand and performance initiatives. A must-listen for marketers!

46:55

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Episode guests

Jess Jacobs

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Brandformance marketing effectively combines traditional brand strategies with measurable performance tactics to enhance brand equity and drive business results.

A robust measurement framework that incorporates diverse metrics is essential for understanding both brand health and the effectiveness of performance initiatives.

Deep dives

Understanding Context SDK and Its Impact

Context SDK utilizes over 200 smartphone signals to ascertain user behavior in real-time, enabling apps to tailor notifications and offers based on whether a user is commuting, relaxing, or working. This technology has demonstrated significant results, with clients experiencing an 80% boost in conversions and a 20% increase in customer lifetime value (LTV). The platform's ability to optimize messaging delivery by understanding user context allows businesses to more effectively engage with their audience. Such enhancements in app functionality highlight the growing importance of contextual awareness in mobile marketing strategies.

Intro

2min

Exploring a Career in Digital Marketing and Brandformance Strategies

2min

Integrating Brand and Performance Marketing

13min

Navigating Marketing Measurements

7min

Balancing Brand and Performance in Marketing

7min

Integrating Brand and Performance Marketing

16min

My guest on this week's episode of the podcast is Jess Jacobs, the CMO of MDVIP, having previously served in senior marketing roles at Shopify and Wayfair. The topic of our conversation is Brandformance marketing -- or brand-oriented marketing pursued with specific sensibilities around directly-measurable business objectives.

Among other things, we discuss:

The definition “brandformance," and differentiation between brandformance and traditional brand marketing;
The approach to measurement that best integrates top-of-funnel brand marketing into a performance marketing workflow;
The common characteristics across marketing teams that are effective at utilizing both brand and direct response tactics;
What companies tend to get wrong about brandformance;
Why brand marketing is incorrectly viewed as less analytically rigorous than direct response marketing;
The optimal level of integration between brand and direct response efforts;
Whether a CMO can capably manage both brand and direct response initiatives.

Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:

INCRMNTAL⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
ContextSDK. ContextSDK uses over 200 smartphone signals to detect a user’s real-world context, allowing apps to deliver perfectly timed push notifications and in-app offers.

Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact ⁠Marketecture⁠.

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Mobile Dev Memo Podcast

Season 5, Episode 10: Podcast: Understanding "Brandformance" marketing (with Jess Jacobs)

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Understanding Context SDK and Its Impact

The Concept of Brand Formants in Marketing

The Necessity of Measurement in Marketing

Team Dynamics for Successful Brand and Performance Integration

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts