As 40% of U.S. moms become primary or equal earners, brands need to catch up—not just with messaging, but with meaningful relevance. 

The shift in household economics 

Today, more than 40% of mothers with children under 18 are either the sole or primary earners in their households. That stat isn’t just a reflection of progress. It’s a reshaping of who holds economic power—and how it gets expressed in media, purchasing, and loyalty. 

For marketers, the takeaway is clear: this audience doesn’t just matter during Mother’s Day campaigns. They matter to your bottom line, year-round. 

They’re driving consumer spend 

Women already influence 85% of U.S. household spending. When you focus in on working mothers, you’re talking about one of the most active, decision-oriented buyer groups out there. 

P&G understood this early. Their long-running “Thank You, Mom” campaign didn’t just celebrate mothers; it positioned them as the emotional and economic center of the household. The result? A campaign that boosted purchase intent across multiple P&G brands and earned global recognition. 

Their media habits are mobile-first, purpose-driven 

Working mothers consume media differently because they live differently. They’re highly digital, deeply mobile, and efficient with their attention. According to Federated Media, the majority of moms use smartphones as their primary device, with social media and product reviews playing a huge role in purchase decisions. 

Apple leaned into this with their Mother’s Day campaigns—offering mobile-optimized gift guides and personalized emails. No gimmicks. Just content designed for a busy, highly intentional audience. 

Relevance over reach 

This isn’t about painting a picture of the “busy mom” trope. It’s about understanding what makes this audience click: value, convenience, and empathy. 

Upwork’s “Motherhood Works” campaign captured this by spotlighting the unique skills mothers bring to professional environments—a message that resonated with working moms looking for flexibility and recognition. It worked because it respected their reality and reinforced their value. 

Loyalty starts with understanding 

Brand loyalty among working mothers is earned, not assumed. They return to brands that respect their time, reflect their needs, and solve real problems. 

That’s why the best-performing campaigns don’t just speak to moms—they solve for them. Whether that’s same-day delivery, intuitive UX, or rewards programs that offer genuine value, the message is clear: support me, and I’ll support you. 

What brands need to do now 

• Audit your mobile UX. Does it respect a 15-second attention span? 
• Tailor content to caregiving realities. Avoid stereotypes. Aim for relevance. 
• Highlight time-saving benefits clearly and early. 
• Build loyalty programs around convenience and consistency. 

Don’t pander. Understand. 

Working mothers are shaping household economics, brand expectations, and the consumer journey. They’re not a sub-audience. They’re a signal. If your brand wants to matter to them, you have to show that you see them—clearly, and consistently. 

If you’re looking for an agency that understands working mothers, keep in mind that 34% of us are working mothers. If that sounds good, let’s talk. It’s what your mother would have wanted. 

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Let’s start with the basics: there’s Cinco de Mayo the holiday, which observes a small but important chapter in Mexico’s drive for independence. And then there’s “Cinco de Drinko,” which is how most people celebrate it. It’s fun. It’s kitsch. That’s why it works.

For restaurants, bars (and even hotels with restaurants and bars), it’s a built-in moment to fill tables, boost covers, and show up in the feeds where people are already primed to celebrate..

The difference between a packed house and a missed opportunity comes down to strategy. The brands that win Cinco de Mayo treat it like a campaign: media, SEO, CRM, and organic all pulling in the same direction. It’s not just a themed night: it’s a chance to convert attention into loyalty.

In our experience as travel and hospitality marketers, these moments are made — not stumbled into.
Here’s how to make “Cinco de Drinko” work for you.

Paid social: lead with vibe, close with urgency

No one scrolls Instagram to make a reservation. But they’ll stop for a smoky mezcal pour or a rooftop DJ spinning over tacos al pastor. That’s your hook.

• Start early with immersive content that builds anticipation — Reels, carousels, and Stories that highlight the energy, not just the menu.
• In the final week, flip to conversion. Think limited RSVPs, prix-fixe menus, and exclusive cocktails only available on May 5.
• Layer in geo-targeting and loyalty retargeting to drive FOMO among your most engaged segments.

Organic social: Make it look like the place to be

Your feed isn’t the flyer. It’s the vibe.

• Tease secret cocktails or one-night-only bites to generate curiosity.
• Spotlight behind-the-scenes prep — think mixologist clips or chef cameos.
• Tag local talent: DJs, mariachi bands, food vendors — and reshare their posts.
• Use Stories to tease exclusivity: countdown stickers, poll-driven sneak peeks, early access sign-ups.

Your feed isn’t the flyer. It’s the vibe.

In NYC, venues like Casa Enrique, Toloache, and Tipsy Scoop already do this well. Their feeds feel like a party invite — not a promo.

Paid media: Go beyond your own channels

Restaurants and bars with serious Cinco plans should act like brands.

• Launch a standalone campaign — with assets tailored to a single night of action.
• Book display placements on reservation and event platforms to boost awareness, not just retargeting banners.
• Promote VIP packages, mixology classes, or hotel stay + dinner bundles for properties with on-site dining.

Even a 2-day blitz on niche publishers can outperform a full week of generic reach buys.

As we advise clients often: think like a publisher, not just a promoter.

Search & SEO: They’re Googling. You should be showing up

Search demand spikes the last two weeks of April — especially for:

• “Cinco de Mayo near me”
• “Best Mexican restaurant for Cinco”
• “Tequila tasting NYC May 5”

That’s your window.

• Optimize your event page with schema, unique event titles, and location-specific keywords.
• Refresh your Google Business Profile with photos and posts tied to May 5.
• Use near-me variants naturally — “Cinco de Mayo dinner in Austin” beats “festive meal.”

CRM: Reward the loyal. Invite the curious

Your house list is your unfair advantage. Use it.

• Send an early access invite to top customers: RSVP links, secret menu teasers, or a free first drink.
• Consider dropping a post-event follow-up with a “secret recipe” or bounce-back offer.

Personalization here isn’t a trend — it’s the play.

The takeaway

Cinco de Mayo isn’t just a party. It’s a moment for restaurants, bars, and hotels to act like brands — and turn a made-up holiday into a real business win.

If you’d like help building your food and beverage traffic — on Cinco de Mayo or any day of the week — let us know. We’ve got more to share.

The post From Cinco to Drinko appeared first on acronym.

The FTC’s lawsuit against Meta is more than a legal headline — it’s a strategic reset. With Instagram and WhatsApp at the center of a potential breakup, the future of Meta’s advertising ecosystem is no longer guaranteed. Smart marketers should treat this as a trigger to re-evaluate performance strategies built on Meta’s integrated stack.

Why the Meta trial matters to marketers

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleges that Meta acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to stifle competition and preserve its dominance in social networking. Meta argues it made those platforms better — and that competition from TikTok, YouTube, and others is stronger than ever.

But the trial’s outcome could force Meta to divest either or both platforms. That would dramatically impact how Meta functions as an ad platform — disrupting the data cohesion, cross-channel attribution, and audience targeting that performance marketers rely on today.

How a breakup could disrupt advertising on Meta

Instagram alone drives more than half of Meta’s U.S. ad revenue. If separated, it could fragment the platform’s closed-loop system, weakening:

• Audience and behavioral targeting capabilities
• Cross-platform measurement and conversion tracking
• Efficiency of Meta’s AI-powered delivery systems

That’s not just a future risk — it’s a looming shift. And it demands a proactive response from advertisers now.

Steps advertisers should take right now

Whether or not the FTC wins the case, platform volatility is already here. Here’s how to de-risk your Meta strategy today:

Audit your dependency: Assess how much of your performance relies on Meta’s ecosystem.

Game plan: We’ve gotten cozy with Meta’s algo that optimizes across platforms, begin working with your agency’s analytics team for ‘what if’ models if and when that functionality no longer is available.

Build first-party data strategies: Strengthen owned data assets and reduce dependence on Meta’s pixel or API integrations.

Reframe creative: Develop modular creative that performs in less algorithm-dependent environments.

What this means beyond Meta

This trial isn’t an isolated event. It’s part of a larger regulatory wave aimed at Big Tech consolidation. Google, Amazon, Apple — they’re all being reevaluated. The playbook that worked for digital advertisers from 2015 to 2023 is being rewritten.

The future belongs to marketers who are platform-agnostic, data-literate, and adaptable by design. We’re not saying you should leave Meta. We’re saying stop treating it as default.

As regulatory pressure builds and platform dynamics shift, the brands that win will be the ones who plan ahead, not react late. Acronym can help you pressure-test your current media mix, identify risk exposure, and build the flexible strategies this moment demands. Oh, and that modeling exercise we talked about above? We’ve got you covered – so set up time to connect with us.

Let’s make sure your next move is a step forward — not a scramble.

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Here is how you can schedule Reels:

• In the creation flow, tap ‘Advanced Settings’ before sharing the post
• Tap ‘Schedule this post’
• Select the time and date you want it to go live
• Tap ‘Schedule’ in the post composer

Functionally, this doesn’t add anything new as users have been able to schedule posts via Creator Studio since 2020. 

But it could make it easier to manage your content on the go, and with the ability to schedule Reels so far in advance, this feature could help you maximize your content performance.

Instagram says that the option is rolling out from today, so if you don’t have it yet, you will shortly.

As usual, if you have any questions on how to get the most out of Instagram or any other media platform, please contact us today. We are here to help.

The post Instagram Rolls Out New In-App Post Scheduling Tools appeared first on acronym.

To help marketers and digital leaders navigate this new landscape, we’ve identified the key trends to help you improve engagement and drive conversions this year.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS

TikTok Will Continue to Grow & Brands Need to Take it Seriously

The rapid rise of TikTok has seen the app reach 1 billion users and counting. The platform has enormous engagement (U.S. users spend up to 850 hours a month on the platform) and enables brands to create hyper-personalized content that truly connects with customers.

In terms of the platform’s revenue, TikTok was the top-earning non-game app in 2021 with more than $110 million spent by users. This just shows the earning potential of the app for marketers looking to drive sales amongst young consumers. 

Influencers have also played a role in TikTok’s rise with many earning huge amounts through sponsorship deals. Battisby believes that brands are now taking notice of influencer marketing on the platform.

In the platform’s early days, it seemed to be a place for kids and teens and the influencer who want to reach them. But, today, we are seeing influencers like Gordon Ramsey and financial influencers like @johnefinance and @breakyourbudget who help GenZers learn about planning for their financial futures.

Social Commerce Will Become Seamless

During the pandemic, social commerce took off and is expected to reach $1.2 trillion globally by 2025 according to an Accenture study – a growth that’s three times faster than traditional ecommerce, aided by hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt.

2022 is set to see the experience of social shopping evolve as platforms work behind the scenes to enable customer payments without leaving social media apps, creating a seamless customer experience. Gen Z and Millennials are predicted to be the biggest spenders as they will account for 62 percent of global social ecommerce revenue by 2025.

The key to driving engagement is for brands to create compelling shop windows on Instagram. It’s no longer enough to rely on one great image, companies need to have multiple images per product and add keyword-rich descriptions. Video is also crucial as the popularity of the format  – as witnessed by TikTok’s growth and Instagram’s recent transition – is exploding across all audiences. 

YouTube Advertising Will Explode

YouTube is going to explode in terms of investment from advertising in 2022. As more people move away from linear TV, fragmentation with subscriptions, and streaming services all means that more advertising spend is going to move to YouTube.

Last year YouTube’s global revenue (through its parent company Alphabet) grew to nearly $29 billion, up almost 46 percent from 2020. This level of revenue puts the social media platform on par with Netflix and is a result of the rise in more traditional TV advertisers on the channel, direct response ads, and brand advertising.

2. DIGITAL MARKETING JOB TRENDS IN 2022

Marketers Need to Upskill in Digital

As brands clamor to engage, promote, and convert successfully online, the need for digital talent across industries is intense.

A recent whitepaper, ‘Perpetual Evolution’, from The Economist Group, revealed that securing talent with the right skill set is the number one challenge that the digital marketing industry faces, while the lack of training to upskill marketers ranks seventh.

This demand is great news for marketers but poses a challenge for many in the industry who lack digital know-how or experience in digital marketing. So what digital marketing skills will be in demand in 2022? Social media skills remain in high demand, along with SEO and SEM.

The Digital Gig Economy is on the Rise

Over the past decade, many workers are pursuing a more flexible ‘gig’ lifestyle for their professional lives. The emergence and rise of online services and apps such as Airbnb and Deliveroo have offered new ways of working for people rather than a 9 to 5 traditional job.

In fact, according to a recent Mastercard study, half of the U.S. population will do gig work by 2028.

This gig economy opens up the door for marketers with in-demand skills. We are seeing more creative or digital marketing professionals choosing the digital nomad route as this enables them to dictate their own working hours and have flexibility.

3. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN 2022

The Metaverse Will Become a Marketer’s Playground

While it has existed and evolved for years, the metaverse saw a boost in interest after Facebook changed its parent company’s name to Meta in October 2021.

This move, according to Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is because “the metaverse is the next frontier in connecting people, just like social networking was when we got started. Over time, I hope we are seen as a metaverse company, and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards.”

So what is the metaverse? Basically, it’s virtual worlds in 3D that people can connect through Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Imagine having an avatar that looks exactly like yourself with you exact measurements shopping in a virtual store. You would be able to try on clothes and see what they look like on your body from the comfort of your own sofa.

While we are still a few years away from reaching critical mass with the metaverse, brands are beginning to embrace it now to build on their customer experiences.

According to eMarketer research, there will be 65 million people that use VR and 110 million using AR every month in 2023. That’s a lot of potential young customers to have in one space.

Artificial Intelligence Will Hinder & Help Data Privacy

Privacy issues continue to plague brands as more customers demand transparency and control over their own data and we are seeing increasing concerns as AI continues to evolve the customer experience.

According to a Gartner study, 40% of privacy compliance technology will use AI by 2023 while global spending on privacy is expected to reach $8 billion by 2022.

However, companies can use AI in their data privacy initiatives to classify sensitive data and use it to search data to identify individuals that have asked to be forgotten (a specification covered under privacy regulations like GDPR).

The bottom line is the digital marketing space is changing rapidly and brands need to ensure they are testing new tactics and technologies while building the right presence across these new channels. If you need assistance taking a future-forward look at your brand’s digital presence and engagement, contact us today. Our experts are here to help.

The post The Digital Marketing Trends Shaping New Customer Experiences appeared first on acronym.

The report found that while about 50% of media plans are underinvested by a median of 50%, ROI can be improved 50% with an ideal budget, which Nielsen describes as the “50-50-50 Gap.”

“In a time when there are more channels than ever to reach desired audiences, it’s critical that insights on ROI are attainable and easy to understand. Brands can’t afford to waste valuable ads on the wrong audiences. By investing wisely and having a balanced strategy of both upper-funnel and lower-funnel initiatives, brands can reach the right audiences and maximize their ROI.”

Imran Hirani, vice president of media and advertiser analytics at Nielsen

The report found that media spend should be between 1% and 9% of a company’s revenue, with challengers spending more and larger brands spending less.

The report also found that overspending isn’t as problematic as underspending, which affects digital video (66% underinvested), display (60%), social (43%) and even TV (31%).

How to optimize ad spends, measure returns and improve metrics.

Nielsen’s “50-50-50 Gap” finding shows that while many media plans are often underinvested, results can be improved with better budgets.

• Full funnel marketing: To grow ROI, brands should pursue a balanced strategy for both upper and lower funnel initiatives. Nielsen found that adding upper-funnel marketing to existing lower- and mid-funnel marketing can grow overall ROI by 13-70%.

• Emerging media: It is difficult for brands to spend big amounts without proof that the new media works, but spending small amounts can make it hard to see if the media is working. Nielsen found that podcast ads, influencer marketing and branded content can deliver over 70% in aided brand recall, and that influencer marketing ROI is comparable to ROI from mainstream media.

• Ad sales growth strategy: Ultimately, ROI will inform publisher pricing power. Publishers are not just competing against others in their channel, but also against other channels, so comparing channel ROIs can help set pricing strategy. The ROI Report uncovered that social media delivers 1.7x the ROI of TV, yet social gets less than one-third of TV ad budgets.

• Audience measurement: Campaigns with strong on-target reach deliver better sales outcomes. However, only 63% of ads across desktop and mobile are on-target for age and gender in the U.S., meaning that on the channels with the most exhaustive data coverage and quality, over one-third of ad spend is off-target. To capitalize on opportunity and drive impact, advertisers should prioritize measurement solutions that cover all platforms and devices, with near-real time insights.

Along with channel underinvestment, Nielsen found that only 63% of ads on desktop and mobile are on-target for age and gender in the U.S., despite high levels of data coverage and quality in the channels. Advertisers should prioritize cross-platform and cross-device measurement solutions and near-real time insights to drive impact.

If you need assistance with your media strategy, contact us today. We are here to help.

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Lead ads or lead generation ads on Facebook are customer information forms that are promoted throughout the platform. These forms collect customer information such as name, email address, postal codes and more. This information can then be used to further connect with the customer for lower funnel engagements or awareness of related events such as: contest registrations, newsletter subscriptions, email upsells, or future retargeting campaigns.

The Main Benefits of Lead Generation in Facebook:

Optimized for Ease of Opt-in
Lead ads are optimized for mobile users and are designed with pre-built forms that automatically populate with user data from the Facebook platform when the users opt in.

Brand Awareness and Encourages Lower Funnel Engagement

It warms upper funnel audiences and potentially converts prospects into high quality brand followers, while also creating opportunities for the brand to interact with the audience through emails, contests, etc.

Cost Efficient

Lead generation ads on average, are lower cost when compared to conversion focused ads. Thus, campaigns can be set up to focus on generating a large volume of leads for a relatively smaller budget, when compared to conversion ads.

Highly Targeted Segmentation

Facebook allows us to show lead ads to highly targeted audience segments in terms of interests, location, demographics, and more. This increases the quality of lead generation.

Strategy

Ideally users are incentivized somehow to provide their email, such as entry to a contest, etc. When you see Cost Per Lead increasing over time, you should switch the creative / offer to renew buying efficiencies.

We recommend using general ‘higher level’ targeting for lead ads and reserve current highly targeted segments for Conversion Ads. Conversion ads are designed to get people to take an action (such as purchase) on the website which is why it costs more per result. Although, lead ads are cheaper, the major trade-off when it comes to running lead generations ads instead of conversion ads is that you risk gaining leads that are higher up in the funnel. This means that although you may be generating a high volume of leads for a lower cost, a portion of those leads may be individuals who are not as interested to convert later down the funnel – we call these low-quality leads. However, there are methods you can employ to reduce this risk and increase the quality of leads.

Next Steps:

Existing conversion objective campaigns yield healthy results and are integral to the success of ongoing promotional ads, so plan to continue using conversion ads, but leverage lead gen campaigns simultaneously to test potential new markets.

The following strategy uses lead gen ads as a method to test target markets:

1. Create the right image/video creative that is relevant to the market.
2. Keep the form simple and ask only the questions required for future retargeting.
3. Offer a gated incentive (e.g. a coupon) that can only be accessed when interested customers complete the form.
4. Use collected first-party data to run future contests, events, email sequences, newsletters, etc. This also creates excitement and increases brand awareness in prospect audience. 5) Use a custom audience of those who have submitted their email address to exclude those people from seeing lead gen ads.

If you need assistance developing and executing the right Lead Generation strategy on Facebook or across any other digital platform, please contact us. Our team is here to help.

POV By Andrew Lee, Paid Social Analyst

The post Why You Should Include Facebook’s Lead Generation Ads In Your Marketing Mix appeared first on acronym.

The last few years have been atypical to say the least and eCommerce/shopping was greatly affected by the social climate. During the pandemic-driven hibernation in 2020, eCommerce was thriving because there was less opportunity for travel and subsequently more funds for purchases; particularly in demand for at-home use (candles, athleisure, office supplies) and digital education/fitness apps.

Starting in 2020, COVID was the catalyst for the change in consumer behavior. We began to see some relaxed restrictions with a slow return to offices, and more customer demand for Airbnb/staycation/travel experiences as well as general in-person activities with family/friends. Still, the landscape was not quite identical to pre-pandemic behaviors, and in tandem with this shift, modeled META data, the looming threat of cookie deprecation, shipping/demand issues and rising CPMS, there are additional layers of changes bringing a new transformative time in the industry.  

With all these social changes, platform nuances and industry transformations, how do we use the data we have to better inform our holiday strategy and prepare for 2022?

Evaluating 2021

To look ahead to this year, we need to evaluate 2021. The prior holiday season had the “strongest retail growth in more than 20 years” due to increasing customer spending. The expectation is for this metric to grow to 1.262 trillion in 2022, with 15.5% coming from e-commerce, while brick-and-mortar is expecting 1.026 trillion.

The 2021 Review

• Fewer users shopped Cyber Monday/Black Friday overall and most shopped earlier to avoid inventory/supply chain issues and subsequent shipping delays.
• Spending increased, particularly at brick-and-mortar retail stores, as there was a large appetite for in-person shopping/consumers were in a better place financially than the prior year. This included in-store shopping for apparel for in-person events/office usage.

Key stats (eMarketer 2022 Preview Report)

• Retail spends grew 16% YoY to 1.221 trillion.
• Mobile e-commerce accounted for 45.9% of sales, and 61% of digital visits and is projected to be almost 50% in 2022.
• Brick & mortal sales increased 17.3% to 1.017 trillion.
• Cyber Monday had the highest spending day online.
• Black Friday inched up to .3% while Thanksgiving grew 2.3%.

What should you do with this data?

1. Ensure your holiday planning/creative is approved assets to be ready for an earlier time in market and to be seen among the clutter as many brands will be present earlier.
2. Invest in video assets because these have higher costs, but they see great LTV/revenue and work well with static.
3. 2022 will have a longer holiday cycle, with less spend during the typical post-Thanksgiving period. So, you’ll want to ensure you have a strong evergreen presence. You should release seasonal/holiday messaging earlier to align with consumer demand. No longer do you need to save funds for the holiday spending all in late Q4.
4. Consider starting early and implementing flat spending if it aligns with your business. Last year there were Black Friday promotions as early as October, and in general, holiday discounting was only 9% in 2021, vs. 14% in 2020, so monitor competitors/trends to see if this continues into 2022.
5. Because brick-and-mortar sales increased, you should consider setting up store locator ads and ways to track your in-store or online ads. “Click to collect” drove 1 in 4 online transactions, so, if possible, you will want to set this up, and run CTV ad campaign tests.
6. Cyber Monday should still be priority and if you have an offer; be sure to showcase/be present as this is still an instrumental day.
7. As there are significant mobile visits and share of revenue, you will need to ensure your ads and user experience is mobile friendly. Invest in app/shops, in preparation for this influx.
8. To drive purchases and rise above the clutter, ensure each receives a specific user journey and relevant messaging for where they are in funnel (new user vs. returning) and start soft vs. heavy copy to drive user to convert.
9. Invest in your CRM data and learn from it as well as promote to repeat customers from these list with special offers to drive loyalty and continued purchases. Consider establishing a program/reward for these users.
10. Test influencer marketing, that way your product is top of mind and when they are ready to purchase, you aren’t as affected by audience modeling.
11. Ensure you utilize the shop features and continuing to monitor new features (i.e.: FB/IG shop, and enabling checkout within platforms, dynamic ads for hyper targeting ads to users that have seen specific products etc.) of the platforms and ensure you have an integration with a tool like Shopify, so you’re accurately tracking performance.
12. Consider using a listening tool, to continue to meet consumer expectations and change messaging/strategy based on feedback, with a tool like Sprout Social.

With eCommerce growth back to mid-teens, rising 15.5% to 235.86 billion, the channel is back to pre-pandemic levels. However, we still anticipate earlier holiday shopping to stick as demand will occur earlier in the holiday season, and these habits were established for several years now. Profitero’s Black hypothesized:

“October will be the permanent new kick-off for the holidays, because it feels normal now after two years and it gives retailers three months to make their number versus two. ”

That’s not to say you shouldn’t be in market during the big three (Cyber Monday, Black Friday, and Thanksgiving) but the strategy should start earlier while we monitor trends/industry changes.

Of course, it’s early and there are several factors to look out for, as we move toward the early holiday season, that will impact projections/spend.

• Inflation/Labor Market Changes and General Economy health (i.e.: if gas prices go up, users will have less discretionary income).
• If stores close, during Black Friday for social climate changes, this will impact spending.
• If Prime Day (Apple) or large brands (Amazon, Walmart etc.) change their holiday calendar, it is likely to have a trickledown effect.
• COVID/Social Landscape.

There is no one-stop solution. So, it’s important to speak with experts like us so you consider historical performance, creative and the audience targeting that out-performed. With previous insights/data and the above, you are set up for another successful holiday season.

POV by: Gellena Lukats, Director, Paid Social

The post Tis the eCommerce Season: Prepare Now for the 2022 Holidays appeared first on acronym.

As Meta explains, when individuals review a report like the one above, a common misconception is that Meta’s machine learning moves more budget to underperforming ad sets – a phenomenon dubbed “The Breakdown Effect.”

In reality, this is not the case: it only appears so because marketers aren’t exposed to the real-time costs of results in the auction (the machine learning system that takes place to determine which ad is shown to a person). For example, it may look odd that an ad set with a higher cost per conversion was given more budget (as above), but this was likely because the auction system determined that the cost per conversion of the other ad sets would increase if given more money.

Campaign Budget Optimization with Lowest Cost Bid Strategy enabled allows the system to dynamically shift budget to ad sets and ads that will result in the highest number of results for your campaign. This is the opposite of assigning specific ad set budgets, or giving specific budgets to specific audiences, in a single campaign.

“The Breakdown Effect” gets to the heart of how Meta’s auction system works, and can be a common point of confusion. It’s important for marketers to understand this concept so they can discern why reports may look a certain way, and so they aren’t tempted to turn off CBO by assigning specific budgets to specific entities in the same campaign to drive more budget to entities with lower costs. This will deliver fewer results and an overall higher cost per result for your campaign.

For brands with nimble budgets, it can be tempting to make every dollar count by designating dollars to specific ad groups based on previous performance costs. But doing so based on an evaluation of campaigns using CBO will deliver the opposite effect because individual ad sets & ads should not be viewed in isolation as performance costs of individual entities in a CBO campaign are not the best indicator of success. And, also because this limits the system’s ability to learn and move budget in a fluid manner based on real-time happenings in the auction. Flexibility in budgets and assets – what Meta calls “liquidity” – optimizes the system’s machine learning capabilities. 

Remember, the more flexibility, the better as the cost per result of a specific entity in CBO campaign is not a good indicator of success. While reviewing overall campaign performance of a CBO campaign is ideal, the amount of budget assigned to different entities is a better indicator of success when trying to evaluate different ads and ad sets.

If you need assistance in how to structure and optimize budgets to the platform’s machine learning capabilities with CBO, please contact us.

The post Why Budget Liquidity Matters When Utilizing CBO in Facebook Campaigns appeared first on acronym.

Have you worked with a female business mentor?  If so, what were some of the lessons she taught you?

Kristen Gonzalez, EVP, Agency Operations, stated that she has “had informal business mentors who gently course-corrected me when they were aware of ways in which I was undermining myself. Even those who were not that gentle taught me some great lessons. Sometimes growth is painful, but the reward is in applying those lessons forward and the results eventually speak for themselves. I’m as grateful for the lessons in what not to do as I am for those in what to do.” 

Kristen then spoke of some of the challenges she has faced, saying “It’s hard for me to say that the challenges I’ve faced personally have directly been about gender. I’ve worked with many men who were solid advocates for me and treated me with respect and consideration in each encounter. Women are often expected to be in opposition to each other at work and in personal relationships; it’s a competition mindset that does not need to be there. We can all be better advocates for each other. In fact, the women I work with every day here at Acronym inspire me. Age, experience, and title are not always correlated with being inspiring. You can find great people doing great things at all levels of an organization.” 

Kristen closed with a valuable piece of advice for all women in the workforce, recommending that they “adopt a lifelong learner mindset. When you focus on learning as much as you can, you move your perspective from one of lacking to one of gaining.”

What women inspire you and why?

Jennifer Jones-Mitchell, SVP, Marketing & Communications said, “The first and most enduring inspiration is my mom. She was an entrepreneur when women weren’t allowed to be business owners in the U.S. At a time when women couldn’t even have a credit card without their husband’s or father’s permission, she opened and ran a small chain of home décor stores. She endured unbelievable indignities on merchandising trips and overcame so many obstacles as she built her career as a successful retailer. I once asked her why she didn’t protest in the streets for women’s rights in the 1970s and her answer was, ‘I wasn’t about to ask for permission to start my own business. I just did it.’ It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized the confidence and courage she had.”

Jennifer explained why that kind of confidence and courage matters by stating “one lesson I come back to often is that fear is good. Early in my career, I’d been successful in a position for a few years when I had the opportunity to take on a larger role. I told one of my mentors I was a little scared to leave the comfort of my existing position for this new challenge. She said, ‘if it makes you scared to do it, then it’s worth doing because that means you are growing.’ I followed her advice and haven’t looked back since. This advice drives me to embrace change, to try new tactics and explore future trends. No one learns anything new doing the same things they’ve always done. No one forges new paths by being comfortable. Fear is good. Fear drives us to succeed. That fear you feel when taking on a new challenge is how you know it’s worthwhile.”

Jennifer also added this final piece of advice for other professional women. “Don’t water-down your sentences with words like ‘just,’ ‘actually,’ maybe,’ or ‘sort-of.’ Some examples include ‘I just want to add a thought,’ ‘I actually have a question,’ ‘That sort-of makes me uncomfortable’ or ‘Maybe you should leave.’ These modifiers undermine what we are really saying. And remember to promote yourself. So often, women are taught it’s impolite to tout our talent, experience, and success. It’s not. It’s good business. Get your voice out there – create a podcast, write articles about industry trends, speak at events – advocate for yourself. Finally, know your own worth and learn to negotiate for what you deserve.”

What challenges do you think women face because of their gender?

Stephanie Hart, EVP and GM, Digital Analytics said, “The past few years have highlighted that there are still many parts of the world and workplace that allow misogyny and a ‘boys club’ mentality. Every person who speaks out against even a small transgression helps to chip away at discrimination and improve the world for all women. Just because Acronym is such a safe environment, we can’t pretend that things that happen in politics and the media don’t impact the way women are treated daily elsewhere.”

But there is a lot that women can do to overcome and even preemptively address these challenges. Stephanie explains, “I’ve worked with and for many wonderful women throughout my career who have taught me lessons such as listen before you speak, stand your ground with a smile, embrace challenges and change, and maintain your own credit history. One of the biggest myths that needs to be broken is held by women – that they need to be 100% prepared and able to accept a new professional challenge. I see under-qualified men winging it all the time while well-qualified women sit back and doubt themselves. Of course, this is a massive generalization, but I think more women need to have the confidence to fail.”

Finally, Stephanie offers this advice, “Don’t be apologetic because you must balance life and work. Don’t think that this inevitable balancing act makes you less valuable in the workplace.”

When or how do you feel most empowered?

Sara Gould, VP, Human Resources says”I feel most empowered professionally when I can do what I do best and am trusted. When I don’t have to push for a seat at the table, but I am looked for and asked to fill the needed space, not because of my gender identity but because of the skills and knowledge that I provide.”

Nonetheless, there are still some inherent hurdles to overcome when achieving that sense of empowerment. Sara explains, “Being a woman and in Human Resources, I get hit twice with stereotypes. It is assumed I am sensitive and just focus on Harmony vs. Strategy. My response is, ‘yes, I am sensitive, and what of it?’ I am a bit of an empath and being in HR with that ability is a blessing and a curse as it can be exhausting. I struggle with why men and women are looked at differently when they express emotion in the workplace.  For example,  a guy expresses anger at work by yelling it gets brushed under the rug but, if a woman cries, she is shamed. Why is one emotion deemed better or worse than another? Emotion is real and should be acknowledged. I also believe in a Richard Branson quote, ‘the customer doesn’t come first, your employees do, because if you take care of them, they will take care of your customers.’ Science has caught up and now shows that engaged people who feel cared for do more than what is expected at work vs. those who are treated like faceless minions.”

This is when it’s important to build a strong support network. Sara continues, “There was a female leader at my last company who gave me great advice when I was struggling with my own management line. She said you need to have your own Board of Directors – each person serves a different role. Each teaches you something. Some hug you when you need it, some kick you in the butt when you need it, and all push you to be the best version of you, and not to be something else.”

Sara concludes with this advice, “Be you and be all of you. Harness your power for good.  Support worthy people that are around you regardless of who or what they are. There is enough room at the table and light on the professional ladder for all of us. Also, stop saying sorry if you didn’t do anything wrong! But if you did, own it.”

What advice do you have for other professional women?

Farah Sadiq, EVP and GM International says, “Over the years there have been so many leaders who have paved the way to impact and define social equality. In today’s context, I am inspired by the ideology and strength of the younger generation who are spokespeople for today’s challenges – Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Thandiwe Abdullah and many more who have stood up and are fighting for a better and more sustainable future. In a world where we can be anything we want, choose to be kind. It’s amazing what can be accomplished with positivity and a team spirit.”

Joanna Cohen, VP, Integrated Media adds, “Find your voice! All too often competent professionals hesitate to contribute; the fear of making a mistake can be a powerful deterrent to participation. I hope that women, and men, will rely on their education and expertise and share their insights and recommendations. If we are going to have a seat at the leadership table we need to demonstrate, without hesitation or fear, our ability to make valuable contributions to the conversation.”

Gellena Lukats, Director, Paid Social reminds us, “If you’re in a room, make sure you’re heard. If you’re placed in an important meeting, there’s a reason, and if you’re trusted to be in a role, own it and make sure people know your worth, especially if you’re the only woman in the room. There are a lot of stereotypes of what women should be – be professional, kind, and challenge yourself to lead by example. Don’t change your management style, personality, or approach because of what you think you need to be, but challenge yourself to be the best professional version of yourself possible.”

Mary Sutter, Director, Social Media adds, “I think we are very fortunate at Acronym in that women aren’t underestimated off the cuff. In a lot of industries, women are underestimated. I’ve experienced it in the past and hope I don’t experience it again in the future, but know that it could happen. As such, I always work my butt off because I know as a woman, I have to prove myself. My advice to other women is ’stand up for yourself. But at the same time, don’t sweat things that maybe don’t matter so much.’

Let us know if you have any experiences or advice to share! We’d love to hear from you. And, in the meantime, let’s celebrate all the contributions women make to our world, from groundbreaking inventions to global diplomacy, business leadership and more. Happy Women’s History Month!

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