S7 E5: The 2024 Presidential Campaign Site Showdown

- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) are North Star metrics deeply debated, signaling a strategic split between focusing on new customers vs. marketing spend efficiency.

- Brands focusing on profit per order or revenue per session as North Star metrics may be linked to business models with high repeat purchase rates; contribution margin emerges as a key trend for 2024.

- Trump's campaign website employs an aggressive approach with immediate donation CTAs, powerful upsells, and a text-heavy design consistent with their ad spend strategy on text ads.

- Biden's campaign website is described as less aggressive, with no immediate donation prompts or pop-ups for data capture, and lacks engagement strategies in comparison to Trump's site.

- The Trump campaign's digital strategy effectively engages visitors with consistent branding, messaging that encourages contributions, and optimized conversion rate optimization (CRO) tactics aimed at increasing donations.

- TV advertising is seen as having a halo effect on e-commerce, boosting brand recall and enhancing other marketing channels, though it's advised to be used judiciously and tested for effectiveness before scaling up.

- Content strategies, such as Trump's campaign newsroom, are key in creating narratives that resonate with target audiences and drive campaign site engagement and donations.

- Ad spend decisions are influenced by the ability to test advertising channels at a low cost, with many decision-makers opting for low-cost tests to gauge channel effectiveness.

- Paid social media remains a dominant marketing force, with 78% of CMOs planning to invest in it, while influencer marketing and TV advertising are also significant but scrutinized for their claimed effectiveness vs. authentic investment.

- The halo effect of TV advertising on other marketing efforts is noted, but its impact can be difficult to measure due to the intertwined nature of various marketing activities.