Negotiating Advertising Deals

I've been asked a lot recently on podcasts how to evaluate and think about large sponsorships. At ClickUp, we had a strategic partnership with the San Diego Padres that was extremely beneficial from an activation perspective. Here are some key points on how it worked/ was structured: 1. Embedded Partnership: It was important for us to be as integrated into their ecosystem as they were in ours. Our agreement included them using ClickUp as their primary work management tool across several departments. This integration was beneficial in many ways, helping them to speak our language when building out assets and discussing different aspects of our sponsorship. 2. High-Quality Content: We brought our team on board and ensured we had almost unlimited access to tell their story alongside ours. Baseball has a rich history and underwent significant transformations during the pandemic and when everything reopened. We were alongside them for that journey and wanted to tell that story through high-quality content. 3. Fluidity: I dislike rigid agreements. Life and business are dynamic, and our agreements should reflect that. We structured our partnership to be as fluid as possible, allowing us to add assets ad-hoc and make real-time changes. This created a true two-way partnership where both parties were continually thinking about how to further utilize each other. In many ways, it was one of the best partnerships/sponsorships I've done in my career (and I've done a lot). When evaluating potential sponsorships, beyond market fit and target demographics, consider the type of relationship you want with your partners. Look for organizations that align with that vision—it will pay dividends.

25% of B2B companies expect to use outcome-based pricing by 2028. That's a 5x increase from today's 5%, according to Kyle Poyar's latest research.   This will be a painful, but ultimately healthy transition.   Buyers never wanted software in the first place. They wanted solutions. As AI handles more work end-to-end, pricing migrates from inputs (seats, tokens, usage) to outcomes (cases closed, revenue recovered, risk reduced). Less "how much did you use?" More "did it actually work?"   Thought experiment: if code becomes a commodity and features ship instantly, value shifts from building features to guaranteeing execution. You’re not selling software—you’re selling outcome insurance.   Objections are real—attribution is messy, procurement habits are sticky, and buyers hate surprises. But these are solvable with instrumentation, shared definitions of success, and clear guardrails (Manny Medina). Over time, buyers will demand outcome-based pricing because it reduces their risk. Where outcome-based pricing already fits well: AI-enabled services. Services own end-to-end execution, so attribution is clean and incentives align. Mechanical Orchard is a great example—using AI to move mainframe workloads to the cloud, taking ownership of the entire journey. When you own the “last mile,” charging for success becomes straightforward.   AI customer support vendors have also been pioneers of this model. More vendor types are on the horizon.   If you’re a founder, here’s a simple path to test outcomes pricing: • Pick one mission-critical outcome your product directly influences. • Define a verifiable metric, baseline, and observation window with the buyer. • Cap downside (floor) and share upside (tiers/bonus) to build trust. • Instrument attribution now—event logs, holdouts, and third-party validation beat hand-waving later.   Start with one outcome. One customer. One measurable result you can guarantee. We're still early in this shift, but the direction is clear.   For those already experimenting with outcome-based pricing, what's been your biggest surprise? And for those that haven't yet, what's holding you back?

Nuanced cultural and demographic insights and understanding should drive innovation… 👉🏾Black women in the UK spend 7x more than white women on hair care👈🏾 This is just one small example of demographic and cultural insight and understanding that should drive business decisions, more so than the % demographic make up of a country or region. Too often we’re stuck in the simplicity of selling the same products in the same way to different people. Marketing, advertising and product creation simply doesn’t and shouldn’t work in that way. Obsessing over insights that only allow you to paint a picture of what the nation thinks doesn’t allow you to stumble across the gems of cultural nuance that will spark communications that truly resonate with audiences. 📺 Don’t let averages and headline stats rule your strategies. 💡Seek partners who can provide you with insight and foresight into a multiplicity of audience segments. 🎯Place continual learning about your audiences at the heart of internal decisions. For the full WARC podcast episode feat Lydia Amoah FRSA and Cassius Naylor check the comments 👇🏾

Budget vs. Performance One of the most common complaints from marketers is that their CEO or board won't allocate more budget to their campaigns. While it’s true that some CEOs might not prioritize marketing as highly as other areas, all CEOs are eager to invest in strategies that demonstrably drive business growth. Imagine your marketing budget as a garden. With a small plot, you need to be meticulous about what you plant and how you nurture it. Your goal is to make that small garden flourish so abundantly that the CEO can’t help but notice its potential. Anyone can run campaigns with a big budget. But scaling campaigns with a lean budget? That's a rare superpower. If you've pulled it off, give yourself a high-five! During this phase: - Don't shy to over communicate - Triple check your basics Keywords, Copies, Landing pages, Forms, CTAs, Negatives, Targeting, Bid strategy etc - Only run pilot campaigns which you're 200% confident with - Share proactive updates to sales and let them know you're paying for a call. - Listen to the sales calls recordings Here’s a step-by-step analogy to help illustrate this process: 🌱 Planting Seeds (Initial Budget): Start with your initial marketing budget, no matter how small. Focus on the highest ROI activities—these are your seeds. Choose campaigns that are known to generate measurable results. 🌵 Nurturing Growth (Optimization): Just like a gardener tends to their plants, monitor your campaigns closely. Optimize and iterate to ensure you’re squeezing every bit of performance from your budget. This is where your skills and creativity come into play. 🏡 Harvesting Results (Impact Demonstration): Show the fruits of your labor. Use data and analytics to present clear evidence of how your limited budget is driving growth. This is your harvest, the tangible proof of your efforts. 🥗 Scaling the Garden (Requesting More Budget): With a successful harvest, go back to the CEO or board. Present your case with solid data, highlighting the potential for even greater growth with increased investment. Just as a gardener might show a bountiful harvest to justify expanding their garden, you need to show the ROI of your marketing efforts to justify a larger budget. Virtually a 100% success rate if you follow the above process. Also you're not alone on this! #adsbudget

Outcome-based pricing is more common than you think, and you can use it too "No win, no fee" isn't just for lawyers anymore. Here are 3+1 ways you can charge by outcomes - from businesses already using it in the wild 1. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘀' 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 In display campaigns, you can pay for conversion rather than clicks or interactions. You only pay for conversions when customers convert on your website or app. Google only charges you for a customer conversion - set a target of £10 per conversion, get 10 new customers, and pay £100. For example, if you set your target CPA to £10 and you get 10 conversions during a month, you'd be billed £100. Simple, fair, predictable. 2. 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀' "𝗡𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗼 𝗙𝗲𝗲"     Ever wonder why injury lawyers are so confident? It's because they've mastered outcome pricing. For example, most only get paid (typically 25% to 33%) when you win. No success = no fee. They're investing in your case. 3. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄'𝘀"𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Chargeflow handles thousands of chargebacks and disputes. They know chargebacks are eating into your revenue and flip the script - they only take 25% of what they recover. You literally can't lose. Your success = their success. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: 3 + 1. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀' "𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻" Major platforms like Intercom and Zendesk are disrupting the space by charging per resolved ticket. They brilliantly sell "success bundles" upfront, making it predictable for everyone. I spoke with all of them and their feedback is that all their customers love it. No push-back. The secret of getting around unpredictability? By selling buckets of outcomes! And eating the rest until renewal! These companies crack the unpredictability challenge by: - Bundling outcomes into predictable packages - Using data to accurately forecast success rates - Building enough margin to absorb variance Have you seen any other outcome pricing in the wild? Share your notes - how is it working out?

For marketers and sales professionals, lead generation is often seen as the key to success—a continuous effort to attract potential customers. However, in an ever-changing landscape where new consumers engage with your brand daily and competitors are always on the rise, is lead generation alone enough? The real value lies in pairing lead generation with demand generation. While lead generation focuses on capturing interest, demand generation is about shaping that interest into genuine market demand for your product or service. It goes beyond just numbers—it’s about establishing a strong brand presence, educating the audience, and creating a compelling reason for them to choose you over others. This is where deeper audience intelligence becomes essential. At Bloomberg Media, we believe that understanding your audience is more than just data points; it's about uncovering insights that can drive meaningful engagement. By leveraging our proprietary audience intelligence, we help brands craft content that resonates on a deeper level, establishing them as thought leaders in their industry. Incorporating these insights into your demand generation strategy can help you move beyond the transactional and into the transformational. It’s not just about reaching people; it’s about reaching the right people with the right message at the right time—building trust, credibility, and a strong foundation for customer loyalty. For sales teams, it’s not just about accumulating leads; it’s about engaging with well-informed prospects who understand the unique value your brand brings to the table. When demand generation and lead generation work together, they create a powerful synergy that not only drives sales but also fosters long-term loyalty and advocacy. In a market filled with choices, combining robust audience insights with a well-rounded demand generation strategy could be the key to not just surviving, but thriving. #leadgeneration #demandgeneration #customerloyalty #consumer

Let’s bust some myths about contracts in the creator economy. Spoiler: It’s not just about getting paid—it’s about protecting your future. In the fast lane of the creator economy, contracts can seem like just another obstacle before the paycheck. But here’s the truth: a solid contract is your secret weapon. It guards your creative rights, sets the tone with brands, and lays the foundation for long-term success. Here are five things creators often overlook: (1) IP Ownership: Who owns your content after it’s created? If you’re not careful, you might give away your IP—and with it, control over your brand. Always ensure you retain ownership or, at the very least, have a say in its future use. (2) Exclusivity Clauses: Are you tied down to one brand? Exclusivity can limit your chances to work with others. Know the duration and scope (e.g., promoting one lipstick shouldn’t block you from promoting ALL other makeup and skincare) to avoid stunting your growth. (3) Moral Clauses: If your deal has a morals clause, the brand can cut ties if they think you could damage their image. But what about your image? Negotiate mutual moral clauses so you can walk away if the brand’s actions threaten your reputation too. (4) Payment Terms: It’s not just about the amount—it’s about when and how you get paid. Clear terms keep your cash flow steady and save you from chasing unpaid invoices. (5) Term and Termination: How long is the contract, and when/how can it be terminated? Understanding this gives you the flexibility to move on when the time is right—no surprises. Contracts aren’t just about the present; they’re about securing your future. Before you sign, make sure you understand every clause, and don’t hesitate to get expert advice (entertainment lawyers like me can help you with this!). Your future self will thank you.

🧵 Data Will Humble You. Let It - Part 5 of 6 Building a brand feels creative. But scaling one? That’s pure discipline. And the biggest unlock we’ve had at Koparo didn’t come from a campaign or influencer post. It comes from quiet, unsexy channel wise metrics and repeat analysis. You can feel like something is working. Ads are clicking. Reviews are good. But until you see how many customers come back, when, and for what, you’re running on vibes. Here’s what we’ve learned by looking at our numbers, hard and often: 1. Repeat is the real business. CAC will always rise. Retention is the only insurance. We track 30-day and 60-day repeat on our own platform and as many platforms as will share such data: What our hero SKUs actually are How long it takes a customer to reorder What percentage of people cross over into other products 2. Your best SKU might not be your best business. One of our top-selling SKUs had solid volume but weak repeat. Looked great in topline dashboards. Terrible in LTV. We stopped glorifying that metric the moment we saw the real picture. That’s when we doubled down on SKUs that anchored stronger behaviour over time. 3. Some channels look great until you zoom out. A channel can show great CACs or GM% at a snapshot but it may not have the underpinnings to give you scale.  We’ve killed things that looked “efficient” because they didn’t build a base. Data gives you the courage to walk away from false signals for us this was at least 4 product lines that were just brining in new users who did not want to use the core daily staple cleaning liquids. 4. Experiment to know your baseline.  That will keep you honest. Switch on ads, hyper scale, turn them off, spend in the mornings only, spend only on weekends, switch on meta ads and switch off platform ads. Do it all till you know what is your baseline and what are the drivers of growth. This is gold. The only truth is increasing brand searches - everything else is has so much noise built in. If you’re in year 2–3, fall in love with these metrics: 30/60/90 day repeat % of customers buying 2+ SKUs Category stickiness Contribution margin by channel A good ad gives you sales. A good cohort tells you the truth. Don’t ignore it.

How I would run the 1Password x Red Bull Racing sponsorship program. The partnership with Red Bull Racing creates an advantage. It gives 1Password a direct route to influence high-stakes decision-makers. CISOs. CTOs. Enterprise buyers. Brand leaders. Investors. People who move fast and demand precision. This is where brand perception meets enterprise trust. And here’s the structure I’d build to make it count: Each leader inside 1Password holds a message designed to drive clarity with security buyers. → CEO: “F1 teams operate under pressure. So do the companies we protect.” → CTO: “We secure Red Bull Racing’s systems at the same standard we deliver to our clients.” → CMO: “Access security powers performance. That’s the story behind this partnership.” These signals shape how people understand the brand. They build confidence with the right audience. The content engine should stay consistent across race weekends and major touchpoints. → Storytelling linked to access control, data protection, and secure performance. → Executive-led posts on LinkedIn, internal platforms, and partner-facing media. → Branded video, mobile content, and micro-case studies built into the campaign. → Tight coordination with revenue, product, and partnership teams. Each asset builds familiarity. Each moment reinforces market trust. Red Bull Racing offers a high-performance platform to demonstrate how Extended Access Management works in action. → Engineering insights, real-time team coordination, secure information flow. → Shared content opportunities between technical teams on both sides → Contextual storytelling that shows how 1Password’s system handles global scale, speed, and risk. This becomes the foundation for how buyers see 1Password inside their own fast-moving environment. Race weekends create a natural environment for high-value interaction. They offer more than visibility, they create momentum. → Invite CISOs and senior decision-makers into curated hospitality. → Run private roundtables focused on emerging security themes. → Use event content to support follow-up conversations and sales enablement. → Map each race to a specific market or vertical to support commercial goals. These touchpoints move relationships forward. They build stronger connection between partnership and pipeline. The 1Password x Red Bull Racing program has every asset it needs. This structure turns the program into a leadership platform. It builds perception, trust, and relevance with the people who shape long-term business growth. 1Password has stepped into one of the most high-performance partnerships in global sport, but their social presence doesn’t reflect that opportunity yet. This is Day One thinking. P.S. I would also start research to build a 5-day email course for the program..

The magic isn't just in HAVING warm audiences—it's in knowing HOW to enrich and activate them strategically across platforms. Here are some interesting examples you might not have considered. 1. Companies Engaging with Your Ads • Capture companies clicking on your LinkedIn ads • Enrich with prospect data • Expand targeting to the entire buying committee 2. ABM List Enhancement • Start with your account-based marketing list • Enrich with decision-maker data • Target full buying committees, not just primary contacts 3. Leverage Profile Engagement • Identify good-fit personal profile viewers & company page followers • Enrich with complete contact data • Expand to reach multiple stakeholders at each company 4. Web Visitor Identification • Use web identification tools to capture visiting companies • Enrich with prospect intelligence • Expand outreach to all relevant decision-makers 4. Pipeline Acceleration • Focus on companies already in your sales pipeline • Enrich with additional prospect data • Surround the buying committee with consistent messaging CROSS-CHANNEL ACTIVATION: The real power comes when you OWN these enriched audiences and activate them consistently across: A. LinkedIn ads B. Programmatic display, native image, native video, CTV, Audio C. Facebook/Meta ads D. LinkedIn connection campaigns E. Personalized email sequences This orchestrated approach creates a "surround sound" effect that significantly shortens sales cycles and increases conversion rates. What's working in your B2B audience strategy? Are you leveraging enrichment across all your warm audience segments? More resources + frameworks here - https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f #B2BMarketing #AudienceStrategy #ABM #MarTech #RevenueTech