Thao Truong

Don’t market to everyone. Connect with the right one. AI-led personalization and data-backed targeting now define B2B engagement. Here’s how Denave helps brands turn digital noise into meaningful demand: https://lnkd.in/dfAZwqE3

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At $25M in DTC revenue, growth wasn’t the problem. Scaling profitably was. We made a deliberate decision to accelerate, not restrain. Creative was the lever. We rebuilt paid social around creative performance analysis and rapid multivariate testing across Meta and TikTok. The goal wasn’t just more ads. It was faster, smarter iteration tied directly to cohort-level LTV data. At the same time, we tightened lifecycle strategy: • Segmented CRM flows based on conversion-driving creative   • Optimized CRO to increase AOV and repeat purchase rate   • Focused acquisition on new customer cohorts with proven 3:1 LTV:CAC durability  Over the next 12 months: DTC grew from $25M to $35M.   Contribution margin expanded from 28% to 31%. Paid social became the #1 acceleration engine for net new customers while contribution margin improved alongside it. That’s the difference between growth and scalable growth. Acceleration compounds when creative, cohort math, and lifecycle infrastructure move together.

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Target’s Q2 results are out, and retail media stands out as a major growth story. 🔑 Key numbers: - Comparable sales +1.5% A promising rebound that signals that Target’s investments in omnichannel and retail media are paying off - Digital sales +6% Driven by same-day services like Drive Up - Roundel ad revenue +34% YoY One of the fastest-growing parts of Target’s business, and increasingly central to its long-term strategy - Category trends Food & beverage and beauty showed growth, while household essentials and home furnishings softened Taken together, these numbers highlight a powerful flywheel. Retail media is scaling quickly, growing well beyond overall sales and showing that brands are doubling down on Roundel as a performance driver. That growth is fueled by Target’s omnichannel model. Services like Drive Up and Order Pickup (which also delivered double-digit growth) are increasingly sticky, becoming core shopping behaviors that expand the opportunities brands have to reach customers. Finally, category-level shifts tell us where consumers are spending. Food & beverage and beauty were bright spots (categories where retail media can strongly influence decision-making). Beauty in particular is worth watching. It's a category Target has worked hard to build credibility in – from its successful Ulta shop-in-shop rollout (610 stores since 2021) to expanding its owned assortment. While news just broke that Target and Ulta will part ways next year, the partnership clearly helped to accelerate Target's beauty positioning. Going forward, Target's moves to broaden its in-house offerings and integrate products into high-traffic areas (like Bullseye's Playground) shows that beauty will remain central to its growth story. 👉 In my view, here’s what brands and agencies should walk away with: → Roundel is scaling fast. Advertisers should view Target’s retail media as a high-growth channel that can drive ROI. → Omnichannel shoppers are the growth engine. Media strategies should align with same-day fulfillment and hybrid journeys. → Category-specific planning matters. With specific categories showing outsized strength, media investments in those verticals can help capture wallet share. → Expect more from measurement. Roundel’s growth comes alongside improved attribution – something advertisers should leverage to optimize spend. Target’s Q2 shows promising signs of momentum and highlights just how critical a lever retail media is for resilience and growth. What’s your perspective?

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Brands are asking the big questions about generative AI, and we're here with answers. In our "Ask an Expert" series, Enterprise Partner Brittney Lee tackles what's on the minds of brand leaders. Brittney explains that the changing customer journey means brands need to optimize their content to show up in AI-generated answers. She also covers the critical difference between AI search and traditional SEO, noting that both rely on quality content and require a unified strategy. Most important, she addresses how brands can ensure AI tells the right story by focusing on trusted, brand-controlled sources. #GenAI #AskAnExpert #BrandStrategy #ReputationManagement

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Sam's Club is trying to differentiate its retail media network with its omnichannel reach. Now, it has a new tool for measuring effectiveness for ad campaigns. Take a look at how it will work.