Key Moments
The Internet Changed… And Most People Missed It
GaryVeeKey Moments
Traditional marketing metrics like follower counts or brand lift studies are obsolete; marketers must now prioritize relevance and test creative at scale on interest-based platforms to avoid wasting media spend.
Key Insights
GaryVee's personal brand publishes 412 pieces of content across 10 platforms and 81 different handles daily.
The shift is from 'social media' to 'interest media,' meaning you don't need followers to get views; relevance drives reach.
Working media dollars have historically been used to hide bad creative, but in the current era, they should amplify good creative, which is now judged by actual views achieved on social platforms.
The 'midfunnel' is defined as organic social media creative posted without upfront media support, with platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter X, Substack, and Beehive being critical for B2B.
Experiential marketing events should be treated as production days for social creative, focusing on what content will look like on social platforms.
The core skill of modern marketing is being a 'view editor,' understanding platform algorithms, content formats, and cultural relevance to maximize organic views.
The decline of traditional metrics and the rise of relevance
GaryVee argues that the marketing landscape has fundamentally shifted, rendering traditional metrics like follower counts, polished brand decks, and brand lift studies obsolete. The critical factor now is 'relevance,' which drives reach in what he terms 'interest media,' a move away from 'social media' as we once knew it. This profound shift, occurring over the last 36 months, means businesses can achieve views without necessarily having a large follower base. The only path to growth in 2026 is to win on relevance across diverse consumer segments. This necessitates a drastically different approach to creative: one that is measured and tested at scale, rather than relying on subjective opinions or outdated corporate scoring systems. GaryVee emphasizes that his agency operates differently, prioritizing the end consumer's reaction over pleasing corporate clients who may be disconnected from market reality. He highlights the common sense that seems to be missing in many boardrooms, where marketing is often not seen as the offense of a business, leading to wasted money on unproven creative and distribution into places where people don't see it. This is a stark contrast to his own approach, where the consumer has always been the ultimate judge.
The impact of 'interest media' on content creation
The concept of 'interest media' means that platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, over the last four years, have increasingly optimized their algorithms for relevance. When users open their preferred app, they are shown content that aligns with their current interests, not necessarily posts from their social graph. This alignment presents a significant opportunity for marketers. Platforms now want users to stay on their sites, so they dynamically serve content that users are likely to engage with. When marketers create content that is contextually relevant to the audience, platform, and culture, it has a high propensity to reach that audience. This is a revolutionary change because, for the first time, creative is generating reach, rather than just being distributed through paid media. This contrasts sharply with the past, where platforms were indifferent to creative quality as long as they received advertising spend. Now, platforms are business partners, motivated to keep users engaged by showing them what they want to see.
The emergence of the 'midfunnel' and organic content
GaryVee introduces the 'midfunnel' as a critical concept in modern marketing strategy, defined as organic social media creative that is posted without upfront media support. He stresses the extraordinary opportunity this presents, especially for B2B businesses, on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter X, Substack, and Beehive. The key advantage is that relevant organic creative can genuinely change the business calculus and become ROI-positive, even with a single remarkable piece of content. Many organizations, rooted in traditional marketing from television, radio, and print, still think in terms of working media dollars paired with creative. However, GaryVee argues that for decades, working media dollars were often used to mask or compensate for weak creative. The current era demands the reverse: working media should be used to amplify *good* creative. The effectiveness of this creative is no longer determined by focus groups or subjective opinions but by the actual views it achieves when posted organically on social platforms. This shift means that creative quality, measured by engagement, is paramount, and media spend should follow this validation.
Testing creative and the importance of data-driven decisions
A core tenet of GaryVee's philosophy is that marketers must move away from guessing and towards testing creative at scale. He criticizes the waste of money on creative that has not been proven to work and on distributing it through channels where it won't be seen. The current media infrastructure often involves buying 'potential reach' rather than 'actualized reach,' which is reflected in metrics like GRPs and impressions that don't truly indicate if content is being seen. This forces marketers to act in ways that are dictated by these flawed reporting systems. GaryVee believes there's a staggering amount of talent in large corporations that is being held back because individuals are reverse-engineering their strategies to fit fake reports, instead of applying their genuine human strategy. He advocates for driving down the cost of the creative process by actually measuring creative's performance. The underlying principle is that debating a piece of content in a boardroom is more expensive and less strategic than simply posting it and gathering quantitative and qualitative feedback from consumers via algorithms designed for relevance. This data-driven approach allows for continuous learning and improvement.
The underpriced marketing arbitrage of today: organic social
Historically, there has always been an 'underpriced arbitrage' in marketing – a channel or tactic that is undervalued by major players but offers significant returns. In the past, this included early adoption of email marketing, Google AdWords, or television advertising. Today, GaryVee identifies organic social media, used as the starting point of the marketing mix, as that underpriced behavior. He suggests that businesses should create 20-30 consumer segmentations based on demographics and interests, then directly produce creative content (images, videos, written word) aimed at winning relevance with those segments. This content should be posted across diverse platforms. Crucially, marketers must then observe the creative's performance (quantitatively and qualitatively) to see if it resonates. Only after this validation has been achieved should the creative earn the right to receive working media dollars. This is common sense, yet GaryVee notes that virtually no Fortune 500 companies are employing this strategy, presenting a massive opportunity for those who do.
Experiential marketing as a content production engine
GaryVee redefines experiential marketing, stating that events like B2B conferences or sponsorships are no longer solely about the experience itself. Instead, they should be viewed as production days for social creative. The focus should be on how the event will translate into social media content. This involves making the experience dynamic and creating elements—like a 10-story Xbox display—that are visually striking for social sharing. Every moment of an experiential event, including tours or other activities, should be filmed and post-produced with social distribution in mind. This content, whether derived from live events or new assets, is crucial for putting executives in front of audiences on platforms like X or in podcasts. The goal is to maximize organic views by treating these experiences as a rich source of shareable and engaging material for the digital realm.
The critical role of the 'view editor' in algorithmic success
The ultimate skill in today's underpriced marketing landscape is being a 'view editor.' This is an individual who keenly understands the differences between various platforms—such as LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts—and how their algorithms prioritize content. GaryVee explains that platforms constantly adapt their algorithms. For instance, LinkedIn might have favored videos three months ago to gather data, but now preference could be shifting. A view editor monitors these shifts—understanding if content should be long or short, a carousel, an image, or a video—and adapts the posting strategy accordingly. They are deeply attuned to 'platform, algorithm, and culture' (PAC). GaryVee's agency invests heavily in a hundred employees dedicated to understanding the algorithms of nine different platforms. This expertise is vital because when content is made relevant to specific audiences, it has a high potential to be seen. Even if it doesn't find its exact target initially, the engagement data gathered provides valuable 'qualitative and quantitative feedback' that informs future media spending. This contrasts with the broad, less targeted advertising of the past.
Shifting marketing budgets from non-working to working media
The strategic shift towards relevance and data-validated creative is fundamentally altering the marketing mix and budget allocation. Traditionally, marketing budgets have been split between 'working media' (like ad spend) and 'non-working media' (creative production, agency fees). However, as creative earns its right to media spend through proven organic performance, this ratio is changing. Highly progressive clients are moving from an 85/15 or 80/20 split (working/non-working) towards a 50/50 split. This indicates a greater investment in effective creative that demonstrably resonates with consumers. GaryVee emphasizes a move from rewarding media agencies for 'efficiency' (cheaper CPMs) to rewarding them for 'effectiveness.' He critiques the obsession with low CPMs, arguing that cheaper media often translates to lower quality placements, such as ads appearing at random hours on obscure channels. The focus must shift to buying media against creative that has already proven its worth, ensuring that media dollars are amplifying successful content, not hiding ineffective.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Products
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●Organizations
●People Referenced
Marketing Budget Allocation Shift: Working vs. Non-Working Dollars
Data extracted from this episode
| Client Type | Old Allocation (Working/Non-Working) | New Progressive Allocation (Working/Non-Working) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Clients | 85/15 | N/A |
| Highly Progressive Clients (3-year journey) | N/A | Dangerously close to 50/50 |
Common Questions
The fundamental shift is from 'social media' to 'interest media.' This means platforms now prioritize content relevant to a user's current interests rather than just their social connections, allowing for growth without needing a large follower count.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Highlighted as a powerful and underutilized marketing platform, particularly for B2B.
Listed as an important platform for content distribution, especially for B2B.
Mentioned as a platform that has shifted its algorithms towards relevance.
Mentioned as a platform with algorithms focused on relevance and used for content strategy.
Mentioned as a platform with algorithms focused on relevance.
Mentioned as a platform with algorithms focused on relevance, and serves as a source for Gemini's LLM.
Mentioned in the context of its AI efforts (Gemini, Co-pilot) and the importance of content creation for its future.
Mentioned as a traditional media outlet from an era when platforms didn't align with business objectives.
Mentioned as a traditional media outlet from an era when platforms didn't align with business objectives.
Mentioned as a traditional media outlet from an era when platforms didn't align with business objectives.
Mentioned as a traditional media outlet from an era when platforms cared less about creative quality and more about ad revenue.
Highlighted as an early and significant advertiser on Google AdWords, demonstrating the power of capitalizing on underpriced marketing behaviors.
Mentioned as a major early advertiser on Google AdWords alongside Amazon.
Cited as an example of a consumer brand that leverages organic social media as a starting point for its marketing mix.
Used as a benchmark for the sophisticated targeting capabilities still available on platforms like LinkedIn.
Included as an example of a platform with algorithms focused on relevance.
Highlighted as a platform important for feeding LLM models and relevant for marketers.
Identified as an early example of an interest-based platform, paving the way for future networks.
Mentioned as an AI model that YouTube Shorts content will feed, influencing search results and content strategy.
Mentioned in the context of AI tools, alongside Gemini.
Mentioned as a platform where employees present themselves, even if it doesn't reflect their true beliefs.
Mentioned as a platform and a product suite that businesses might switch to.
Mentioned as a Microsoft product associated with business operations.
Mentioned as a traditional entity from an era when platforms cared less about creative quality and more about ad revenue.
Mentioned in relation to a sponsorship event and as a sports team that the speaker is a fan of.
The sports team for which Sam Darnold plays, mentioned in a personal anecdote.
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