Welcome back to another edition of The Marketer’s Playbook! In today’s edition we will take a look at:

• Patreon’s ‘State of Create’ is a great breakdown on the creator economy

• AppLovin vibes shift rather dramatically

• Google brings back fingerprinting for better targeting and worse data-privacy

& More. No word from our sponsors today - lucky you!

EDITOR’S CORNER

Hello everyone, and welcome back!

Another relatively slow news week, so we get to keep this brief once again and give you some extra time back!

Side note, I recently decided to start a second newsletter where I will document the building of my new ad agency, OTHERSIDE, from the ground up. It will be a once-monthly, full-format newsletter that breaks down the what, why, how, good, bad, what’s next, and more in great detail.

The first edition is already 4,500 words long and only half done 👀. If you want to follow along, I’d love to have you. You can sign up for free here.

With that out of the way, we can get on with it. Have a great week everyone!

Happy learning,
Cory Dobbin

THE ROUND UP

Rounding up the most important marketing news of the week

Patreon’s ‘State Of Create’ Report Is Amazing

Patreon's 2025 "State of Create" report reveals a fundamental shift in creator priorities. While 57% of creators struggle to reach followers and 78% feel algorithms dictate their content, their focus has evolved from chasing followers to building sustainable fan relationships. The data shows creators now prioritize creative quality and financial stability over metrics, with 75% reporting platform burnout from constant publishing demands. Despite platforms favoring short-form content (61% of what users see), long-form content is more valued by fans (52%) and more likely to generate revenue. The direct-to-fan market now comprises 56% of the $290B creator economy, with creators earning 40x more per fan on Patreon than on TikTok – signaling a growing emphasis on deeper connections over viral reach. You can see the full (beautifully designed) report below.

The AppLovin Vibes Have Shifted

AppLovin, the mobile advertising platform focused on gaming apps, has seen explosive growth with revenue hitting $4.7 billion in 2024, up 43% year-over-year. The company's stock has surged 550%, giving it a market cap nearly four times larger than The Trade Desk. Now courting e-commerce and DTC brands traditionally loyal to Meta, AppLovin is offering substantial ad credits to attract new advertisers.

Results remain mixed among marketers. Jones Road Beauty reduced spending after disappointing incrementality tests. Some agencies remain cautious about AppLovin's self-reported metrics, with Tinuiti's Harry Browne noting they "can't advocate for" the platform's measurement capabilities.

Further, Fuzzy Panda Research recently published an expose that has driven the AppLovin stock down immensely, citing cases of illegal activity related to children, click and tracking fraud, and more. Since then, the flood gates have opened with class action lawsuits and further investigation taking place. You can learn more about the AppLovin situation at large at the Marketing Brew link below, and see the Fuzzy Panda Research breakdown video below that.

OTHERSIDE Achieves >3x ROAS On Programmatic

As you may know by now, my new company OTHERSIDE runs programmatic ads for brands through The Trade Desk. We recently launched a new strategy across two clients and it’s delivering insane results.

• >3x holistic ROAS for both brands

• No Bottom-Of-Funnel retargeting, so we are not cannibalizing existing website visitors

• Unique CTV>Display pipeline, showing ads to people on TV then retargeting them across the web.

If your brand is looking for help with advertising, or looking to diversify some spend away from Meta & Google, let’s chat! Click the button below and fill out our form and I will get back to you ASAP.

LinkedIn Launches Its Own Conversions API (CAPI)

LinkedIn has rolled out significant updates to its advertising tools, enhancing both targeting capabilities and ROI measurement. The improved Conversions API (CAPI) now features a simplified point-and-click interface, making it easier for marketers to connect first-party data from their CRM systems without complex coding knowledge. Early adopters have seen impressive results: 31% increase in attributed conversions, 20% decrease in cost per action, and 39% reduction in cost per qualified lead. Additionally, LinkedIn has extended its Revenue Attribution Report capabilities to analyze CRM data over a full 365-day period, providing more comprehensive insights into how data integration drives lead generation over time.

Google Is Bringing Back Fingerprinting?

Google has quietly reversed its 2019 ban on fingerprinting, now allowing advertisers to collect data points like IP addresses, operating systems, and screen resolution to track users across devices without cookies. The timing of this announcement—released just before Christmas and avoiding the term "fingerprinting"—has raised concerns about transparency. While this change gives marketers improved cross-device tracking capabilities and potentially better ad personalization, it has already drawn criticism from privacy watchdogs, with the UK's ICO calling it "irresponsible" and noting it reduces user choice and control. Advertisers must now navigate the tension between enhanced tracking capabilities and compliance with privacy regulations, especially in the EU where heightened scrutiny is expected.

NEWS BITES

Everything else you need to know

• REELS GETS ITS OWN APP?: Word on the street is that Meta has planned to spin off Instagram Reels into its own app to take advantage of the TikTok uncertainty.

• META ADS X GOOGLE ANALYTICS: Meta Ads seem to have rolled out a direct partner integration with Google Analytics, allowing you to better understand the impact on your funnel cross-channel.

• NETFLIX ADS IN EUROPE: Netflix opens up programmatic ad buys in Europe, with The Trade Desk gaining access on day one (let’s chat about this if you’re interested in testing it!)

• X LAUNCHES AI ADS: X has officially launched a ‘Prefill With Grok’ option that allows advertisers to use AI to create their ads for them.

• AMAZON’S INSPIRE FEED IS GONE: Amazon has announced that it has officially closed down its TikTok-inspired ‘Inspire’ feed for good.

• THE TIKTOK CYCLE REPEATS: Now that the privacy concerns seemed to have mostly blown over, TikTok fires their moderation and privacy team… again.

• FAST FASHION FEELS THE PAIN: Forever 21 is closing at least 200 locations as part of a looming (second) bankruptcy.

• CRYPTO STILL NEEDS WORK: The largest digital heist ever just happened, with hackers stealing $1.5B from a crypto exchange. This is a massive problem that needs to be resolved before mass adoption can happen.

• AMAZON BEATS WALMART: For the first time ever, Amazon has officially beaten Walmart in quarterly sales.

• SKYPE IS SHUTTING DOWN: After two decades, Microsoft has announced that they will be shutting down Skype once and for all. I will not miss Skype, but I thank it for its service.

CAMPAIGN MONITOR

Review recent and note-worthy marketing campaigns

EVERYONE HATES MUSK — ‘THE SWASTICAR’ GUERILLA CAMPAIGN

Ray-Ban Names A$AP ROCKY As Creative Director

IKEA Slide Into Canadians’ DMs

THANK YOU FOR READING

We will see you again next week!