Hey there,

Monday is Labor Day here in the U.S., so we’ll be taking a little break. We’ll be back on Wednesday with more growth marketing news and insights.

Until then, have a GREAT weekend!

🎙 Have you checked out my new podcast? Find it here

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⚡️Today’s Headlines⚡️

🙏 Meta’s testing suggested Threads on IG to push engagement

📢 Google’s testing a new ‘Mentioned In’ search results feature

👁️ X is planning to collect users’ biometric data, education & job history

📦 FedEx is increasing shipping rates & customs fees in January

🏛️ X is lifting its 2019 ban on paid political ads

📈 Walmart’s ramping up third-party marketplace growth efforts

😬 Threads’ web launch only had 3% traffic bump

🤯 OpenAI is on track to generate more than $1 billion in revenue

*Want to get in front of 60,000+ Founders & Marketers? Click here…

🛠️ Things Worth Checking Out

📺 TV ADS - Connected TV (CTV) and streaming audiences are still going strong, with 21% and 69% growth, respectively, since May 2022. Even better news: ad-supported services are driving the most streaming growth.

👀 CHATGPT - According to new research from SparkToro and Datos, visits to ChatGPT are down 29% since May with 30% of use coming from programming assistance. Definitely check out the full study for more insights.

🤖 GOOGLE - Google’s unveiled a slew of enterprise AI tools this week as well as a new version of its custom-built AI chips. Tools include a AI watermarking tool, updates to its suite of office software, and security tools.

🗣️ AGENCIES - It’s Marketing Max here 🙂 If you’re a marketing agency of any kind and want more clients, I wanna plug you to my audience via a new project I’ve been working on. Click here to learn more.

🚀 Today’s Deep Dive 🚀

How to sell product without advertising

📰 TL;DR - Many founders, especially startup founders, love claiming that their product is so good they don’t need to advertise. With the chaos of different ad platforms and volatile metrics these days, it’s easy to see why people would want to stay away from typical ad channels… but not many brands can successfully pull it off.

Ice cream brand Van Leeuwen is one of these non-advertising brands. The co-founder claims the brand has grown without spending any money on advertising. And while they haven’t bought ads on Facebook since 2019, they’re still spending money on marketing. Through intentional packaging, strategic collaborations, and frequent media opps, they’re still marketing… they’re just not technically advertising.

💡 Insight - It’s possible to grow your business without spending a dime on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, or Google ads. Is it easy? Absolutely not. Van Leeuwen started in 2008 and only debuted in grocery stores in 2017. That’s nearly 10 years of brand building and creative marketing to build the foundation for their empire.

But if this is something you truly want to do with your brand, you’ve gotta get creative. Van Leeuwen isn’t getting sales and attention by staying inside the box. Be bold & loud in your promotions. Get wild. Make your product so iconic & notable that people have no choice but to talk about it.

And lastly, I’d feel rude if I didn’t say this, don’t feel guilty if you’ve gotta spend a little ad money once in awhile. Doesn’t make you any less of a marketer 😉

🎙 The @MarketingMax Show 🎙

Did you see the news? I launched my podcast this past weekend! Check out the first 3 episodes and subscribe on your favorite platform, here:

#1 - The untold stories of Chase Dimond, 8-fig entrepreneur & e-mail marketing god

🎵 Listen on Spotify here
🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts here
🎥 Watch on YouTube here

#2 - How Sunsama 5X’d Their Users on ~$0 Ad Spend w/ Yash Chavan

🎵 Listen on Spotify here
🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts here
🎥 Watch on YouTube here

#3 - The playbook for taking down a $9b brand (Klaviyo) w/ Sendlane CEO Jimmy Kim

🎵 Listen on Spotify here
🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts here
🎥 Watch on YouTube here

*Want to get in front of 60,000+ Founders & Marketers? Click here…