Mervyn Chua - Growth & Performance Marketing Leader | Scaling Businesses with Data-Driven Strategies

The Algorithm Is the Audience: How Social Search Is Rewiring Discovery, Desire, and Decision-Making

Social search is transforming how Gen Z discovers and decides. Learn why traditional SEO isn’t enough, and how marketers can optimize for TikTok, Instagram, and beyond in this deep-dive into the future of search.

I used to search with intent. I’d open Google, type a specific question, and sift through a buffet of blue links, carefully choosing what felt the most credible or relevant. There was structure. A sense of control. I knew what I was looking for, and I trusted that the answers were buried somewhere in those ten little links.

But these days? I don’t really search. I scroll.

I’m not asking questions. I’m being shown answers. The algorithm decides what I see before I even know I want it. And what shows up isn’t shaped by what I’m looking for. It’s shaped by who I am, or at least who the algorithm thinks I am.

Welcome to the rise of social search, where discovery is ambient, content is the answer, and Gen Z finds dinner, skincare, career advice, and emotional validation all in one single vertical feed.

And this isn’t just a personal shift, it’s a generational one.

Recent studies show that nearly 46% of Gen Z (and 35% of millennials) now prefer searching on social media platforms over traditional search engines. In fact, Gen Z uses Google 25% less than Gen X.

Almost 1 in 4 young consumers now use social media as their primary search tool. Nearly 40% of Gen Z would rather turn to TikTok or Instagram than Google when looking for information, from fashion tips to restaurant reviews. They’re skipping traditional search results for the rich, visual, and human-first feeds of social apps.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram aren’t just taking over search—they’re redefining it. And if you’re still optimizing for keywords while your audience is getting travel tips from a 19-year-old in a hoodie lip-syncing to SZA… you’re not just behind. You’re invisible.

This isn’t a trend. It’s a reprogramming of how we discover, trust, and decide. Social platforms have become the new interface for curiosity. And if marketers don’t adapt, they’re basically whispering into the void.

The Death of the Keyword

Traditional search was all about declared intent. Type in a question, get a list of links, and click the best match. It was structured. Predictable. SEO was the game and keywords were king.

But Gen Z? They’re not playing by those rules.

This is a generation raised on the infinite scroll where discovery isn’t something you seek but something you stumble into. On platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts, content isn’t surfaced because you asked for it. It appears because the algorithm has decided it fits your vibe.

Social search is passive, predictive, and hyper-personalized. You don’t ask. It answers. Before you even realize you want to know.

According to Search Engine Land, Gen Z prefers short-form, visual-first content over traditional text results. Platforms like TikTok deliver instant gratification — fast, entertaining, and straight to the point. No digging through a long blog. No dodging SEO fluff.

This isn’t just about how we search. It’s a fundamental shift in why we engage.

Traditional search is about information.

Social search is about identity.

The algorithm profiles your behavior, tastes, and micro-engagements to serve you content that feels right. Creepy? Yes. Efficient? Also yes.

For marketers, here’s the wake-up call: Keywords no longer guarantee relevance. If your content isn’t designed to stop the scroll, it won’t be seen—no matter how well it ranks.

From SEO to CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer)

In the age of social search, creators are the new curators of discovery. They don’t wait for users to ask questions, they create content that shapes what people see, want, and believe.

And in this landscape? Influence = authority.

Marketers need to stop being just useful. They need to become watchable.

Traditional SEO taught us how to write to rank. Social search demands we create to resonate. Your audience doesn’t want more blog posts. They want stories, faces, and scroll-stopping moments.

Because here’s the truth:

Authenticity is the new SEO.

Gen Z isn’t buying the polished, over-optimized, brand-safe content anymore. They crave realness. Slightly raw, a little unfiltered, deeply personal. A TikTok video of someone sharing a genuine review outperforms a thousand-word article optimized for “best supermarket wines under $50.” Why? Because it feels like advice from a friend, not a faceless brand.

Want to build trust?

Collaborate with real people
Ditch the overly scripted content
Speak with relatability, not just authority

In today’s attention economy, your role as a marketer isn’t just to rank, it’s to perform. You’re not just a strategist anymore… you’re the Chief Entertainment Officer.

Social Proof is the New Relevance

In the past, SEO relevance was mechanical: keywords, backlinks, metadata.

But in the world of social search? Relevance is human.

Comments, saves, shares — these are the new ranking signals. A flood of “omg needed this ” tells TikTok the content is working. Social platforms don’t care about domain authority, they care about momentum.

Gen Z trusts people, not platforms. When they search, they’re looking for community-driven answers:

A Reddit thread with 200 upvotes
A TikTok with relatable tips in the comments
A YouTube comment thread full of context and hacks

They want to see people debating, sharing, and validating information in real time.

Social search isn’t just a search engine, it’s a conversation.

This is what modern relevance looks like: Not matching a query, but matching a moment. If your content doesn’t feel personal, useful, or timely, it won’t matter how optimized it is. It will vanish in the scroll.

Your new job? Create content that sparks discussion and earns attention from a crowd that talks back.

So What Should Marketers Do (Besides Panic)?

Breathe. This shift isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity. Here’s how to show up where your audience is already searching:

Optimize Content for Social Search

Start treating your social content like SEO content.

Best practices:

Use keywords naturally in captions and on-screen text
Add alt-text and relevant hashtags
Join platform trends early
Create content that answers real questions

This isn’t about keyword stuffing. It’s about being findable and watchable. Think like your audience: “What would I type into TikTok?” Then create content that delivers that answer natively and authentically.

Leverage Creators and Community for Reach

If social search is powered by peer trust, then creators and user-generated content (UGC) are your secret weapons.

Why? Because people trust people.

Here’s how to tap into that:

Collaborate with influencers whose values and audience align with yours.
Encourage UGC by inviting users to share their own experiences with your product or service.
Be active in communities where your audience already lives, whether that’s Reddit, Discord, or TikTok comments.

Community-powered discovery builds trust faster than any ad ever could. And when your brand shows up in the voice of someone your audience already relates to, it hits differently.

Expand Your Paid Search Playbook to Social Platforms

Paid search isn’t just a Google (or even Bing) game anymore. As social platforms mature into search engines, they’re also offering new paid ad formats tailored for discovery.

New tools to try:

TikTok Search Ads (currently in beta) lets you place your brand directly in search results when users look for specific keywords.
Instagram’s Explore Feed isn’t a direct ad placement, but smart targeting can put your content in the feeds of users engaging with similar topics.
YouTube allows you to target specific search queries with video ads, perfect for intent-rich discovery moments.

If you’re already fluent in Google Ads, you have a massive advantage. Apply that expertise to TikTok and YouTube to get ahead of the competition before those auctions become saturated.

Embrace an Omnichannel Search Mindset

Search doesn’t start and end on one platform. Gen Z’s journey might go:

TikTok Reddit Google Instagram Checkout

Or, all in reverse. You need to be discoverable everywhere.

Some practical ways to do this:

Maintain a consistent brand voice across platforms, while adapting your content format to fit each ecosystem.
Cross-pollinate content: Turn a high-performing blog post into a TikTok explainer, or summarize it into a carousel for Instagram.
Listen to the signals: If you’re seeing a spike in referral traffic from Reddit or YouTube, double down where it works.

The future of search is fluid. Your strategy should be too. To win, your content needs to show up where your audience lives, in the format they trust, with the voice they recognize.

Final Thoughts: Stop Searching, Start Showing Up

The future of search isn’t about asking questions, it’s about being seen. Algorithms now shape what we discover, who we trust, and what we desire before we even know we’re searching.

Gen Z is showing us what’s next: a search experience that’s visual, social, and deeply immersive. It’s not just a shift in tools, it’s a shift in mindset.

So here’s your challenge

Audit your presence:

Can someone easily find your product via a TikTok search?
Are you showing up in Instagram’s suggested content?
Do you appear in Reddit discussions or YouTube comment threads?
Are your posts showing up for relevant keywords in social captions or alt-text?

Call to action: Don’t wait for this wave to wash over your brand. Ride it. Assemble your team and start building a social search strategy.

Call to action: Pick one platform where your audience is active and start creating content built for discovery. Launch a TikTok tip series, or refresh your Instagram SEO.

Because in this new reality…

The brands that win aren’t just searchable — they’re seen.

Biohacking the Workday: High-Performance Hacks for Energy, Focus and Resilience

Discover data-backed biohacks to supercharge your workday. From intermittent fasting and cold showers to wearable tracking and nootropics—learn what actually boosts energy, focus, and resilience for busy professionals.

So, I’ve spent the last 6 months playing human guinea pig, testing one of the most talked-about biohacks out there: intermittent fasting. That meant skipping breakfast entirely and sticking to a protein-only lunch . The first couple of weeks? Absolutely brutal. I was hungry and constantly fantasising about KFC.

But by week three, something shifted. My mental fog lifted . I started powering through the days with sharper focus, more consistent energy, and a surprising bonus: I gained 12% more muscle and lost 28% body fat.

It got me thinking what else out there might actually work?

In today’s high-octane digital world , where Slack pings don’t sleep and burnout is just one missed deadline away — energy, focus, and resilience are the real currency. The 3PM crash? All too familiar. But maybe the secret to peak performance isn’t grinding harder. Maybe it’s about tweaking your biology smarter .

That’s what this article is all about. I’ll unpack the science (and the real-life impact) behind some of the most buzzed-about biohacks: from cold showers and wearable trackers to nootropic stacks and sleep optimization. Some worked. Some didn’t. But here’s the truth: not every hack is for everyone—and that’s okay.

What matters is the mindset. The habit of self-experimentation and continuous improvement is what separates reactive professionals from resilient leaders.

Welcome to the era of data-driven self-optimization . Let’s get into it.

1. Intermittent Fasting: Brain Boost or Hype Diet?

What It Is:

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a time-restricted eating strategy, typically fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window (e.g., 12–8PM). Outside the window? Just water, black coffee, or tea. No snacks. No sneaky bites.

My Experience:

I went all-in: no breakfast, protein-only lunch, dinner around 8-9PM. The first week? Hanger was real. But by week three, mental clarity mid-morning skyrocketed . I was more alert, less bloated, and surprisingly productive. The usual post-lunch crash? Gone. And yes—I gained 12% muscle and lost 28% fat (with my usual workouts).

The Science:

Fasting increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports learning, memory, and neuroplasticity .
It can also reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar, and improve overall mood.

Source: BSW Health – IF & Brain Health

Caveats:

Not for everyone. If your mornings are physically demanding or you’re prone to energy dips, Intermittent Fasting might backfire. It also makes social lunch meetings awkward (unless your friends like watching you sip black coffee).

Verdict:

Totally worth experimenting with. Start with a 14:10 fast (14 hours fast, 10 hours eating) and track how your mood, focus, and energy shift over 2–3 weeks.

2. Cold Showers: Free Willpower Training & Mood Elevator

What It Is:

A cold shower, literally. 30–90 seconds of cold water (no heater and turn all the way to the most cold), especially first thing in the morning. No warm-up, no excuses.

My Experience:

I started this just two weeks ago. And yes, it felt like screaming into the void . But after the initial shock, I was awake, alert, and weirdly calm . The mental “reset” was real.

The Science:

A Dutch study found that people who ended their showers with cold water for 90 days had 29% fewer sick days.
Cold exposure is linked to improved mood, reduced anxiety, and even a lower risk of depression.

Source: UCLA Health – Cold Shower Benefits

Caveats:

It’s 90% mental. And while it boosts alertness, it’s not a substitute for real recovery. If you’re sleep-deprived or run-down, start slow.

Verdict:

Powerful, free, and fast. Cold showers deliver instant energy and long-term resilience. It’s uncomfortable, but so is growth.

3. Wearables & Self-Tracking: Measuring to Manage

What It Is:

Using tech like Ultrahuman, WHOOP, Fitbit, or even a simple journal to track sleep, movement, heart rate variability (HRV), and work rhythms. Think of it as your personal dashboard .

My Experience:

My tracker showed my late-night Netflix binges were cutting into my deep sleep. After setting a no-screen rule after 11PM, my sleep score improved, and so did my morning energy.

The Science:

1 in 3 Americans are already using a fitness or sleep tracker to optimise their sleep.
Studies show that self-awareness leads to behavior change. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Source: AASM Sleep Tracker Study

How to Use:

Track ONE thing at a time like sleep, steps, or focus hours.
Don’t obsess over daily fluctuations. Look at weekly trends.

Verdict:

For data-driven people (like marketers), this is gold. Use your wearables to spot blind spots, build habits, and tweak routines that actually move the needle.

4. Bonus Hacks Worth Testing (with Caution)

Nootropics:

Smart supplements like L-Theanine + Caffeine, Alpha-GPC, or even Creatine can enhance mental clarity and memory.

Start slow. Test one at a time. Effects vary widely from person to person.

Blue Light Blockers:

Wearing blue light glasses or using screen filters in the evening can improve melatonin production and support better sleep. Especially useful for screen-heavy professionals.

Pomodoro Timers + Movement Breaks:

Using a 25/5 or 50/10 work-rest cycle, paired with quick stretches or walks, prevents cognitive fatigue . It’s a simple hack with proven impact on productivity and brain function.

Final Thoughts: Upgrade Your Operating System (No Implants Required)

Biohacking isn’t about becoming some kind of tech-augmented cyborg . It’s about something much more human: awareness, experimentation, and optimization. Think of it as upgrading your internal operating system—one small tweak at a time.

Not every biohack will be your magic pill. And that’s okay. The real win lies in the growth mindset — the willingness to test, reflect, and evolve. That’s what separates the reactive from the resilient.

So go ahead — try a cold shower , skip breakfast , track your sleep . These aren’t radical lifestyle changes. They’re low-risk experiments with high potential upside.

What about you? Which hack helped you perform better at work?

Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your experiments and results!

“High performance isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing smarter—and sometimes, colder.”

Small Habits, Big Wins: How Daily Routines Drive Productivity and a Growth Mindset

Discover how small daily habits like walking, journaling, or making your bed can unlock higher productivity, sharper focus, and a stronger growth mindset — especially for high-performing professionals and digital marketers.

Truth is… It’s not the all-nighters or massive brainstorms that drive productivity and long-term success.

It’s the 30-minute walk, the 5-minute journal, and yes, even the habit of making your bed.

Let me explain.

Every morning, I take a 30-minute walk to grab coffee. It’s nothing fancy — just me, some sunshine (read: full-on Singapore heat ), and a bit of quiet before the chaos. It’s part sunlight therapy, part moving meditation, but most of all, it’s mine. My little reset before emails, meetings, and dashboards take over.

I won’t lie. At first, it felt like a chore. I kept thinking, “Do I really have time for this?” But within a couple of weeks, I realized this small daily habit was changing everything. I was making better decisions, managing stress more easily, and actually enjoying the process again.

Turns out, there’s a name for this: keystone habits.

These are the small routines that trigger big wins — they ripple into how you eat, work, lead, and think. Research even shows that habits like daily exercise or making your bed can boost productivity, discipline, and decision-making across the board.

Here’s a great read on it.

So, if you’re a founder, a marketer, or anyone building something under pressure, this post is for you.

I’m going to share how tiny daily rituals can give you a real edge — not just in performance but in building a mindset that grows with the challenges. Let’s dive in.

Keystone Habits: The Foundation of High Performance & Productivity

So what exactly is a keystone habit? Think of it like a lead domino — one small routine that triggers a chain reaction of positive behavior across your day, your mindset, and even your business.

Some of the most powerful ones are surprisingly simple:

Morning workouts or walks – They don’t just wake up your body. They anchor your mind. You start the day with a win and carry that momentum forward.

Journaling – Just five minutes of putting thoughts on paper can bring massive clarity. You’re not just writing — you’re setting intentions and shaping your focus.

Meditation – It’s not just for monks. A few minutes of quiet helps you build the muscle of awareness and emotional control (a superpower in high-pressure environments).

Making your bed – Sounds trivial, but it’s a micro-action that signals discipline. You’re telling yourself: “I follow through.”

These habits aren’t about being perfect. They’re about reinforcing identity and about showing up consistently.

Every time you do one, you’re casting a vote for the person you’re becoming.

The Science: Small Habits, Massive Impact

This isn’t just self-help talk — there’s data to back it up.

Exercise is a textbook keystone habit. Research shows it often leads to better eating choices, improved sleep, more energy, and sharper focus at work.

Making your bed each morning? According to this study, it’s strongly correlated with higher productivity, better budgeting skills, and a stronger sense of control.

A landmark study found that when sedentary adults began exercising just a few times a week, they didn’t just get fitter. They ate better, smoked less, drank less caffeine, kept their homes tidier, managed their time better, and yes, it even improved their financial habits.

One habit. Big ripple.

This is the power of small, consistent action. It creates a growth loop — one good decision nudges the next, and before you know it, your baseline for performance starts leveling up.

Want to find out more on how to boost productivity by adding exercise into your daily routine? Click here to read!

Growth Mindset in Action

Here’s where it gets interesting. Every time you commit to a small habit, you’re not just building discipline, you’re practicing a growth mindset in real time.

You’re proving to yourself that:

You can change.

You can improve.

You’re not fixed in who you are — you’re always evolving.

These rituals become anchors during chaos. They help you show up to challenges with a little more resilience and a lot more belief in your ability to figure things out.

And here’s my take, especially if you’re in a high-performance environment:

If you want to scale your startup…

If you want to drive better campaigns…

If you want to lead with clarity and confidence…

Start by scaling your habits. Because how you show up each day is how your results compound over time.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, big wins aren’t born from big efforts. They grow from small, consistent actions.

In a world that’s constantly chasing shortcuts, life hacks, and 10x breakthroughs, the real edge lies in your daily disciplines. The tiny choices you make to move, to reflect, to reset are what quietly compound into sharper focus, stronger performance, and a more resilient mindset.

And the best part? You don’t need a 5 a.m. miracle routine to start. You just need one habit that grounds you. One small promise you keep to yourself.

So, let’s make this real:

What’s one small habit that’s made a big difference in your life or work?

Or if you’re just starting out, what’s one keystone habit you’d like to build tomorrow?

Drop it in the comments or DM me — I’d love to hear your story and swap ideas.

Because this is how we grow — one habit, one conversation at a time.

Retention & LTV: The Untapped Growth Engine for Sustainable App Success

Struggling with app growth? It’s not just about downloads—retention & customer lifetime value (LTV) are the real game-changers. Discover proven strategies to keep users engaged, maximize LTV, and build a sustainable, high-growth app. Read now!

Quick story from my younger days. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with playing Risk, the board game. My strategy? Pure domination. I’d go all-in on conquering as many territories as possible, expanding my empire at breakneck speed. But no matter how aggressive I played, I never won. Why? Because I was so focused on acquiring new lands I completely ignored retaining the ones I had already conquered. Eventually, my empire would crumble, leaving me frustrated and wondering where I went wrong.

Fast forward to today, and I see many mobile apps making the same mistake. They pour massive resources into acquiring new users, celebrating each new download like a conquered territory. But soon after, their users churn, engagement drops, and retention rates plummet.

The reality? Growth isn’t just about acquisition—it’s about retention.

According to Harvard Business Review, increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%. Yet, many apps continue to chase new downloads without a clear strategy for keeping users engaged and maximizing their lifetime value (LTV).

The mindset needs to shift. Sustainable app growth isn’t about how many users you can acquire—it’s about how many you can keep.

In this article, we’ll dive into:

Why Retention & LTV are the real drivers of long-term app growth.

Proven strategies to improve user retention and keep engagement high.

How to maximize LTV and turn users into loyal, high-value customers.

If you’re serious about building an app that doesn’t just grow but thrives, let’s get into it.

Why Retention & LTV Matter for App Growth

Imagine pouring water into a leaky bucket—no matter how fast you fill it, the water keeps draining. That’s what happens when mobile apps focus solely on user acquisition without a retention strategy.

This is where the retention curve comes in. It tracks over time (stated in days/months on the X-axis) how many users stick around after downloading an app (stated as a percentage of the cohort on the Y-axis).

A steep drop-off means high churn, leading to lost revenue and higher acquisition costs.
Apps that flatten the retention curve by keeping users engaged see sustainable growth and higher profitability.

Why does this matter? Because longer retention leads to higher Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)—the total revenue a user generates throughout their relationship with your app. And the business impact is undeniable as stated by Harvard Business Review:

Acquiring a new customer is 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.
A 5% increase in retention can boost profits by 25% to 95%.

The message is clear: Sustainable app growth isn’t about how many users you attract but how many you keep and monetize effectively.

Strategies to Improve User Retention

1. Onboarding That Hooks Users

First impressions matter. Users who don’t see value in the first few minutes are likely to churn. A well-designed onboarding flow should:

Be frictionless: Reduce sign-up steps and unnecessary inputs.

Use interactive tutorials: Guide users through the app’s core value.

Implement gamification: Offer rewards, streaks, or progress bars to encourage engagement.

Set up habit loops: Introduce triggers (push notifications, in-app nudges) that bring users back naturally.

Example: Duolingo uses gamification in the form of bite-sized lessons and streak rewards, making language learning addictive from Day 1.

2. Personalization & Lifecycle Marketing

Generic marketing doesn’t cut it. Users expect personalized experiences tailored to their behaviour and preferences. Here’s how to do it:

Behavioral segmentation: Group users based on in-app actions (e.g., frequent buyers vs. occasional users).

AI-powered engagement: Predict churn and send targeted re-engagement messages at the right time.

Multi-channel outreach: Use push notifications, emails, and in-app messages to maintain user interest.

Leverage customer engagement platforms: Tools like CleverTap can help automate personalized messaging at scale.

Example: Spotify’s Discover Weekly leverages AI to personalize music recommendations, increasing user retention.

3. Community & Engagement

A strong sense of belonging keeps users coming back. Apps that foster community-driven engagement see higher retention rates. Strategies include:

In-app social features: Enable discussions, groups, or friend-based challenges.

User-generated content (UGC): Let users contribute content, reviews, or experiences.

Referral & rewards programs: Incentivize users to invite friends and stay engaged.

Feedback loops: Regularly collect and act on user feedback to improve the app.

Example: Peloton’s leaderboard system turns workouts into a community-driven competition, boosting retention.

Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

1. Monetization Strategies That Work

To maximize LTV, apps must choose the right revenue model. Here are three proven approaches:

Subscription vs. One-Time Purchases: Recurring revenue models (like Netflix and Spotify) generate predictable income, while one-time purchases work for premium features.

Microtransactions & In-App Purchases: Popular in mobile gaming apps (e.g., Fortnite’s skins and battle passes) to drive incremental revenue.

In-App Ads (Without Killing UX): Striking a balance is key—offering an ad-free premium tier can also boost LTV.

Case Study: Netflix’s Ad-Supported Tier

Netflix started with a pure subscription model, but to increase LTV and tap into price-sensitive users, they launched a lower-cost, ad-supported plan which hit 70 million monthly active users in 2 years. This not only expanded their customer base but also unlocked a new revenue stream from advertisers.

2. Loyalty & Referral Programs

Loyal users are your best marketers—they buy more, stay longer, and bring in new users. Here’s how to extend user lifetime engagement:

Reward repeat usage: Offer perks for continued engagement (e.g., streaks, points, or exclusive content).

Referrals for organic growth: Encourage users to invite friends in exchange for rewards.

Ecosystem integration: Combine loyalty, payments, and partnerships into a single experience.

Case Study: Starbucks Rewards

Starbucks built a powerful loyalty ecosystem by integrating:

Mobile payments (seamless transactions)

Exclusive perks (free drinks, personalized offers)

Content partnerships (Spotify playlist curation)

The result? 60% of Starbucks’ U.S. transactions now come from its rewards program, driving both retention and LTV.

Want to find out how to improve ROAS the smart way backed by math? Click here to read more.

Final Thoughts

Retention and LTV aren’t just buzzwords—they’re the backbone of sustainable app growth.

Retention ensures your app doesn’t bleed users after acquisition.

Higher LTV means more profitability from each user over time.

A well-executed retention strategy lowers CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and creates a self-sustaining growth engine.

If you want your app to not just grow but thrive, shift your focus from downloads to long-term engagement.

Now over to you: What strategies have worked best for you in improving retention and LTV? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Fall in Love With the Work, The Wins Will Come

Discover how a simple mindset shift—from chasing outcomes to embracing the process—transformed my approach to performance marketing, creativity, and long-term growth. A thought-provoking take on the quote: “Fall in love with the process and the results will follow.”

Quote of the Week: “Fall in love with the process and the results will follow” — Bradley Whitford

I’d be honest. I used to chase end results like a man possessed — more income, more leads, more conversions, more possessions. It felt like progress. And in some ways, it was. But looking back, I realised I was constantly chasing the next high, hitting one target only to move the goalpost. It became a loop of short-term wins that left little room for joy, creativity, or meaningful growth.

Then I came across this quote:

“Fall in love with the process and the results will follow.” — Bradley Whitford

That hit differently.

What changed the game for me wasn’t a smarter hack or a better framework, it was a mindset shift. When I stopped obsessing over outcomes and started genuinely enjoying the work itself, something clicked. I found more clarity, more peace of mind, and ironically, better long-term outcomes.

Turns out, when you fall in love with the craft, the scoreboard starts taking care of itself.

Process is the Playground of Growth

Real, sustainable growth doesn’t come from one big breakthrough. It comes from showing up, testing, learning, and tweaking — day in, day out.

I’ve seen this play out in my work with A/B testing gaming video creatives. Sometimes the “ugly” variation outperforms the polished one. Sometimes what you think will convert ends up flopping. But every test is a data point, and every insight sharpens the next move.

Same with building growth loops — they rarely take off on the first try. But when you treat the process as a playground for discovery rather than a pressure cooker for instant wins, that’s when compounding magic kicks in.

Small daily inputs, repeated over time, create massive momentum.

Obsession with Outcomes Can Kill CreativityWhen you’re glued to dashboards and only chasing KPIs, it’s easy to default to “what’s safe.” You end up recycling what worked instead of exploring what might.

But when you genuinely love your product or your craft, something shifts. You start taking smart risks. You lean into curiosity. You play more, experiment more, and that’s when performance marketing actually gets exciting and effective.

Some of my most successful campaigns didn’t come from chasing the perfect CTR. They came from being fully immersed in the storytelling, the customer journey, and the creative process.

Loving the process made the work better and the results followed.

Habits > Hype

Anyone can launch a flashy campaign. Not everyone can show up every day when things get hard or boring.

The best growth I’ve ever seen, both in business and in life, comes from unsexy consistency: tracking what matters, reviewing performance, asking better questions, making small tweaks, and doing it all over again.

Fall in love with those tiny actions, and you’ll build the resilience and systems that scale.

In the long run, quiet consistency beats viral hype every time.

Final Thoughts

The best founders and marketers I know don’t just chase results — they live the process. They obsess over customer problems, they get excited about small wins, and they treat every test like a new opportunity to learn and grow.

In doing so, they don’t just build great businesses—they build unfair advantages.

Because when you love what you do, you don’t burn out chasing metrics. You build momentum that lasts.

If you’re a fellow marketer or founder stuck in outcome-obsession mode, let’s connect.

I’m building a community of growth lovers who care more about the craft than just the clicks.

Let’s grow together — the right way.

Boosting ROAS the Smart Way: The Math Behind More Profitable Ads

Learn how to optimize ROAS with smarter strategies. Discover the math behind Return on Ad Spend and how improving Average Basket Size, Conversion Rate, and Cost Per Click can drive better ad performance and profitability.

I’d be honest. When I first moved into digital marketing from a background in math and quantitative finance, I saw things a little differently. While most marketers focused on creative storytelling and audience psychology (which are undeniably important), I naturally gravitated toward the numbers. I wanted to break down ad performance the way I would analyze financial models—through data, formulas, and strategic optimizations.

One of the biggest misconceptions I’ve seen in performance marketing is the belief that cutting costs alone improves Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Many marketers think that slashing CPC (Cost Per Click) or reducing spending on “underperforming” campaigns is the key to profitability. But that’s only part of the equation.

ROAS isn’t just about how much you spend, it’s about how much value you generate from every dollar. And to truly optimize ROAS, you need to understand its mathematical makeup. In this post, I’ll break ROAS down into its three core components — Average Basket Size (ABS), Conversion Rate (CVR), and Cost Per Click (CPC), and show you the strategic levers you can pull to drive better ad performance.

Let’s get into it.

What is ROAS? (Defining the Formula)

Let’s start with the basics. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is one of the most critical metrics in performance marketing. It tells you how much revenue you’re generating for every dollar spent on advertising.

ROAS Formula:

For example, if you spend $1,000 on ads and generate $3,000 in revenue, your ROAS is $3,000 / $1,000 = 3

This means you’re earning $3 for every $1 spent.

While a higher ROAS is ideal, blindly optimizing for it by just cutting costs can be misleading. To truly maximize ad performance, we need to break it down further.

Breaking Down ROAS: The 3 Key Components

ROAS is influenced by three key factors:

1. Average Basket Size (ABS)

What it means: The average amount a customer spends per purchase.

Why it matters: If customers spend more per transaction, your revenue increases without needing more conversions.

2. Conversion Rate (CVR)

What it means: The percentage of visitors who clicked on an ad and made a purchase.

Why it matters: Higher conversion rates mean you extract more value from the same traffic.

3. Cost Per Click (CPC)

What it means: The cost of acquiring each visitor to your site.

Why it matters: Lowering CPC without sacrificing traffic quality means getting more conversions for the same budget.

Rewriting ROAS using these components:

This equation makes it clear: To improve ROAS, you need to increase ABS, improve CVR, or lower CPC. Let’s dive into how you can optimize each.

Strategies to Improve ROAS via Each Component

A. Increasing Average Basket Size (ABS)

Let’s take an e-commerce brand as an example. Instead of focusing on acquiring more customers, they increased revenue by maximizing how much each customer spends.

Tactics to Increase ABS

Upsells & Cross-sells: Recommend complementary products (e.g., “Frequently bought together” or post-purchase upsells).

Bundling: Offer product bundles at a slight discount to encourage higher spending.

Free Shipping Thresholds: Set free shipping at a slightly higher value than the average order to push customers to buy more.

Case Study: Ravin Boosting Average Basket Size (ABS)

Ravin, an online fashion retail brand, implemented Wiser’s product recommendation engine to enhance customer engagement. By displaying related and frequently bought together items on product pages, they achieved a 30% increase in conversions and a 12% increase in sales.

B. Boosting Conversion Rate (CVR)

Let’s say you’re running a subscription app. You get clicks, but many users drop off before converting. Improving CVR means turning more of those clicks into paying customers.

Tactics to Improve CVR

Landing Page Optimization: Make checkout seamless, ensure fast-loading pages, and optimize for mobile.

A/B Testing Offers & Creatives: Experiment with different CTAs, ad visuals, and pricing models to see what converts best.

Trust Signals & Social Proof: Showcase reviews, testimonials, and security badges to reduce buyer hesitation.

Case Study: FastEasy Boosting Conversion Rate (CVR)

FastEasy, a mobile fitness app, faced challenges in efficiently conducting A/B tests for their campaigns. By integrating Reteno’s AI-powered marketing automation platform, they were able to run multiple experiments simultaneously without relying heavily on developers. This approach led to a 29% boost in conversion-to-subscription rates.

C. Lowering Cost Per Click (CPC)

A mobile gaming app wanted to scale its paid campaigns while maintaining profitability. Lowering CPC without sacrificing quality was the key.

Tactics to Reduce CPC

Better Targeting: Use lookalike audiences, retargeting, and negative exclusions to focus on high-intent users.

Ad Quality Score: Platforms like Google Ads reward high-relevance ads with lower CPCs. Improve ad copy, CTR, and landing page experience.

Bid Optimization: Adjust bids based on performance insights such as time of day, device, and geo-targeting can significantly impact CPC.

Case Study: Voodoo Games Lowering Cost-per-Install

Voodoo Games, a French mobile game publisher, by actively testing more than 500 videos a week for their hit game Mob Control, reduced their CPI and surpassed $200M in revenue at an average of 150% ROAS.

Final Thoughts: The Smarter Approach to ROAS

Improving ROAS isn’t just about spending more, it’s about spending smarter. By understanding the math behind ROAS and optimizing its key components — Average Basket Size (ABS), Conversion Rate (CVR), and Cost Per Click (CPC), you can make strategic, high-impact changes that drive better profitability.

At the core of all successful ad campaigns is data-driven decision-making. Testing, iterating, and refining based on real numbers, not just gut feelings, ensures that every dollar you invest works harder for you.

So, what’s your biggest challenge with ROAS? Drop a comment below, and let’s discuss!

Boost Your Brain & Productivity: Why Fitness is the Ultimate Work Performance Hack

Discover how regular exercise reduces stress, enhances focus, and increases energy—helping you work smarter, not longer. Learn practical, time-saving fitness hacks for busy professionals and unlock the ultimate performance advantage. Read now to transform your work and well-being!

I’d be honest. Earlier in my career, I believed that working long hours was the key to success. Hustle harder, grind longer, right? But I was so wrong. Instead of getting ahead, I found myself constantly exhausted, mentally foggy, and running on caffeine fumes. Burnout wasn’t a badge of honor — it was a productivity killer.

That all changed when I started prioritizing fitness. At first, I just wanted to feel healthier and lose weight. But what I didn’t expect was how working out transformed my mental clarity, energy levels, and overall performance at work. Suddenly, I could think clearer, stress less, and get more done in less time.

If you’ve ever felt drained before your workday even ends or like your brain moves in slow motion by 3 PM, you’re not alone. But here’s the good news: you don’t need more caffeine or longer hours, you need movement. Let’s dive into why fitness is the ultimate hack for sharper thinking, better productivity, and a stress-free work life.

The Science of Fitness and Mental Well-Being

First, let’s prove it with science! Exercise isn’t just about looking good, it’s a powerful stress buster and brain booster.

When you work out, your body releases endorphins (those feel-good hormones) while reducing cortisol (the stress hormone). This natural stress relief helps you stay calm, focused, and more resilient under pressure, exactly what you need in a high-performance work environment.

But it gets better. Exercise literally boosts brainpower. Studies show that regular physical activity improves cognitive function, memory, and focus, helping you retain information better, think faster, and solve problems more effectively. Ever notice how a quick workout leaves you feeling sharper and more alert? That’s because exercise increases blood flow to the brain, fueling it with oxygen and nutrients to keep you operating at peak performance.

So, how much exercise do you actually need? The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week — that’s about 30 minutes a day, five times a week. But here’s the thing: small, consistent efforts matter more than perfection. Even just 10–15 minutes of movement daily can lead to noticeable improvements in focus, mood, and productivity.

Fitness as a Productivity Multiplier

So, how does fitness actually translate into better performance at work? Here’s what happens when you exercise regularly:

Sharper Focus & Mental Clarity: Say goodbye to brain fog and sluggish thinking. You’ll power through tasks faster and make better decisions.

Stronger Problem-Solving Skills: Exercise enhances creativity and cognitive flexibility, helping you tackle complex challenges with ease.

Higher Energy Levels: No more afternoon slumps! Physical activity boosts energy, so you stay alert and engaged throughout the day.

Increased Resilience Under Pressure: Stressful deadlines? Tough negotiations? Regular exercise builds mental toughness, making it easier to stay composed and confident.

And here’s the best part, these benefits compound over time. The more consistent you are, the more you’ll notice the difference in your focus, efficiency, and overall work performance.

How to Make Fitness Work for You (The Busy Professional)

I get it, you’re busy. We all are. But here’s the truth: “No time” is just another way of saying “not a priority.”

The key to fitting fitness into your life isn’t about finding time—it’s about making time. And that starts with a mindset shift: see exercise as an investment, not a time sink.

Here’s how to incorporate movement into your packed schedule:

Start Small – Even 10–15 minutes is better than nothing. A quick home workout, a short jog, or even a few push-ups between meetings can make a difference.

Take Active Breaks – Instead of scrolling through your phone during breaks, take a short walk, stretch, or do a few bodyweight exercises.

Use Movement Hacks – Try walking meetings, a standing desk, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. These small changes add up!

Make It a Routine – Personally, I aim to fit my workouts before dinner. Find a time that works for you—early mornings, lunchtime, or evenings—and make it part of your daily rhythm.

Find a Training Partner – It’s easier (and more fun) when you have someone keeping you on track. I train regularly with my wife, and it has been a game-changer in staying consistent and motivated.

Final Thoughts: Take the Challenge

Prioritizing fitness isn’t just about health, it’s about working smarter, thinking clearer, and performing better. If you’re serious about levelling up your productivity and mental resilience, movement is the ultimate cheat code.

So here’s my challenge for you: Try adding just 10 minutes of movement every day for the next week. See how it impacts your focus, energy, and stress levels. You might be surprised at the results!

What’s one fitness habit that has helped you perform better at work? Drop it in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

User Acquisition vs. Retention: How to Balance Both for Sustainable App Growth

Struggling to grow your app? Discover why balancing user acquisition and retention is the key to sustainable app growth. Learn data-driven strategies to optimize CAC, LTV, and engagement at every stage—from early traction to scaling success. #GrowthMarketing #AppSuccess

I’d be honest. Early in my career, I fell into the classic growth trap — thinking that if we just poured millions into acquiring users, we’d build a thriving app. And for a while, the numbers looked great. Installs were skyrocketing, CAC was manageable, and investor decks were filled with impressive graphs. But then reality hit — users churned just as fast (or even faster!) as we acquired them. The growth wasn’t real. It was a leaky bucket.

That’s when I realized that sustainable app growth isn’t about choosing between acquisition and retention—it’s about mastering both. You can drive downloads all day long, but if users don’t stick around, you’re just burning cash. On the flip side, obsessing over retention without feeding the top of the funnel can leave you stagnant.

In this article, I break down:
Why focusing only on acquisition is a costly mistake
How strong retention improves LTV and reduces CAC over time
A data-driven approach to integrating both strategies based on your app’s growth stage

The Growth Trap: Why Focusing Only on User Acquisition is Costly

It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game—pumping money into ads, watching downloads roll in, and feeling like your app is taking off. But here’s the reality: if users aren’t sticking around, you’re not growing—you’re just spending.

Many app companies fall into the “growth at all costs” mindset, prioritizing new user acquisition before ensuring that their product delivers long-term value. The result? High CAC with low retention, leading to unsustainable growth.

A prime example? The early days of many food delivery and ride-hailing apps. They threw massive incentives at users—free rides, discounted meals, referral bonuses. It worked for short-term installs, but when the discounts disappeared, so did the users. Without a solid retention strategy, these companies burned through capital with little to show for it.

User acquisition is important, but without strong retention, it’s like filling a bathtub with the drain open.

The Retention Advantage: Why Keeping Users is the Real Growth Lever

Acquiring users is just the first step—keeping them engaged is where the real growth happens.

Improves Lifetime Value (LTV): The longer a user stays, the more revenue they generate.
Lowers CAC Over Time: Higher LTV allows you to spend more efficiently on acquisition, improving return on investment.
Drives Organic Growth: Engaged users naturally refer others, reducing reliance on paid marketing.

A simple framework for thinking about retention:

Acquisition → Engagement → Habit Formation → Loyalty

Acquisition: Bring users in through targeted marketing.
Engagement: Deliver immediate value to keep them interested.
Habit Formation: Create experiences that make your app part of their daily routine.
Loyalty: Turn users into advocates who bring in more users.

Think about apps like Duolingo and TikTok—they don’t just attract users, they create behaviours that keep them coming back. Through gamification, push notifications, and personalized content, they build habits that drive long-term retention.

Finding the Right Balance: A Data-Driven Approach

So, how do you strike the right balance between acquisition and retention?

Data is your best guide. Here are the key metrics to monitor:

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) – How much are you spending to acquire a user?

LTV (Lifetime Value) – How much revenue does a user generate over their lifetime?

Retention Rate – What percentage of users stay after X days?

Churn Rate – How quickly are users dropping off?

DAU/MAU (Daily/Monthly Active Users) – How engaged is your user base?

Your strategy should shift based on where your app is in its growth journey:

Early-Stage Apps – Use acquisition to test product-market fit. The goal is to validate demand quickly and iterate based on user feedback.

Scaling Apps – Once you have a commercially viable product, shift focus to scaling acquisition while building core retention mechanisms (onboarding, push notifications, loyalty programs). The goal is to improve engagement and reduce churn.

Mature Apps – Growth becomes more about sustainable expansion. This is where upsells, community building, and referrals take center stage. The goal is to turn your users into your biggest advocates.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, real growth isn’t about choosing between acquisition and retention—it’s about making them work together. You can’t just fuel the fire with new users if the bucket is leaking, and you can’t focus only on retention without a steady stream of fresh users coming in. The most successful apps master the balance, using data to fine-tune when to push for scale and when to double down on keeping users engaged.

So, where does your app stand today? Are you struggling to acquire users, or is retention the real challenge? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts and swap insights!

2023 Digital Marketing Predictions

At this point, doing a 2023 prediction now seems to be cheating. I admit that predictions are hard and it probably took me longer than I should to assemble my views. While better late than never, hopefully this will spark conversation and hold us accountable for our predictions.

AI-Powered Digital Marketing

Let’s start with an easy and obvious one – something I have already wrote about previously. Whether we like it or not, the rise of AI in Digital Marketing is upon us.

2023 is probably the first year we see the start of real competition to Google’s Search dominance in the form of Microsoft’s new AI-powered Bing. However, this hype about AI has already transcended Search marketing, and many Ad Tech businesses are eager to incorporate AI into their products.

With AI providing efficiency, what this means for Digital Marketers is the need to go beyond building deep technical expertise and instead focus on soft skills like problem solving, strategic thinking and creativity.

Focus on Enhancing Customer Lifetime Value

From a macro economic standpoint, 2023 is set to continue the tailwinds of a turbulent 2022. Rising interest rates, inflation and a potential recession.

With such a gray backdrop, more companies will probably prefer to be conservative with their digital marketing budgets. As such, to obtain growth in revenue, companies will need to extract higher value per user.

Companies should therefore focus on product and monetisation to enhance their customers’ LTV. Improving LTV will also reduce the opportunity cost caused by the rising interest rates.

Apple to Extend its Digital Advertising Dominance

Since Apple released iOS 14.5, the importance of Apple Search Ads to Digital Marketers has grown drastically. This has clearly revealed Apple’s ambition in the digital advertising space.

Apple’s strengths lies predominantly in its ecosystem. With full visibility of its audiences within the iOS ecosystem, Apple is in the best position to provide personalised ads and measure its effectiveness.

All Apple needs now, is to build its own ad exchange and demand-side platform.

Privacy Forces Transition to Probablistic Tracking

Towards the end of 2023, Google is expected to finally release its Privacy Sandbox initiative where it will reduce cross-site and cross-app tracking. This is almost equivalent to Apple’s iOS 14.5.

So, Digital Marketers should prepare for a world without deterministic tracking such as device IDs or cookies. The broad solution to this is probabilistic tracking and it is likely that advertising platforms will resort to using this.

Tiktok to Finally Overtake Meta and Google

Let’s face it. Attention spans are dropping globally. (If you made it to this point, kudos to you!) We have been saying it for years that video as a medium is the next big thing. Specifically in 2023, short-form videos will takeover the world. To combat Tiktok, Meta and Google have both released their own versions in the form of Reels and Shorts respectively.

It is probably still a stretch that Tiktok may actually overtake the two behemoths in 2023. But with as the fastest-growing platform dominated by youths, it is clear that the future, for now, lies in Tiktok’s hands.

In all, 2023 will definitely be another interesting year for digital marketers.

What other futures do you see yourself in 2023?

Digital Marketers: 7 Skills to Have in 2023

Recently with a little more time on my hands, I was curious to find out what companies/recruiters are looking for in Digital Marketers. But going through the many job descriptions on LinkedIn, it seemed to be a mammoth of a task, an especially menial one.

So, I decided instead to use some simple text analytics to mine out the keywords used in these job descriptions. First, using “digital marketing” as a keyword on LinkedIn, I took 30 job descriptions as the raw data. After that, I used a text mining package on R to analyse it for keyword frequency and associations.

Here’s what I found out.

Taking together the keyword frequencies and associations, provided me with a list of skills I believe would be important for Digital Marketers to have now.

1. Teamwork and Team Management

While Digital Marketing may oftentimes be thought of as an individual contributor, this is hardly the case. To run an effective digital marketing campaign, multiple cross-functional teams need to work hand-in-hand.

I will say the critical teams here would be the Performance Marketing, Creative, Data and Product Teams. Effective digital campaigns require these four teams to work together to produce data-driven potent ads that are successful in driving users to convert in the product conversion funnel.

As such, a Digital Marketer in 2023 needs to be able to work well with cross-functional teams, and/or be able to manage such teams.

2. Media Campaigns

Needless to say as digital marketers, we need to have the right technical skills to run media campaigns. However, I will go a step further here to highlight two points – the breadth of media campaigns and hands-on experience.

As we move towards a world powered by artificial intelligence (AI), Digital Marketers need to be more than single ad platform specialists. Being able to understand and manage multiple campaigns across different ad platforms will be vital.

In addition, with a looming recession, companies may be forced to tighten their resources and thus more Digital Marketers will be expected to have hands-on experience in managing the campaigns.

3. Drive Customer Growth

A huge part of what Digital Marketers do is to drive user acquisition. However, it is important to note that growing the customer base does not stop at the top of the funnel. It goes way deeper than that.

Digital Marketers need to be able to bring in quality users who will end up as valuable customers. This means focusing on bringing in relevant users, and working closely with Data and Product teams to retain customers.

4. Business Strategy

With increased help from AI, Digital Marketers need to move beyond technical expertise and towards other skill sets such as strategic thinking, creativity and problem-solving.

At the end of the day, digital marketing needs to help the company achieve its business goals. The more strategic Digital Marketers are, the better position they will be in to formulate strategies and tactics to bring success to their company.

At this point, an astute reader might be saying “Hey Mervyn, there are only 4 skills here. What happened to the other 3?”. To that, my answer is that the remaining three are from a book I have read recently – Think Again by Adam Grant.

5. Think Like a Scientist

To level up as Digital Marketers, we need to develop the habit of thinking again. Instead of simply forming opinions based on experience, come up with hypotheses, test them with data and arrive at your conclusions.

When building up our skill set to be more strategic, we Digital Marketers should approach business strategies as experiments.

6. Abandon Best Practices

More often than not, we Digital Marketers resort or fall back to what we think are ‘best practices’. However, in doing so, we are preventing ourselves from further improving our current routines.

What we need to do is to focus not just on results but also on the process. A bad process with a good outcome is luck, and a good process with a bad outcome might be a smart experiment. We need to adopt process accountability and continually pursue better practices.

7. Make Time to Think Again

Last but not least, we need to make time to think again. The world of Digital Marketing and Technology is ever-changing, and thus it is imperative that we set aside time for us to rethink and learn.

Take the time to assess how much you are learning, or how much closer are you moving towards your goals. All this will help you decide on your next steps, your next experiment or your next campaign.

Ultimately, we are rapidly moving towards a world filled with artificial intelligence and automation. Digital Marketers of today need to evolve as well to ensure that we stay relevant and continue to contribute substantially to our companies.

Are you up for the change?