Ex-Acquisition.com Director Tobias Allen on AI, Branding & Direct Response In this episode, Tobias Allen joins Dakota Hermes to talk about how AI is reshaping marketing, what brand really means in 2025, and why the fundamentals of persuasion never die. They break down what’s working in paid ads right now, how to think about brand vs. direct response, and how marketers can stay dangerous in the AI era. If you enjoyed this episode and want to keep up with all things advertising, be sure to ...

Most ad accounts don’t stall out of nowhere (unless you literally only launched a set-and-forget way back in 2020). You need to know where to look and how to fix an underperforming account before it really causes a problem. Lucky for you, The AdClass 5-Step Diagnostic Playbook is here to save the day! Caleb, Dakota, and Matthew show how they audit and diagnose ad accounts to spot the true constraint fast: offer, funnel math, creative congruence, and signs of fatigue, audience strategy, and wo...

The world of advertising moves fast. What worked last week might flop today. In this “state of the union” episode, Caleb, Dakota, and Matthew break down what’s actually working right now in paid advertising, with a special look at how organic content is reshaping the way ad campaigns are being built and scaled. The team dives into the power of organic-style content, why webinars are making a comeback, why speed-to-lead setter teams are changing the game, and how the trust recession is shaping...

You've probably heard of vibe marketing, but what exactly is it? Sometimes the best marketing isn’t about hard selling at all, it’s about creating a vibe people want to be part of. In a world oversaturated with CTAs and scarcity plays, audiences are gravitating toward brands that feel authentic, intentional, and emotionally magnetic. And with the rise of AI integrations into workflows, we are truly experiencing a new frontier for getting your message out in a fresh way. In this episode, Dako...

When a client comes to you after spending $340K on ads with zero sales attributed, where do you even start? In this episode, Caleb and Matthew break down the exact steps they took to turn a restaurant POS account with plenty of spend but no results into a funnel that’s now producing a 28X LTV return. From fixing funnel gaps to improving lead quality and dialing in creative, this is a real-world case study of what’s working right now. Caleb and Matthew walk through key lessons from this turnar...

Is the era of overly polished, AI-generated ads finally dying? In this episode, Caleb and Matthew sit down with performance strategist Elly Charland to break down what’s actually working in ad creative right now, from viral hooks and pattern interrupts to low-budget videos that outperform studio shoots. It’s a deep dive into why “realness” is winning and how even a phone-filmed ad can dominate in 2025. The gang unpack everything from rage-baiting and Thanos memes to the creative gold found in...

Building a strong company culture without a physical office might sound challenging historically speaking, but it’s been one of the most central reasons for growing our fully remote team to a point of amazing success. With insights on everything workplace culture including the importance of daily team syncs and celebrating wins to hiring with intentionality and leading with trust, we’re sharing what’s working for us with our 30-person success formula (plus a few hilarious stories along the wa...

In 2025, high-ticket sales aren’t as simple as they used to be. With rising ad costs and a growing trust recession, buyers are more skeptical than ever. So how do you keep high-ticket conversions strong? One solution is low-ticket offers. A well-placed low-ticket product can serve as a bridge, building trust and qualifying serious buyers before they ever reach your high-ticket offer. But if you’re running only low-ticket, you might be stuck in a volume game with shrinking margins. In th...

Don't call it a comeback! Caleb, Dakota, and Matthew return to catch up on how the marketing landscape looks in the wake of the continued rise of AI. AI has been a hot topic globally in almost every industry for the last few years, but it is undeniably reaching new heights in recent months. With new ChatGPT models released more and more frequently, companies developing new AI-centric tools inhouse, and competitors such as DeepSeak driving innovation, 2025 will be the year that marketing is ch...

Wondering how to optimize your Meta ads in today’s privacy-first world? Dakota and Matthew break down the Conversions API (CAPI) and explain how it can drastically improve your ad performance by solving the issues caused by browser-based tracking limitations. Learn what CAPI is, how it works, and why it plays a pivotal role in better targeting and more accurate data. From real-world examples to best practices, we'll get you caught up with everything you need to know to stay ahead of the compe...

Call cost cut in half WHILE call quality increased? In the high-ticket world, having a marketing team behind your back that works hard to deliver strong results means everything. But that's not all that Jon Chintanaroad found when he signed AdClass to handle marketing for his business Recruiting Accelerator. Caleb recently sat down with Jon (at Jon's request) to talk about his experience working with AdClass so far, the results that have allowed his team to grow in a short span of time, and...

Remember the 2016 and 2020 elections? Other than the political ramifications, there were huge shifts in the online marketing world too. As a result, election years have become minefields to navigate ever since. Caleb and Dakota talk about what those shifts could look like in 2024 as we enter the new election cycle, what they're already seeing in ad accounts, and best practices to make sure you don't get penalized. If you enjoyed this episode and want to keep up with all things advertising, ...

We know high-ticket sales and paid media inside out, so if you're in this area of digital marketing and struggling to get highly qualified leads, this is for you! Dakota and Matthew discuss the best ad funnel that is running game in the high-ticket marketing world and one that will change how you run your ads in 2024 (and beyond)... If you enjoyed this episode and want to keep up with all things advertising, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss another episode! If you have a moment, plea...

What would a huge boost in sales output look like for you this year? Today's guest, CloseSales.com founder Austin Medlin, explores the factors that are constantly in play when working out how to turn a lead into a sale. Spoiler alert: if you're not converting leads, you might be the problem... Caleb sits down with Austin to discuss his background in sales, what key lessons he has learned about understanding the lead conversion process, and the critical advice you can take into 2024 to ensure ...

Before you swipe away, no this isn't TMZ. However, the culture-dominating relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is having a widespread impact on the marketing world. Call it what you want but after a cruel summer for the economy, it feels like everything has changed. So is this a love story, or just a sweet nothing designed to rake in revenue? Caleb and Dakota talk it out to get some closure... Ready for it? In other news, TikTok roll out a brand new feature making auto-captions...

What does success look like to you? And what would it take to achieve it? Today's guest knows a lot about what it means to work hard for what he wants, but also what it takes to succeed not only in business but also personally in a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Attitude is everything. Get ready to be inspired! Caleb and Dakota sit down with Weston Hudspeth to discuss the current state of the high-ticket offer market, what it takes to be a top 1% sales closer, and the valuable life lessons that...

Out of nowhere, Snapchat announced itself as the fastest-growing social media platform of 2023 so far, outperforming the likes of TikTok, Instagram and, yes, Threads. Did we secretly time-travel back to 2013? And what does it mean for advertising? In other news, Elon Musk keeps stepping on rakes he places in front of himself by announcing the end of the block feature on X/Twitter, Meta weighs up a subscription system for ad-free experiences on their apps, Peacock embraces the power of email t...

What would you do if your monthly revenue grew from $6k to over $90k in less than a year? That's exactly what happened to AdClass student Dr. Matt Shiver, who launched his coaching offer into the stratosphere through paid advertising! To find out how it all went down, Dakota and Caleb discuss with Matt the critical changes he made to both his organic and paid strategy to generate a perfect lead flow system, how Matt is using his passion and personality to drive the business forward, and where...

Sometimes in life, you just have to tip your hat to the greats... Dakota and Caleb consider what is at the core of some of the greatest and most expensive ad campaigns of all time, the legacy they left, and whether they really were worth the billions of dollars worth of cash needed to create them in the first place. If you enjoyed this episode and want to keep up with all things advertising, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss another episode! Check out our free Facebook group and learn ...

One normal day of marketing. All we ask. Will never happen. The human riddle-wrapped-in-a-mystery-inside-an-enigma that is Elon Musk decided to let the bluebird fly the cage by rebranding Twitter to X (1:55). All the while, Threads (Meta's competitor to X (ugh seriously)) struggled to maintain it's record-breaking pace as post-launch engagement fell by 70% (13:30)! The battle between Elon and Zuckerberg rolls on... In other news, a potentially industry-changing meeting went down at the White...