Word-of-mouth, influence and the real cost of acquisition
What we read, measure and argue about while turning recommendation into a channel brands can actually manage. Sources included.
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Influencer crisis or crisis of trust?
Influencer recession, fatigued audiences, burnt-out creators: 62 % of 13-39 year-olds are fed up with the same big names. What the numbers really show.
The Recommendation Economy: The Next Acquisition Channel
The Creator Economy is worth $250 billion and only pays an elite few. The Recommendation Economy opens this channel to all your customers: here is how.
From the Creator Economy to the Recommendation Economy
The Creator Economy is worth 250 billion dollars, but remains reserved for an elite. Why recommendation is becoming a distributed economy, open to all.
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Dark social: why your analytics can't see word-of-mouth
37 % of your traffic lands in a bucket called Direct, and almost none of it is a bookmark. A CTO's look at why recommendations are invisible, and what measuring them actually takes.
Influencer crisis or crisis of trust?
Influencer recession, fatigued audiences, burnt-out creators: 62 % of 13-39 year-olds are fed up with the same big names. What the numbers really show.
How to run word-of-mouth like paid media
Pre-set CAC, end-to-end attribution, pay-on-sale: the building blocks that turn word-of-mouth into a measurable channel, with a -26 % CAC.
We Are All Influencers
Your customers are already recommending your brand without knowing it: 88 % of consumers trust someone they know, and nothing in your analytics tracks it.
The Recommendation Economy: The Next Acquisition Channel
The Creator Economy is worth $250 billion and only pays an elite few. The Recommendation Economy opens this channel to all your customers: here is how.
From the Creator Economy to the Recommendation Economy
The Creator Economy is worth 250 billion dollars, but remains reserved for an elite. Why recommendation is becoming a distributed economy, open to all.
"Alternatively Influential": Influence Without an Audience
The term comes from the Wall Street Journal. 8 to 10 % of consumers shape purchases among their peers, without an audience, media kit, or pay.
China: the most advanced market for word-of-mouth recommendations
A $900 billion live commerce market, zero Google or Meta, communities at the center: what the Chinese market reveals about customer acquisition in Europe.
Affiliate Marketing Is 25 Years Old: Why the Model Hasn't Changed
US advertisers spend 12,42 billion dollars on it, yet the mechanics date back to 1996. Where affiliate marketing truly falls short, and what is taking over.
Retail: 5 convictions for your customer acquisition
Social commerce turned default reflex, CAC up 60 % in five years, attribution becoming a dealbreaker: five convictions brought back from Tech for Retail.
Portrait of the consumer: alone, frugal, and distrustful
Three extra hours of free time per week, 90 % of it spent alone, and social media ranked last in trust. What McKinsey 2025 changes.
GP Explorer 3: Anatomy of a 31,3 M€ Virality
203 million engagements and 31,3 M€ in advertising value equivalency for GP Explorer 3. But 79 % of that engagement didn't come from the 24 drivers.
Black Friday, Q4: Escaping the Ad Bidding War
In Q4, Meta CPM rises by 12 % and retail media CPCs surge by 71 % on Black Friday. How to activate an acquisition channel that escapes ad auctions.
Loyalty or acquisition? The wrong question
Loyalty or acquisition: a costly trade-off. A referred customer yields 16 % higher LTV and churns 18 % slower. How to plug the loop in.
Customer acquisition is broken: anatomy of a ceiling
CAC up 60 % in five years, 58,8 % of ad budgets captured by three players, plummeting trust. Why digital acquisition has hit its limit.
Influence has evolved: from Get Beauty to recommendations
2016: ten thousand fans and three hours in line for a YouTuber. 2026: 73 % of 13-39-year-olds prefer small creators. What changed, and what didn't.
Cash or points: why instant rewards win
68 % of consumers prefer cashback over points. Why discount vouchers reward no one, and what an immediate reward changes.
Why your referral program isn't working
Fewer than 5 % of customers activate their referral link. The friction holding your program back, and the four design decisions that unlock it.
Word-of-mouth is free: why pay for it?
88 % of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family, yet no one budgets for this channel. What is free, what costs money, what drives revenue.
Word-of-mouth in numbers: ROI, conversion, trust
20 to 50 % of purchase decisions, 88 % trust, and fewer than 5 % of customers who activate their referral link. The figures, their sources, their limits.
Brand safety: platforms no longer share your values
71 % of French consumers consider boycotting Meta platforms. Why brand safety has become a risk line on your acquisition mix.
Techno-feudalism: your community does not belong to you
You fund the audience, then you pay to reach it. Meta pulled in 196,2 billion dollars in ad revenue in 2025. Anatomy of a toll, and the way out.
Frak and the Passwordless Future: Elevating Customer Trust and Engagement through Modern Security
92% of people now favour brands offering secure, easy sign-in. How Frak's passwordless Wallet SDK turns that expectation into trust, engagement and retention.
Influence is dead, long live word of mouth
From brand ambassador to creator, from creator to your customer: why 88 % of consumers trust someone they know more than any ad.
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