M3: The Future of Brand Commerce

"One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others By the time I finish my song?" — Sesame Street, "One of These Things (Is Not Like The Others)" These are snippets from the websites of 'premium' digital advertising companies this week: - A premium network by design - Premium supply at scale - Brand-safe supply at scale - Connect your brand to trusted, quality publishers - Award-winning - Advanced brand protection - We don't cut corners - Premium inventory, next-gen addressability, and transparency to buyers - Discover the "premium premium" internet The same companies are buying sites like the one in the video below. Calling it 'premium inventory' while selling ads on 10,000-30,000 sites is 🤷♂️ Do you know how many restaurants in the world have a Michelin star? About 2,500, and only 100 of those have three stars. Premium is about brand association, scarcity, quality content, and user experience. You can buy premium, or you can buy scale, but you can rarely have both. "One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong."

Our co-founder Greg Stellato recently joined Sean Simon on The MarTech Matrix Podcast to discuss the challenges specialty retailers and advertisers face. ✨ Key Takeaways: ✨ 💰 Specialty retailers can unlock new revenue streams by leveraging their brand equity and loyal customer bases to combat thin margins, returns, and acquisition costs. 👀 Advertisers gain premium placements to reach dedicated audiences across retailer websites, email, and social channels. ⚡ This model avoids the pitfalls of ad clutter and content misalignment, providing a cleaner way to engage consumers. Discover how aligning specialty retailers with relevant advertisers creates mutual brand equity benefiting all parties. 🎧 Listen to the full podcast below.

"Your [email] list becomes an asset; it's a media property that I could sell ads against," says Taylor Holiday, CEO of Common Thread Collective. "Do you think Sean will ever give real estate on his emails?" Tomer Tagrin., CEO of Yotpo, challenges. "Yeah," confirms Sean Frank, CEO of Ridge. That's exactly what we're building at M3: The Future of Brand Commerce, which stands for Make Merchants Money. Thanks to Scott Segel for texting me this podcast. The entire podcast episode is insightful, and I recommend listening. Here's the clip to the quotes above 👉 https://lnkd.in/dQdd2Gbr

Our founder and CEO, Michael Cassidy, recently joined the Taking Inventory podcast, revealing his entrepreneurial journey - from founding Undertone to acquiring and selling the largest Shopify Plus agency to Accenture and now leading M3. The key highlight? M3's vision is to unlock 98% of e-commerce traffic that doesn't convert to purchases. As Cassidy notes, "The data I keep going back to is that the average conversion rate is just 2%." At M3, we're turning this challenge into an opportunity by enabling retailers to generate new revenue through brand sponsorships and partnerships. It's an innovative approach to commerce media that creates value for retailers, brands, and shoppers alike. Hear Michael's insights on M3's vision for pioneering the future of brand commerce: https://lnkd.in/eFHS-bTj #Ecommerce #BrandPartnerships #CommerceMedia #Retailers

Thank you, EY, for inviting me to judge the 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year Florida Program. The companies participating are excellent.  #EOYUS #EOYFlorida

Welcome, Sam and Shane. We are thrilled to have you on our team.

We're thrilled to welcome Samantha Miller and Shane Norris to M3. Their experience and proven track records will be pivotal as we strengthen our media agency relationships and grow our brand partnerships. Samantha joined us after six years at Flipboard, where she was the WPP lead. She cultivated partnerships with top brands and advertising agencies, selling content, video, and email campaigns. Before Flipboard, she honed her sales and digital advertising expertise at renowned publications like Men's Fitness and Condé Nast. Shane brings over 15 years of advertising sales experience to M3. He joins us after six years at Funny Or Die / Roku Studios, where he drove significant growth in the Midwest region. He has sold advertising for The Onion, Digital Trends Media Group, and Yieldbot. Shane kicked off his career on the agency side at Barkley and FCB Global. We're excited to have Samantha and Shane on board, working closely with media agencies to grow our brand partnerships. Thank you both for making the trip to Florida for onboarding. We're happy to have you on the team. 🙌 #BrandPartnerships #AgencyRelations #NewHires

Shoptalk Bound? We Are Too! Looking to unlock new revenue streams in 2024? Meet M3 founders Michael Cassidy and Greg Stellato at Shoptalk! We help retailers leverage brand partnerships for growth. DM us or book a chat: link in comments👇 #shoptalk2024 #RetailPartnerships

According to Shopify and IRP Commerce, ~98% of a retailer's online traffic generates NO revenue. Put another way, 980 out of 1,000 visits don't buy. Interested in unlocking hidden revenue? DM us.

Shoptalk Bound? We Are Too! Looking to unlock new revenue streams in 2024? Meet M3 founders Michael Cassidy and Greg Stellato at Shoptalk! We help retailers leverage brand partnerships for growth. DM us or book a chat: link in comments👇 #shoptalk2024 #RetailPartnerships