A field guide for people starting in marketing
How marketing actually works.
University taught you the theory. This is the craft: concepts explained properly, real campaigns taken apart, and exercises that build the judgement your first manager expects you to have.
Today’s lessonStep 3 of 5 · Read the numbers
Why revenue can grow while profit shrinks
The most expensive misunderstanding in performance marketing — and the one-line formula that prevents it.
- Simulator
- Judgement call
- Free template
Beginner → Intermediate · 14 min
§01 — The library
ConceptExerciseCase studyFrameworkExplainerGuideSubscribersMembers
Concept · Analytics
Contribution margin
What’s left from a sale after product costs and ad spend — the number ROAS can’t show you.
Beginner6 min
Case study · E-commerce
Inside a marketplace mega-sale: what brands really pay for on day one
Intermediate16 minMembers
What it teaches
Why the biggest sales day can be the least profitable one.
Exercise · Google Ads5 min
“Your search campaign’s click-through rate doubled overnight, but sales didn’t move. Name three things that could explain it.”
BeginnerTry it →
Framework · Strategy
The positioning square: four answers every brief needs
Beginner8 min
Guide · ConversionDiagnosing a falling conversion rate, in the right orderTracking first, traffic mix second, the page last. Most people start with the page.Intermediate12 minVisual explainer · Meta Ads
What the learning phase is actually learning
Why editing an ad set resets it, and when that’s worth it.
Intermediate9 min
Concept · Brand
Mental availability
How easily your brand comes to mind when someone is ready to buy.
Beginner7 min
Exercise · Analytics6 min
“Two dashboards report the same campaign. One says it’s working, one says it isn’t. Which do you take to your manager?”
IntermediateSubscribersTry it →
Guide · SEOYour first SEO audit: five checks before you touch anythingIs the problem technical, content or authority? Answer that before you fix anything.Beginner14 minCase study · Brand
Launching an imported appliance brand into a crowded market
Intermediate18 min
What it teaches
“Affordable premium” is a position, not a price point.
Framework · Psychology
Five reasons people don’t buy — and what each needs from your page
Intermediate11 minMembers
Visual explainer · AI & martech
Where AI fits in a media plan today
Useful for drafts and pattern-spotting; not a substitute for knowing what the business needs.
Beginner10 min
Concept · Google Ads
Incrementality
The sales that would not have happened without the ad. Everything else is credit-taking.
Advanced12 min
Nothing here yet — that’s a gap worth filling.
Try another level, or . You can also tell us what to write next.
§02 — Pathways
Read in order, if you like.
Each pathway links articles that build on each other. Start anywhere; every piece also stands on its own.
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Step 1 · Concept
How paid search worksBeginner · 8 min
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Step 2 · Guide
How campaign structure shapes performanceBeginner · 12 min
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Step 3 · Explainer
How bidding strategies decideIntermediate · 10 min
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Step 4 · Exercise
Diagnosing a weak campaignIntermediate · 9 min
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Step 5 · Concept
Measuring what it really addedAdvanced · 12 min
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Step 1 · Concept
Metrics versus meaningBeginner · 7 min
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Step 2 · Concept
ROAS, ROI and marginBeginner · 8 min
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Step 3 · Lesson
Why revenue can grow while profit shrinksBeginner → Int. · 14 min
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Step 4 · Explainer
Attribution without the magicIntermediate · 12 min
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Step 5 · Exercise
A dashboard your manager will readIntermediate · 10 min
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Step 1 · Framework
PositioningBeginner · 8 min
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Step 2 · Guide
Brand strategyIntermediate · 14 min
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Step 3 · Case study
Creative developmentIntermediate · 16 min
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Step 4 · Guide
Campaign measurementIntermediate · 12 min
Five steps · about 60 minutes in total · beginner to intermediate
§03 — Rabbit holes
Questions worth an afternoon.
- Understand this before spending your first advertising dollar.→ Break-even ROAS · Concept · 6 min
- Three marketing concepts people mix up in interviews.→ Reach vs. frequency, ROAS vs. ROI, brand vs. performance · 8 min
- The difference between reporting performance and understanding it.→ Two dashboards, one campaign · Exercise · 6 min
- Why the biggest sales day of the year can be the least profitable.→ Inside a marketplace mega-sale · Case study · 16 min
The Monday lesson · free
One concept. One exercise. Every Monday.
Ten minutes before work. Plus the templates marked ☐ in the library, starting with the break-even ROAS sheet.
Check your inbox to confirm.
Your first lesson and the break-even sheet go to once you confirm.