Why Performance Marketing Is Peaking at the Wrong Time

Lucas and Luna unpack a paradox haunting CMOs in spring 2026: performance marketing channels are generating more conversions than ever, yet overall customer lifetime value is shrinking. They zero in on a specific case — a mid-market DTC brand that saw its ROAS climb 40 percent while its repeat purchase rate dropped by a fifth. Lucas walks through the math of why last-click attribution is a dangerous compass when customer acquisition costs are rising faster than average order value. Luna pushes back with a contrarian take: maybe the problem isn't the channel but the creative. They debate whether the current market is forcing a return to brand-building as a hedge, and what that means for marketing budgets in a high-cost environment. Concrete numbers, real trade-offs, no fluff. #PerformanceMarketing #CustomerAcquisitionCost #MarketingROAS #DTCBrands #MarketingBudget #LifetimeValue #BrandMarketing #MarketingStrategy #CMOPodcast #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #MarketingLeadership #LastClickAttribution #RepeatPurchaseRate #MidMarketDTC #CreativeStrategy #AttributionModels #MarketingROI Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo