Beyond Meta, Google and TikTok: AppLovin, native ads and what comes next

For most consumer brands, Meta, Google and TikTok carry the bulk of paid growth, and they should. They’re where the scale, data and creative tools are. But every channel eventually shows diminishing returns. Each additional dollar reaches people who are a little less likely to buy, and costs rise.

That’s the point where adding new channels starts to make sense. Not before. Diversifying too early spreads budget and creative thin across platforms that never get enough to learn. Here’s how we think about the next layer.

When to expand

We look for a few signs before adding a channel:

• The core channels are profitable and stable, with a working creative pipeline.
• Additional spend on them is producing noticeably weaker returns.
• The brand has enough creative volume and team capacity to feed another platform properly.
• Tracking and blended measurement are in good shape, so we can tell whether a new channel adds anything.

AppLovin

AppLovin is best known for powering ads inside mobile games and apps. Its Axon ad platform has been opening up to eCommerce brands, giving them access to a very large mobile audience that doesn’t overlap neatly with social feeds.

What makes it different:

• The context. Ads appear in natural breaks within apps, often full-screen. People aren’t scrolling past. They’re briefly paying attention.
• The format. Short, vertical, full-screen video with a fast, clear hook works best. Creative built for TikTok and Reels is often a good starting point, though it usually needs editing for the placement.
• The optimisation. Like the major platforms, it relies heavily on machine learning and conversion data, so clean tracking matters.

It suits products with broad appeal and a clear visual demonstration. As with any newer channel, access, tools and best practices are changing quickly, so we start with a controlled test and judge it on blended results rather than in-platform reporting alone.

Native ads

Native networks such as Taboola and Outbrain place ads in content recommendations across news and publisher sites. The audience skews older and more reading-oriented than social.

The key difference is the funnel. Native ads usually lead to a content page, such as an article, a review-style page or a story about the problem the product solves, rather than straight to a product page. That content does the persuading. When it’s done well and honestly, it can reach customers who rarely respond to social ads. Advertorial pages must be clearly labelled as advertising and shouldn’t imitate independent journalism.

Other channels worth considering

• Pinterest, for categories where people plan ahead, such as home, food, beauty and gifting.
• Snapchat and Reddit, for specific audiences where the brand fits the culture.
• YouTube, for longer-form demonstration and storytelling.
• Connected TV, for brands with a strong video story and the budget to test it.
• Affiliates and creators on commission, which reward results rather than reach.
• Podcasts, especially host-read ads that borrow trust from the host.
• Retail media, including advertising on Amazon for brands that sell there.

How we test a new channel

1. Define its job. Is it meant to reach new audiences, convert existing interest, or support a specific product?
2. Adapt the creative. Repurposed social ads are a starting point, not a finished product.
3. Ring-fence the budget. Enough to get a real signal, with a clear end date for the test.
4. Measure the whole business. Watch total new customers and blended efficiency, not just the channel’s own dashboard. Where possible, run a holdout or geo test.
5. Decide deliberately. Scale it, adjust it, or stop and record what we learned.

The principle

New channels are a way to keep growing once the core is strong, not a substitute for getting the core right. The brands that diversify well do it in sequence, one channel at a time, with creative built for each and honest measurement of what each one adds.