Anthony Chiaravallo is the Founder and CEO of Vallo Media, a performance marketing agency that’s helped brands from startups to Fortune 500s—including Nike, Amazon, and FedEx—turn ad spend into measurable growth. With 16+ years of experience and more than $100M in media spend managed, Anthony is a recognized thought leader and PR Week 40 Under 40 honoree, known for cutting through vanity metrics to focus on real business outcomes.
With deep expertise in paid media, performance strategy, and scaling growth engines, he offers insights into how startups and established companies alike can avoid costly mistakes, build full-funnel systems, and leverage AI to stay competitive in today’s fast-changing landscape.
In this episode, he discusses the philosophy behind performance marketing, the myths that frustrate him most, and the future of paid media in the age of AI.
In Today’s Episode We Discuss:
00:00 – Anthony’s background: from sales to launching Vallo Media
01:24 – Breaking into digital marketing and moving from sales to strategy
03:20 – From big agencies to starting his own firm during COVID
05:30 – The freedom and growth potential of entrepreneurship
06:43 – Defining performance marketing and why it still matters today
07:52 – The biggest mistakes startups make with paid ads
10:31 – When startups should turn on performance marketing
12:39 – Why outsourcing to experts often saves time and money
14:20 – Case study: scaling Playa Bowls from a sidewalk stand to a $100M+ acquisition
20:58 – Why clicks and impressions don’t equal results
22:29 – KPIs that actually matter for growth
25:59 – How to know when to scale or move on from a channel
28:03 – Best starter channels and the rise of AI-driven discovery
30:48 – How AI is reshaping paid media campaigns
34:07 – The future of search with ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI assistants
37:15 – The importance of creative in performance marketing
41:46 – Why you should start at the top of the funnel
43:40 – Balancing the art and science of marketing
45:45 – The most frustrating performance marketing myth
47:11 – The most misunderstood part of campaign attribution
49:48 – The future of paid media in the next 3–5 years
52:36 – Rapid fire wrap-up: metrics to kill, favorite brands, overrated platforms, and more
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