AdBadger, an Austin-based graduate of The Brandery that's led by long-time digital marketer Michael Facchin, has a simple goal: making the Amazon PPC algorithm more approachable for users.
Getting into PPC (or pay-per-click advertising, where companies only pay for the ads that have users click on and view the featured product) had a straightforward pull for Facchin.
“I was naturally drawn to the industry because it scratched my competitive gaming itch,” he said. “To me, paid traffic digital marketing is all about you versus the competition, starting with the same resources, and constantly asking the question, 'What can I do to outcompete, outsmart and outpace the competition?' It's a fun riddle to solve every time I open up a campaign."
“What you would do if you were able to sit in front of your keyboard 24/7, optimizing your campaigns as new data rolled in, mirroring the picture perfect Amazon ads strategy?”
Then there was the amount of time Facchin was spending on Amazon PPC campaigns, and that fact that most of the tools available didn’t reflect what the best practices were for the industry. Furthermore, he noticed that the true battle on Amazon is being one step ahead of competitors, as well as the constantly evolving algorithms.
The answer to all these issues, he felt, was AdBadger, which he launched in 2017.
“What you would do if you were able to sit in front of your keyboard 24/7, optimizing your campaigns as new data rolled in, mirroring the picture perfect Amazon ads strategy?” he said.
It's a rhetorical question that, in many ways, outlines how AdBadger actually works. First, it educates users via their blog, podcast and private learning center. Via these tools, users learn what it takes to develop strong marketing strategy, as well as what makes an advertising campaign on Amazon successful.
With those concepts under their belt, users can then leverage AdBadger's primary function.
"Our tool does all the heavy lifting,” Facchin said. “The software automates routine tasks, such as automatically blocking a search term that gets 30 clicks without a conversion. The software also provides a faster, more feature-filled experience than what a user can achieve using the default Amazon platform.”
The company is expected to launch a 1.0 version on June 3.
Integral to the company's continued development was the time spent in Cincinnati and at The Brandery.
“It was like going to business boot camp," Facchin said. "Every day, I had a drill sergeant (the program manager and director) to hold me accountable for my KPIs, my squad (the other companies in the cohort) to brainstorm, cowork, share the highs and lows with, and commanders (mentors) who were available to point me in the right direction when I had problems come up.”
