Episode · 2026-06-17
Landon Donovan x United: CX Lesson
Landon Donovan x United: CX Lesson | EA Sports Launches Ad Platform | 2026's Most Trusted Brands
Rundown
Chris and Colin open with a CX teardown of United mishandling Landon Donovan on a delayed flight, then dig into ad-tech and marketing takes across the show: rumors on an AI product's return, an interview with an early AppLovin hire on the platform's tech-first bet, a testimonial on shifting Meta spend elsewhere for better CAC/LTV, a conversation with paid-social scaler Mason LittleJohn on breaking spend ceilings, and an interview with email agency founder Damon Dier on AI's growing effect on inbox deliverability.
Takes from this episode
Airlines this large should have proactive concierge-level customer service (hotels, transport, food) ready for high-profile passengers instead of letting repeated mishandling become a PR incident.
somebody should have some kind of concierge um awareness of when there's giant celebrities on your flight that you don't necessarily want to mess around with five or six times
There is a strong (about two-thirds) chance the AI product 'Fable' returns to consumers by June 22nd, despite the setback being caused by personality conflicts rather than technical issues.Prediction
There's a uh 66% chance by June 22nd Fable's coming back to consumers.
Betting a career on AppLovin was justified because the company's core differentiator is its ad-tech/optimization layer, not the creative or sales side that most ad platforms lean on.
ad tech is typically this vertical and everyone has the ad ... but it was the tech part is what apploving really relishes on
Shifting ad spend away from Meta into a newer channel earlier than the market consensus paid off with better CAC and healthier LTV.
you want to talk about new customer acquisition that was better priced, better CAC than what we were getting on Meta that ended up with a healthier LTB
Advanced Meta strategies like cost caps and inflated-budget tactics are unnecessary until a brand reaches seven figures a month in spend; simplicity wins below that.
Once you get to seven figures, yeah, you can start exploring that those those things. ... It's not that deep, guys.
AI-powered inbox sorting (e.g. Gmail/Yahoo promotions folders now using AI to surface only top offers) is making email deliverability significantly harder for marketers.
the promotions folder's got AI on it that only, you know, brings up the best offers that it thinks you want