Backbone Media

Cyber Week is only one moment in the broader shopper landscape, but the shifts we saw this year offer important clues for where consumer expectations are heading. Our Data & Analytics team dug into active lifestyle and outdoor market data, and here are the trends that defined Cyber Week 2025: People did more online window shopping than last year -> Median sessions grew year over year, driven by both new and returning visitors, while engagement stayed steady. An earlier and longer consideration window shaped Cyber Week performance -> Traffic ramped up in the 10 weeks leading into Cyber Week, but purchases still clustered around Black Friday and Cyber Monday as shoppers waited to see the full promotional landscape. Shoppers turned to AI chatbots (LLMs), like ChatGPT and Gemini, but scale remains small overall -> LLM-driven traffic is growing fast and, while still a small share of total sessions, is converting at strong rates with bigger-than-average baskets. Google Ads costs increased from Cyber Week 2024 while Meta costs decreased -> Competition on Google pushed CPMs and CPCs above 2024 levels, while Meta stayed relatively efficient on cost even as more advertisers jumped in. People did most of their shopping on their phones -> Nearly 70% of sessions and roughly two thirds of purchases happened on mobile, confirming that phones are now both research and primary checkout devices. If you’re building your 2026 plan and want to translate these signals into strategy, dive into the full report and let’s talk about what it means for your brand: [email protected] Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gQ6VY37i About Backbone's Data: These insights were compiled using GA4 data from Backbone’s sample of (anonymized) brands and was analyzed by Backbone’s Data & Analytics team.

We’re hiring a Performance Media Manager for our Paid Social team. What you'll do: Lead paid social strategy and execution across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and emerging channels—owning full-funnel planning, creative testing, audience architecture, pacing, and performance storytelling. What you bring: 2-5 years of platform expertise, a test-and-learn mindset, and a track record of scaling efficient growth for consumer brands. You’re comfortable in the weeds (pixels, events and LTV modeling) and at altitude (decks, insights and stakeholder alignment). Why Backbone: integrated team, outdoor/active DNA, and the opportunity to move people—and the metrics that matter—through smart media, sharp creative, and tight measurement. Sound like you? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gk-Ggudi

Eager to help shape the next era of media at Backbone? We’re hiring a Media Director who can pair rigorous strategy with hands-on optimization and team leadership. What you'll do: Drive full-funnel planning, measurement, and optimization while mentoring a multidisciplinary team. What you bring: 7-10+ years of experience. Why Backbone?: Work with some of the brightest minds (and coolest brands) in the outdoor/active lifestyle industries, building campaigns at the intersection of brand strategy, creative, and paid media. Priority location: Denver or Carbondale, CO. Details + application: https://lnkd.in/gf2KjjX8

Meet the integrated agency aligning brand, community, and performance. We help brands like yours create relevancy, forge lasting connections, and drive business goals. Got a big idea? Let's chat about how to make it happen. [email protected]. https://lnkd.in/gqDDPtYF

Attention CMOs: while you're shaping the future of marketing at the CMO event in Aspen this week, know that one of the country's leading integrated marketing agencies is just 30 minutes away in Carbondale. We work with incredible brands like YETI, Dickies, and AG1. We're in it to move people; whether that's getting them outside, down the funnel, or closer to the brands they love. You're in Aspen. We're right next door. Let's connect. Our DMs are open. https://lnkd.in/gqDDPtYF

We're hiring a Senior Media Measurement Analyst - someone who thinks like a media strategist and works like a data analyst, and who's excited to help shape how measurement gets done across a growing client roster. 🔗 Apply: https://lnkd.in/ekafTNcv