Gary Calega

Walmart just pulled an Amazon. If you search on Walmart .com today, the first thing you’ll see isn’t what’s best. It’s what’s sponsored. Retail media just took another big leap into your search bar. And you can almost hear every brand whisper the same thing: “Wait… how much will this cost me?” Here’s what’s really happening 👇 🛒 Walmart Connect is now putting paid ads “front and center” in search results. 💰 Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Products can now claim that golden top spot. 📈 Ad revenue for Walmart’s retail media arm jumped 31% last quarter, so this was coming. The result? Organic listings are sliding lower, CPCs are rising, and defending your own brand terms just became non-negotiable. What smart sellers will do next: 🎯 Split campaigns by intent. Separate branded from generic so you can defend and attack strategically. 💡 Refresh creatives for Sponsored Brands. Your headline is now a billboard at the top of the shelf. 📊 Watch TACOS, not just ROAS. You’ll win visibility, but efficiency will only hold if your product pages convert. 🧩 Fix your retail readiness before you raise bids. Titles, images, reviews, availability. Every click costs more now. This is Walmart quietly turning into a performance media platform that looks like a store. And honestly, it’s kind of brilliant. Because when ads become the storefront, every click becomes a shelf. #RetailMedia #MarketplaceStrategy #Walmart #Ecommerce #Advertising

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EP 63: Zero Click AI Searches- The Reason Your Website Traffic is Down In this episode, Jenna Gaidusek dives deep into the growing crisis of zero-click search—a shift in how people find answers online that’s impacting small businesses, designers, and anyone relying on website traffic for visibility and leads. Jenna explains what zero-click search is, why it’s become a problem over the past two years, and how AI-generated summaries on platforms like Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini are changing the rules for SEO and business growth. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why it’s more important than ever to understand your website analytics—and how to get started even if you’re not “techy.” The reality behind declining organic traffic: 60% of searches now end without a click, and 25% of small business site visits have dried up. How designers can pivot with long-form, authority-building content, FAQs, and real world case studies that set you apart from generic AI content. The crucial role of backlinks, referrals, press releases, and partnerships for visibility in AI-driven search engines. The new ways clients search

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How and why did Ted Seides start Capital Allocators? Hear how Ted Seides created an industry-leading podcast and content platform in our conversation on Alt Goes Mainstream. Watch the entire conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ejWixNbd

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Most startups don’t need a full-time CMO. Instead, they need high-level strategy paired with budget-friendly execution. On the latest Scope Shift podcast, Move Marketing founder Kaitlyn Merola dives into: ✅ How SaaS companies can access CMO-level strategy ✅ Why flexibility + transparency matter most for early growth ✅ Managing expectations when budgets are tight Listen to the episode to learn how Kaitlyn and team are reshaping how agencies support startups: https://lnkd.in/gqRWdt2K #StartupMarketing #SaaS #agency #ScopeShiftPodcast

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Two retailers capitalizing on this shopper shift are Grocery Outlet and WinCo Foods. Placer.ai reports that Grocery Outlet, which has been expanding beyond its West Coast core markets, saw traffic increase 7.5% year over year over the past 12 months. From November 2023 to October 2024, traffic rose 8.5% year over year.WinCo has also experienced a traffic boost over the past two years. From November 2024 to October 2025, visits rose 4.4%, and between November 2023 and October 2024, the increase was 4.9% year over year.Grocery Outlet and WinCo have maintained momentum even after years of high food prices, suggesting that grocery shopping habits change slowly, Placer.ai reports. While some shoppers may take longer to trade down from traditional grocers, each additional month of high prices appears to draw more households toward value-focused chains. Value grocers’ ongoing year-over-year visit gains indicate a slow but steady realignment of consumer loyalties toward discount and private-label-driven formats that keep prices low, even if that means a less familiar product mix, according to Placer.ai. https://lnkd.in/eQDXBaPC

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Today on School for Startups Radio, we’re joined by Gee Ranasinha – CEO of KEXINO. Gee challenges conventional marketing wisdom and explains why most brands misunderstand attention, trust, and how buyers actually think. A sharp, contrarian conversation for entrepreneurs who want marketing that works in the real world. Discover the podcast link in the comments to tune in! This is brought to you by: LifeWave Corporate #SmarterMarketing #RealEnvironmentalists #entrepreneurship #startuppodcast

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Most agencies depend on referrals or the occasional inbound lead. Unfortunately, it’s unpredictable and keeps growth out of your control. That’s why we built something different: Account-Based Podcasting. In this Scrappy ABM episode, I sat down with Joseph Lewin, our Head of Podcast Strategy, to break down exactly how we generated $2M in revenue in two years from a podcast that started with zero listeners. We walk through the 3 questions every agency should answer before launching a show and a 30-day framework for turning guest outreach into pipeline.
 Grab the tips: https://lnkd.in/gx5xH5xk

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When budgets tighten, the instinct is to cut. But some districts are finding sustainable revenue instead. 5 revenue sources districts often overlook: → Asset monetization → Grant stacking & fund diversification → Public–private partnerships → Investment portfolio optimization → Fee-for-service programs See how districts are strengthening financial sustainability. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gJWGP23d #EducationElements #SchoolFinance #K12Strategy

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