Best in Class Performance Marketing with Ibotta’s Bryan Leach

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Bryan Leach, the Founder & CEO of Ibotta, a performance marketing platform allowing brands to deliver digital promotions to over 200 million consumers through a network of publishers called the Ibotta Performance Network (IPN). Follow Bryan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwleach Follow Ibotta on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibotta-inc-/ Follow Ibotta online at: https://ipn.ibotta.com/ Bryan answers these questions: Ibotta started as a wildly successful cashback app. When did you first realize the company needed to evolve into a performance-marketing platform that could power promotions for national brands and retailers—not just consumers? Take us to the moment when the vision for the Ibotta Performance Network crystallized. What was the “aha” moment that told you the future wasn’t DTC incentives, but a full-funnel, retailer-connected promotions ecosystem? When you think back to the earliest days of the IPN, how did the partnership with Walmart come together, and what did that milestone unlock for Ibotta’s trajectory? The IPN is now a fundamentally different engine than it was two years ago. How have new partners like Instacart and DoorDash, plus an elevated focus on measurement, reshaped the network? You’re now reaching more than 200 million consumers. What does true personalization look like at this scale, and what have you learned about delivering the right promotion to the right shopper at the right moment? When you talk to brand partners today, what are the top priorities they’re solving for—and why is the traditional ROAS framework failing them? You’ve compared LiveLift to the launch of the IPN in terms of strategic importance. What gap does LiveLift fill, and why is this such a pivotal moment in Ibotta’s evolution? How does LiveLift help quantify the true incremental impact of promotions—whether that’s velocity, basket expansion, or shortening the repurchase cycle? CPGs keep saying they struggle to tie promotions directly to outcomes. How is Ibotta helping close that measurement gap, and what does the Liquid Death case study reveal about what’s possible? If you had to project 1–3 years out, how do you see the promotions landscape transforming—and what will separate the brands that win from those that fall behind? CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/ Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/ DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.