Performance Marketing: A Multi-Channel Perspective
With Performance Marketing Specialist, Manfred Shi
Manfred Shi, a Singapore-based digital marketer, shares thoughts on shaping a strategy across several digital channels.
What first attracted you to digital marketing?
My journey into digital marketing started from an unexpected place: programming. After spending time writing code, I found myself drawn to the world of digital marketing because the skillset felt surprisingly familiar. Both fields require the same type of analytical troubleshooting mindset. When a campaign underperforms, you need to dig through data, isolate variables, and test hypotheses until you find the solution. That systematic approach to problem-solving was what hooked me initially, and it continues to be the foundation of how I optimize campaigns today.
You attended Boston Consulting Group’s RISE. What sort of competitive edge can you get from an upskilling program?
The real value of RISE was exposure to advertising methods that most marketers rarely encounter in their day-to-day work. Programmatic advertising, for instance, was something I knew existed but had never deeply explored. The program provided some insights into how these less common channels operate and when they make strategic sense. That kind of exposure is invaluable because it expands your toolkit beyond the standard Meta and Google platforms. When you understand a wider range of acquisition channels, you can make better strategic decisions about where to allocate budget and how to diversify your marketing mix.
My approach is to let AI handle the heavy lifting of data filtering through search term reports and keyword analysis, then step in as the human decision-maker.
In an era of AI-driven ads, how do you balance automation with human intuition to optimize CPAs across Meta and Google platforms?
AI excels at what it was built for: processing massive amounts of data at scale. When you have thousands of search terms or keyword combinations to analyze, AI can surface patterns and opportunities that would take humans weeks to find. However, automation has its limits. AI cannot make nuanced strategic decisions that require context about your brand positioning, competitive landscape, or customer psychology.
My approach is to let AI handle the heavy lifting of data filtering through search term reports and keyword analysis, then step in as the human decision-maker. I review what the algorithms surface and apply strategic judgment about which opportunities align with our brand and which metrics actually matter for our specific business goals. The sweet spot is using AI as your research assistant, not your strategist.
How has the evolution of Apple App Store Search Ads changed user acquisition strategies?
To be honest, Apple’s native Ads interface presents some real usability challenges. The platform can feel cluttered and difficult to navigate efficiently. This is where third-party tools like Splitmetrics become essential. These platforms cut through the noise and get you straight to the actionable signals you need to make optimization decisions quickly.
The evolution of App Store Search Ads has taught me an important lesson: sometimes the platform itself matters less than the tools you use to manage it. When you can streamline your workflow and focus on the data that drives results rather than wrestling with a cumbersome interface, you can execute user acquisition strategies much more effectively.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
How do you future-proof digital sales skills against platform algorithm shifts?
The platforms will keep changing. Algorithms will be updated. New features will launch and old ones will be deprecated. That’s the nature of digital marketing. What protects you against all that chaos is having rock-solid fundamentals.
I always come back to three essential questions:
- Who are our customers?
- Why do they need to buy from us?
- What do they gain?
When you have clear answers to these questions, algorithm changes become tactical adjustments rather than existential threats. Peter Drucker’s management principles remain incredibly relevant here. If you understand your customer deeply and can articulate your value proposition clearly, you can adapt to any platform change because your strategy is rooted in human behavior, not platform mechanics.
Sometimes the best solution to a B2C problem comes from hearing how a B2B marketer approached something similar.
Singapore’s marketing scene is vibrant. How do networking events help shape local strategies?
Networking events in Singapore expose you to marketers across different industries, and that cross-pollination of ideas is where the real value lies. When I talk to someone running campaigns in finance, retail, or hospitality, I hear about challenges that mirror my own but with completely different solutions.
Seeing how other marketers creatively resolve their problems in industries outside my own gives me fresh perspectives I can adapt. Sometimes the best solution to a B2C problem comes from hearing how a B2B marketer approached something similar. These events keep you from getting siloed in your own industry’s echo chamber.
What’s the hottest trend right now among local digital marketers in Singapore?
Marketers are drowning in data right now, and vibe coding has emerged as the solution that turns anyone into an instant data analyst. You do not need to be a programmer to get powerful insights anymore.
Here’s a practical example: You can tell an AI tool, “Analyze this CSV of last month’s Facebook Ad performance. Which ad sets had a CPA under $10 but a click-through rate above 2 percent? Show me a bar chart.” Within seconds, you have your answer visualized.
The real application goes beyond simple queries. Vibe coding helps you clean messy exported reports, merge data from different sources like Google Analytics, CRM systems, and ad platforms, and generate performance insights without the manual Excel gymnastics that used to consume hours of your week. For marketers in Singapore juggling multiple platforms and clients, this trend is transforming how quickly we can move from data to decisions.
Share this on:
About Manfred Shi
Manfred Shi turns ad budgets into revenue engines. He helps brands scale through high-converting Google Ads and Meta Ads strategies that deliver measurable results.