AskGabe — Performance Marketing Answers, by Voice

Gabriel Medeiros no estúdio do podcast VTurb Segredos da Escala

Gabriel Medeiros VP of Media Buying · Performance Golf

Performance Golf V Shred MGM Resorts Zappos Freedom Deodorant

About Gabe

From immigrant with no work visa to VP running $300M/year in ad spend

In 2015, I moved to Las Vegas with my wife — she had a job offer, I had nothing. Three months waiting for a work visa. I was already a marketing manager in Brazil. I wasn't about to give that up.

I worked at MGM Resorts managing digital spend across 11 casinos, then moved to Zappos — where Black Fridays meant arriving at 4am optimizing Google Shopping bids hour by hour. Those roles built the foundation that got me hired at V Shred without a single technical interview.

At V Shred, I started in retargeting and within a month had scaled cold traffic to $100K/day — more than all six other media buyers combined. I asked to run the team, became Director, grew from 6 to 20 people, and helped V Shred reach $300M in annual revenue with a quiz funnel that ran unchanged for 7 years.

Today I'm VP of Media Buying at Performance Golf, a $100M+/year DTC brand where I built the acquisition team from scratch. AskGabe is how I share what took me 15 years to learn — now available to both US and Brazilian marketers and business owners.

$300M

annual revenue at V Shred peak

$100K

per day scaled in <1 month

11yrs

building B2C brands in the US

"He is a skilled media buyer, marketer and leader. He not only understands tactical implementations, but understands the broader strategic marketing landscape. Gabe always makes time for his team and ensures they have adequate resources, education and training."

— LinkedIn recommendation from a former direct report at V Shred

From the podcast — real insights

The kind of answers you'll get from Gabe

Real questions answered during Gabe's 3-hour conversation on Segredos da Escala.

Question from the podcast

"How did you scale cold traffic to $100K/day in under a month at V Shred?"

The first thing you need is a creative that destroys CPC. Kevin's philosophy was: the first 3 seconds of the ad is all that matters. Lower CPC to 50–70 cents and you can scale anything. At $2 CPC you're stuck.

Then use the lifetime budget method. Set your campaign to run 90 days. When you want to explode spend on a big day, shrink the end date to 30 days. Facebook recalculates to hit that budget faster — performance holds far better than raising the daily budget.

Segredos da Escala #147 · VTurb · ~1:17:00

Question from the podcast

"Facebook vs Google — how do you think about the two platforms when scaling a B2C offer?"

Facebook is a speedboat — turn left, turn right, instantly. Exit the learning phase and you can 10x the budget and it holds. Google is a cruise ship. Every turn needs planning weeks in advance. At V Shred, Facebook was 60% of spend and Google 40%. The key to winning on Google: figure out how to run your most aggressive creative there. Once you crack their approval patterns, your YouTube buyer has the highest LTV of any channel.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~1:16:00

Question from the podcast

"V Shred hit $300M a year. What was the single most important factor?"

Everyone expects a tactical answer. But it was relationships. The relationship we built with Facebook directly gave us advantages most advertisers never see. Most marketers treat platforms as vending machines. The best operators treat them as long-term strategic partners.

Same with our agency Kendago — we paid serious commissions because they were serious partners. Then we built internal talent to take over each channel. Use agencies to learn, then build the capability in-house.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~1:00:00 and ~2:00:00

Question from the podcast

"When do you give up on a struggling media buyer vs. keep investing in them?"

Look for signs of life. Good weeks mixed with bad weeks is different from someone flatlined. Use your external benchmark too: if the agency is winning and your internal person isn't — that's your problem.

I had a buyer who struggled for 6 months on TikTok. She eventually surpassed our agency. A Google buyer took 7–8 months. Patience with the right person always paid off.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~2:01:00

Question from the podcast

"How did you get promoted to Director at V Shred?"

I started in retargeting. Within a month I'd scaled cold traffic to $100K/day — more than all 6 other buyers combined. I walked into Kevin's office: "Let me manage this team." He asked what title I wanted. I said Director.

The lesson: don't wait to be offered authority. Identify the gap, fill it, make the ask. Authority is earned by doing, then claimed by asking.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~1:03:00

Question from the podcast

"How did you structure the creative team to out-test everyone else?"

The ideal structure: one media buyer paired with one dedicated video editor. The buyer focused on what was working; the editor executed immediately. The copywriter gave direction at the start, then got out of the way.

Kevin's mantra: "We're always one ad away." An egg cracked into a pan. Avocado on a cutting board. Kevin hired someone in the Philippines to film strange food combinations at the market. Millions of dollars from that footage.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~1:06:00

Question from the podcast

"How did you rebuild your career from scratch in the US as an immigrant?"

I arrived in 2015 as my wife's husband — no network, no visa, a Brazilian accent. Three months waiting for a work permit. I was already a marketing manager in Brazil. Giving that up wasn't an option.

Early jobs at MGM and Zappos weren't ideal, but the brand names opened every door that followed. V Shred didn't interview me technically — the Zappos credential was enough. Optimize for company brand early. It compounds in ways you can't predict.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~0:06:00

Question from the podcast

"What's the most important thing for a marketer who wants to reach VP or Director level?"

Build relationships with your traffic sources — real relationships. At V Shred, we had a direct line to Facebook. Priority when issues arose. Early access to new features. Built over years of being a reliable, high-spend partner.

Most marketers treat platforms as vending machines. The operators who scale to nine figures treat them as strategic partners.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~3:01:00

Question from the podcast

"What was the hardest part of moving from individual contributor to managing a team of 20?"

Accepting that your job is no longer to be the best media buyer in the room — it's to find and develop people who are better than you were. That's a real identity shift.

I tried to reposition people rather than fire them. A project manager missing deadlines but obsessed with reports? Moved him to data. A buyer struggling on Facebook after 5 years? Moved her to TikTok. Management is reading what people actually want, not just what they say.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~2:06:00

Question from the podcast

"Quizzes are dominating US performance marketing. Why?"

It's not a debate — quizzes are the funnel format that scales best right now. Facebook confirmed it. The reason is segmentation: a quiz asks the customer who they are before you sell.

At V Shred, the quiz ran unchanged for 7 years. No split tests. $300M in revenue. The quiz also unlocks creative diversification — you can test any angle without needing to match your ad to your VSL host.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~2:47:00

Question from the podcast

"Is the VSL dead? What's the future of direct response funnels?"

VSLs will always exist — the format works. What's changing: the best companies are no longer dependent on one funnel. Diversify or die. V Shred had a quiz funnel, a VSL funnel, and app subscription revenue.

Every additional funnel you make work is an insurance policy on your business. If one gets disrupted — you have others running.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~2:52:00

Question from the podcast

"What's the most counterintuitive thing you learned about creative testing at scale?"

At V Shred we ran $100K/day and never ran a proper creative split test. What we tested obsessively was the first 3 seconds — because that controls CPC, and CPC controls your ability to scale.

Kevin hired someone in the Philippines to film strange food at the market. Eggs, avocado, bizarre combinations — millions of dollars from that footage.

The counterintuitive lesson: in direct response, weird beats polished every time.

Segredos da Escala #147 · ~1:07:00

What you get

Everything included — tailored to your goals

🔍

Independent second opinion

Ask Gabe to review your marketing setup, agency reporting, or spend allocation. Straight feedback from someone with zero conflict of interest.

📊

Plain-English (or Portuguese) clarity

Gabe explains what your numbers actually mean — MER, new customer CPA, LTV payback — in language that makes sense to a CEO, in the language of your choice.

🎙

No decks. Just talk.

Describe your situation in 60 seconds — in English or Portuguese. Gabe will know exactly what to focus on.

📞

Private 1:1 strategy calls

For complex situations — agency audits, hiring, scaling plans — book a 60-minute call. Available in English or Portuguese.

🧠

Career mentorship from someone who did it

Gabe went from immigrant with no US network to VP managing $300M/year. Ask in English or Portuguese — he'll answer in kind.

🎯

Campaign-level problem solving

Bring your specific Meta, TikTok, or Google challenge. Real answers, not theory — in your language.

🌎

US market insights for Brazilian operators

Understand how the US direct response market actually works — from someone who's run it at the highest level. In Portuguese, for the Brazilian market.

📚

Searchable bilingual Q&A library

Browse real questions from marketers in both the US and Brazil — answered by Gabe in both languages.

Sample Q&As

Exactly what it looks like inside the platform

Tom R.CEO, DTC brand · 2 days ago

Question

1:28

Transcript"We're spending $80K/month on Meta and our agency sends us a 2.8 ROAS every week. But revenue hasn't moved in 4 months. Is 2.8 even good? And how do I know if my agency is actually doing their job?"

Gabe's ReplyAnswered 19 hours later

Answer

6:22

Transcript"2.8 ROAS tells you almost nothing without your margin and AOV. The real number is your MER — total revenue divided by total ad spend. Three questions for your agency: show me new customer CPA by platform, not blended. Show me 90-day LTV cohorts for paid vs organic. And what happens to revenue if we pause ads for 2 weeks?…"

Lauren C.Senior Media Buyer · 4 days ago

Question

1:12

Transcript"I've been a senior media buyer for 3 years. I keep getting told I'm great at execution but need to think more strategically. How do you make the jump to director level?"

Gabe's ReplyAnswered 31 hours later

Answer

5:48

Transcript"I know exactly how I got my Director title at V Shred — I was already doing the job. I scaled cold traffic to $100K/day in a month, more than all six other buyers combined. I walked into Kevin's office and said: let me manage this team. He asked what title I wanted. I said Director. The jump from operator to leader isn't more tactics — it's identifying the gap and making the ask…"

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Common questions

Can I ask questions in Portuguese?+

Absolutely. Gabe is a native Portuguese speaker and grew up in Brazil. You can ask in Portuguese and he'll reply in Portuguese. The community library will also contain Q&As in both languages.

How quickly will Gabe reply?+

Target is 48 hours on business days. Most questions are answered within 24. You get an email notification the moment your reply is recorded.

Can Gabe audit my agency?+

Yes — this is one of the most common uses of the Strategy Call. Share your agency's reports, your ad account structure, and your current metrics. Gabe will tell you what's real, what's vanity, and what questions to ask your team.

Can I ask about the US market as a Brazilian operator?+

Yes — and this is actually one of the most valuable things Gabe offers. He's the rare person who is Brazilian, has operated inside the US market at the highest level, and can bridge both worlds. Ask in Portuguese.

What platform do you use to communicate?+

Everything happens on Telegram — a free app available on iOS, Android, and desktop. You can send voice messages, video, text, and files. Gabe replies by voice within 48 hours. If you don't have Telegram yet, it takes 2 minutes to set up.

What's the difference between Single Question and Community?+

The Single Question ($50) gives you a private 1:1 Telegram thread with Gabe — one question, one voice reply, done. The Community ($97/month) gives you unlimited questions and access to a private group where you can see and learn from other members' Q&As. Cancel anytime.

The Brazilian behind America's biggest B2C ad operations. Now answering your questions.

Gabe speaks your language — literally.

The US market

The Brazilian market

Two different problems. One expert.

Your team is spending the budget. You're not sure it's actually working.

You're in the trenches. You want to move up faster.

From immigrant with no work visa to VP running $300M/year in ad spend

3 hours of no-filter insights from inside nine-figure operations

The kind of answers you'll get from Gabe

Expert answers — as simple as a voice note

Pay and join

Send a voice message

Gabe replies by voice

Everything included — tailored to your goals

Independent second opinion

Plain-English (or Portuguese) clarity

No decks. Just talk.

Private 1:1 strategy calls

Career mentorship from someone who did it

Campaign-level problem solving

US market insights for Brazilian operators

Searchable bilingual Q&A library

Exactly what it looks like inside the platform

Pick the right level of access

What members are saying

Common questions

Stop guessing. Start getting real answers.