In partnership with

Hello and welcome to the 177th edition of Fresh Salmon.

If you're new here, welcome aboard! 🧡
And if you’d like to catch up on past issues, click here.

Meet our primary partner for today’s edition: Roku. Check them out 👇

TV Ads That Perform Like Digital

We have entered a new era of TV advertising where the barriers to entry are lower than ever, and Roku Ads Manager is leading the way.

Growth marketers can access Roku’s audience reach in the US with a self-service ad platform that’s built for performance.

Roku powers 47% of all TV streaming time in the US*, so your brand can run ads alongside premium content and meet your audience where they’re already engaged. *Comscore, 2024

Get started on Roku Ads Manager.

Astronomer Scandal? Play It Like a Media Company

Last week, Astronomer dropped what might be the PR move of the year.

If you missed it: after an awkward viral moment involving a Coldplay kiss cam, the data company had been mostly quiet… until they suddenly released a video starring Gwyneth Paltrow as their “temporary spokesperson.”

Yes — that Gwyneth.
Deadpan. Corporate. Delivering actual product value.
No mention of the scandal. No punchline. No winks.

It was perfectly engineered restraint, and it did three things right:

1. Join the conversation, then lead it.

Astronomer didn’t jump in immediately. It waited, then showed up with precision timing, turning attention into momentum, not chaos.

2. Anchor in the business.

The video doesn’t spiral into jokes or apologies. It highlights Astronomer’s actual services in the middle of a cultural moment. Genius.

3. Use relevance without desperation.

Gwyneth’s involvement was self-aware and insider-y (she was married to Coldplay’s Chris Martin). It made the brand feel savvy but not try-hard.

Takeaway for Brands

When attention hits - earned or accidental - you only have two options:

• Absorb it (by reacting, over-explaining, or disappearing)

• Redirect it (by staying in your voice and owning your story)

Astronomer chose the second.
They didn’t try to go viral.
They tried to stay credible and ended up winning both.

Fresh Salmon Insight:
When the world pays attention, don’t just respond.
Reframe.

Be human. Be sharp. Be useful.
But never forget — you’re a media company now.

Meet our secondary partner for today’s edition: AdQuick. Check them out 👇👇

Modernize your marketing with AdQuick

AdQuick unlocks the benefits of Out Of Home (OOH) advertising in a way no one else has. Approaching the problem with eyes to performance, created for marketers with the engineering excellence you’ve come to expect for the internet.

Marketers agree OOH is one of the best ways for building brand awareness, reaching new customers, and reinforcing your brand message. It’s just been difficult to scale. But with AdQuick, you can easily plan, deploy and measure campaigns just as easily as digital ads, making them a no-brainer to add to your team’s toolbox.

Learn more now.

LinkedIn Is Still Growing - But What Does That Mean for Your Brand?

Microsoft released their Q3 FY25 earnings a couple of months ago, and LinkedIn is front and center again. Here's the skinny - and what it means for marketers, founders, and GTM teams like yours:

Engagement Is Climbing

• Sessions up 9% YoY — still “record levels,” though growth has slowed from 11% last year (Social Media Today).

• Video consumption skyrocketed 36% YoY, while comments rose 32% (Digital Information World).

• Video posts generate ~1.4× more engagement than other post formats — LinkedIn is increasingly a video-first platform (Social Media Today).

User Behavior & AI Adoption

• Membership growth is high-double digits, but active usage is likely closer to ~300 million MAU globally. True prominence comes from engagement, not user count (Social Media Today).

• AI skills are exploding: Skill additions are up 140% since 2022, and AI coaching uptake doubled QoQ. Employees are upskilling — and LinkedIn is the platform of choice for it (economicgraph.linkedin.com).

Meet our secondary partner for today’s edition: guidde. Check them out 👇👇

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• Turn boring docs into visual masterpieces

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What It All Means for You

1. Invest in Video, Not Just Text.
LinkedIn is doubling down on video. With 36% more watch time and 1.4× engagement, you’re leaving reach on the table if you're not producing short-form insights or clips.

2. Community > Vanity Metrics.
Members keep rising, but actives matter. It’s better to attract deeply engaged users than chase signups. Focus on sparking comments, debates, and saves.

3. AI Signals Are the New Resume.
Your prospects are self-training on generative AI and adding it to their profiles. If your brand or content doesn't speak to that journey - you’ll be irrelevant.

4. Paid Ads Are Reliable, But Follow the Data.
LinkedIn ad reach increased +17% YoY (~176 million additional users) but competition and costs are up, too. Pair ads with earned and owned media (like podcasts and video) for leverage (DataReportal – Global Digital Insights).

LinkedIn is clearly still growing but growth without engagement isn’t useful. If you lean into video, make your audience participants, and tap into the AI transition, you’ll not just benefit from LinkedIn’s scale. You’ll build your presence inside it.

Interesting Thing That I Wrote This Week

That’s it for this week! If you found this newsletter valuable, share it with a friend.

See you next time!

Do what is good for your soul ❤️

All the best,

Vivek

PS. Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways in which I can help you and your business:

#1: B2B Marketing Consulting and Go-To-Market Advisory for your business.

#2: 1-on-1 Personal Coaching and Mentoring on anything related to Marketing and Go-To-Market Strategies for you.

#3: Promoting you or your brand via this newsletter.

For any of these things just shoot me a reply, and we will arrange a time to chat.