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K9 Media
K9 · Services

Paid media withthe maths attached.

Every rupee is tracked to a result. We build the measurement first, structure the account to scale, and test creative in volume — the real lever — reporting against the numbers that decide whether to spend more, not the ones that look good in a screenshot.

The three that decide everything

Efficiency metrics tell you how a campaign is doing. These tell you whether the business can afford to grow. Benchmarks are for most e-commerce — margin and category shift them; your real numbers replace them here once a campaign is cleared for sharing.

3×+Return on ad spendBreak-even sits near 2× for most e-commerce once you account for margin. 3× and up is a campaign worth pouring budget into.
3:1LTV to CACWhat a customer is worth over their life, against what they cost to win. Below 3:1 growth eats itself; 4:1 and up is a strong model.
< 6 moCAC paybackMonths for one customer's margin to repay their acquisition cost. Short payback is what lets you reinvest and compound.

The twelve numbers

Not a glossary of everything measurable — the twelve we actually run campaigns against. Each is reported only when it fits the objective. Formula and a healthy range for each; treat the range as a starting point, not a target.

  1. 01ROAS
    Return on ad spend

    Per-platform return. Fast to read, but it takes credit for customers who'd have bought anyway — which is why MER sits next to it.

    revenue ÷ ad spend2× break-even · 3×+ scale
  2. 02MER
    Marketing efficiency ratio

    Blended across every channel. The number a founder should actually watch — it can't be inflated by attribution settings.

    total revenue ÷ total marketing spend3–5× healthy DTC
  3. 03CAC
    Customer acquisition cost

    Fully loaded — media, tools and the team, not just ad spend. Different from CPA, and usually higher.

    all acquisition spend ÷ new customersbrand-specific
  4. 04LTV
    Lifetime value

    Total margin a customer is expected to deliver. Sets the ceiling on what you can afford to spend to win one.

    avg. gross profit × expected lifespan≥ 3× CAC
  5. 05LTV:CAC
    LTV to CAC ratio

    The one-line health check on the whole growth model. The single number we'd keep if we could only keep one.

    LTV ÷ CAC3:1 healthy · 4:1+ strong
  6. 06Payback
    Payback period

    How long cash is tied up per customer before they're in profit. Long payback caps how fast you can grow without funding.

    CAC ÷ monthly gross profit per customer< 6 months
  7. 07CPA
    Cost per acquisition

    The core in-platform efficiency number. Has to stay under what a customer is worth on their first order, or the model breaks.

    spend ÷ conversions≤ first-order gross margin
  8. 08CPM
    Cost per mille

    The price of a thousand impressions — the cost of attention on a given audience before anyone's clicked.

    spend ÷ impressions × 1,000₹80–250 in India, varies
  9. 09CTR
    Click-through rate

    How compelling the ad is. The fastest signal that a creative is working, or isn't.

    clicks ÷ impressions0.9–1.5% avg · 2%+ strong
  10. 10CVR
    Conversion rate

    Where ad quality meets landing-page quality. Below 1.5% is usually a page problem, not an ad one.

    conversions ÷ clicks2–4% from paid
  11. 11AOV
    Average order value

    The number every efficiency target is measured against. Bundles, thresholds and post-purchase offers move it.

    revenue ÷ ordersbrand-specific
  12. 12Hook rate
    Hook rate

    Does the first frame stop the scroll. The biggest driver of video ad cost, and the cheapest thing to fix.

    3-second views ÷ impressions30%+ good

Channels

Meta

Facebook & Instagram — Advantage+ and manual, cold prospecting through to retention.

Google

Search, Performance Max, Shopping, Display and Demand Gen.

YouTube

In-stream, Shorts and view-based campaigns.

How an account runs

  1. 01

    Measurement

    Pixel, Conversions API, GA4 and offline events — verified before a rupee is spent.

  2. 02

    Structure

    Clean campaign architecture built to scale, not to look busy in the dashboard.

  3. 03

    Creative testing

    Volume of hooks, concepts and formats — the biggest lever in paid social by a distance.

  4. 04

    Scale

    Winners get budget; the account structure stays stable while it grows.

  5. 05

    Weekly review

    A standing check against CPA / ROAS / MER, with next week's tests already planned.