Ep. 41 Beyond the Click: Navigating Andromeda and Mobile UX with Ivan Janku of Digital Rocket Ads

Is your digital marketing strategy ready for the "bulldozer" phase of 2026? As platforms like Meta evolve with advanced AI algorithms, many brands are finding themselves stuck with outdated tactics that simply don't translate to modern ROI.

In this episode of The Pennock Knockdown, Nikki sits down with Ivan, Founder of Digital Rocket Ads (digitalrocketads.com), to dissect the shifting landscape of performance marketing. Ivan shares his journey from a frustrated fitness coach seeing his budget wasted on "vanity likes" to building a full-service agency that bridges the gap between creative, tracking, and technical site performance. Together, they dive deep into the reality of Meta’s Andromeda algorithm, the critical necessity of mobile-first optimization, and why the "all-in-one" agency model is becoming the only way for small-to-medium businesses to compete in an increasingly expensive market.

The Andromeda Strain: Why Your AI Campaigns Are Failing

The industry is buzzing about Meta’s Andromeda, but as Ivan points out, many brands are treating it like a magic wand rather than a high-powered tool. He debunks the misconception that you can simply "set and forget" these campaigns with basic creative.

  • The Creative Trap: Andromeda requires variation. Running a single white-background product image through an AI-driven campaign is a recipe for a "crash and burn" scenario.

  • The Data Foundation: Without high-quality server-side tracking (like Stape or Blot Out), the algorithm is essentially flying blind. Ivan explains how improving your match rate is the "homework" every brand needs to complete before they try to scale.

The CEO’s Blind Spot: Desktop vs. Mobile

One of the most common—and easily fixable—bottlenecks in e-commerce today is the disconnect between how a CEO views their site and how a customer experiences it.

  • The "Laptop" Perspective: Many executives over 40 exclusively browse their own sites on desktops, while 75% of their paid traffic is arriving via mobile.

  • The Friction Point: Ivan describes horror stories of glitched menus and uncompressed images that kill conversion rates. If you haven't tried to actually purchase a product on your own site via a mobile device lately, you’re likely leaving money on the table.

Looking Ahead to 2028: VR, TikTok, and the "iPhone Moment"

Where is the ship heading? Ivan and Nikki discuss the potential for a technological shift that could rival the invention of the smartphone.

  • The Quest for VR: While current headsets are bulky or overpriced, Ivan predicts an "Apple Moment" where a $1,000 price point for high-performance goggles could move marketing into an entirely new dimension.

  • The Platform War: With TikTok offering superior support and creative inspiration compared to Meta’s "monopolistic" approach, the next two years will be a battle for advertiser loyalty through better AI transparency and manual support.

In this episode, we cover:

  • 00:00 The Origin Story: How a bad experience with "boosted posts" led Ivan to found Digital Rocket Ads.

  • 01:34 The Upwork Grind: Ivan’s journey from European freelancer to managing US-based accounts.

  • 02:37 The Full-Service Shift: Why "just running ads" isn't enough anymore without creative and email support.

  • 03:28 2026 Outlook: Doubling down on internal ads and training the next generation of marketers in Eastern Europe.

  • 04:43 Andromeda Real Talk: Why Meta's new algorithm is a "bulldozer" that can cause damage if you don't know how to use it.

  • 06:04 The Tracking Revolution: Using supplementary data partners like Blot Out to increase pixel match rates.

  • 07:16 Audience Segmentation: Why treating new and returning customers the same way "machine guns" your budget.

  • 09:16 The Mobile Experience Gap: Why CEOs need to stop looking at their websites on laptops.

  • 11:19 The Future of SEO/GEO: How brands are getting found through GPT and AI search models.

  • 13:10 AI Risks: Why Ivan is staying cautious about giving AI models access to "hard drive" level data.

  • 14:41 Support Wars: Why TikTok’s advertiser support is currently beating Meta 10-to-1.

  • 15:59 The Next "iPhone Moment": Will VR goggles become the primary way we shop by 2028?

  • 16:44 The Digital Audit: How Digital Rocket Ads identifies "small inefficiencies" that prevent scaling.

Guest: Ivan Agency: Digital Rocket Ads

Ready to scale your DTC Beauty or Lifestyle brand? For more insights on growing your female-led brand, or to inquire about our Paid Media and creative services, visit pennock.co.

Pennock Team