C Squared Social Expands Media Buying Division 3x Following Meta's Andromeda Update, Launches Advanced Systems-Driven Performance Engine

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- C Squared Social today announced a major expansion of its media buying division, tripling the team of specialists as part of a strategic transformation initiative launched in September 2025. The expansion follows the rollout of Meta's Andromeda update, which represents a significant shift toward AI-driven ad delivery and creative-first optimization.

The initiative—led by Director of Paid Media Jason Appleton—was designed to prepare for this exact shift, rebuilding the agency's media buying capabilities around data, systems, and advanced analytics well ahead of broader market adoption.

"The Andromeda update marks a real shift in performance marketing," said Jason Appleton. "The future belongs to teams that can architect performance, not just manage campaigns. Manual optimization still has a place, but the real leverage now comes from how you structure data, shape signals, connect creative to performance, and build systems that help platforms learn faster and scale more efficiently. That's what we've been building over the past six months."

"This investment is ultimately about delivering stronger, more predictable outcomes for our clients. As platforms become more automated, success depends on how well you integrate data, creative, and strategy into a cohesive system. By expanding our team and building deeper technical capabilities, we're giving our clients a meaningful advantage—enabling them to scale more efficiently, make faster decisions, and achieve their performance goals with greater confidence," said Cassidy Crail, Co-Founder.

Appleton brings over 14 years of international experience leading growth for digital-first businesses through performance marketing, media operations, and strategic scale. Over the course of his career, he has overseen and influenced media programs spanning hundreds of millions in cumulative spend, directed large-scale global initiatives across multiple verticals, and built strong partnerships with platform leaders including Meta, Google, and Microsoft—all while leading teams responsible for driving measurable business outcomes at significant scale.

A Purpose-Built Team for the Algorithmic Era

To support this evolution, C Squared Social has assembled a team that combines senior media buying expertise with advanced analytics and engineering capabilities, including:

Jorge Flores – Senior media strategist with deep experience scaling high-volume campaigns across social, search, and native channels, including mass tort, lead generation, and eCommerce verticals.

Victor Villeda – Performance marketer with 7+ years of experience in paid social, specializing in eCommerce, SaaS, and KPI-driven campaign optimization within agency environments.

Austin Bartley – Full-funnel growth strategist with expertise in acquisition, budget allocation, and cross-channel optimization, driving measurable revenue growth across consumer and franchise brands.

Zachary Alcantara – Data leader specializing in machine learning, marketing mix modeling (MMM), LTV forecasting, and advanced analytics, with a track record of delivering significant year-over-year performance improvements.

Jim Wright – Senior data engineer with extensive experience in software engineering and systems architecture, leading the development of proprietary tools, automation frameworks, and data infrastructure.

These individuals represent a portion of the broader team assembled as part of this expansion, which collectively brings deep experience managing and optimizing large-scale media investments across global brands and performance-driven verticals.

From Media Buying to Systems-Driven Performance Marketing

The expansion represents a fundamental shift in how C Squared Social approaches paid media—moving beyond traditional campaign management toward a fully integrated, systems-driven performance model.

This model includes:

• Centralized data pipelines and real-time reporting infrastructure
• Machine learning models for forecasting, segmentation, and optimization
• Advanced creative testing frameworks designed for rapid iteration
• Automated budget allocation and bidding strategies
• Cross-channel attribution and incrementality analysis

Powering Performance Through Proprietary Intelligence

Central to this transformation is a substantial investment in the agency's proprietary intelligence platform ("Platform")—an advanced marketing intelligence hub designed to power faster decision-making, deeper insights, and more scalable performance.

The Platform integrates AI-driven optimization, competitor intelligence, advanced media buying technology, and creative insights into a unified system that enables continuous improvement across campaigns. The Platform is built to accelerate optimization cycles, improve consistency in performance, and unlock greater scalability without the diminishing returns often seen in traditional media buying approaches.

In addition, the Platform places a strong emphasis on measurement and attribution—providing clients with clear visibility into real, measurable business outcomes through enhanced tracking, modeling, and performance analysis.

As part of its transformation, C Squared Social has developed this Platform not as a reporting layer, but as an operational intelligence engine—sitting between raw data and execution, continuously analyzing signals across accounts, budgets, pacing, and outcomes to guide what actions should be taken next.

By centralizing data and translating complexity into clear direction, the Platform enables teams to:

• Identify risks and opportunities in real time
• Prioritize actions across campaigns and channels
• Improve speed and consistency in execution
• Operate with greater precision at scale

The Platform effectively serves as a central intelligence hub for the agency's media operations—connecting fragmented data sources, surfacing actionable insights, and enabling more informed, data-driven decision-making.

"This is about turning data into direction," said Caleb Crail, Co-Founder. "Most agencies are still reacting to performance after the fact. We're building systems that help us act in real time, with clarity and confidence."

Built Ahead of the Curve

C Squared Social began restructuring its media buying team in September 2025, anticipating the industry-wide shift toward automation and AI-driven optimization that has since accelerated with the rollout of Andromeda.

"With platforms becoming more automated, the competitive advantage is shifting to teams that can interpret data, structure inputs, and build systems around the algorithm," added Caleb Crail. "We made that investment early, and this team is the result."

About C Squared Social

C Squared Social is a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in performance marketing, creative strategy, and data-driven growth. The agency partners with brands to scale efficiently across paid social, search, programmatic, and emerging channels through a combination of strategic insight, creative execution, and advanced analytics.

For more information, visit www.csquaredsocial.com.

Contact:
Danielle Whetstone
858-951-5383
[email protected]

SOURCE C Squared Social