Technical abilities

• Campaign strategy and planning [9/10]: Gaurav demonstrates exceptional strategic maturity in his campaign planning approach. His systematic use of customer data to inform every decision - from geo-targeting to budget allocation - shows he truly understands performance-driven strategy. The proportional budget splits (48% to US based on 5,000 customers, identifying Switzerland's 45 ROAS despite smaller volume) reveal sharp analytical thinking. His phased approach is particularly sophisticated - building audiences through lead generation before converting them maximises efficiency and avoids burning budget on cold traffic. The three-tier audience structure with proper exclusion hierarchies prevents waste and ensures each campaign targets genuinely new prospects.

• Channel expertise [9/10]: Gaurav's Meta platform mastery is outstanding, as seen with how he handled the iOS 14 crisis - where he immediately implemented CAPI, Aggregated Events Management, and pixel prioritisation - showing he can navigate serious technical complications under pressure rather than just knowing the platform superficially. His direct Meta rep relationships for early platform updates give him genuine competitive advantage that most practitioners don't have, which means he's often ahead of changes rather than scrambling to react. His nuanced understanding of CBO versus ABO trade-offs reveals sophisticated thinking about auction mechanics where he doesn't dogmatically prefer one approach but genuinely understands when each is optimal based on campaign objectives. The layering of behavioural targeting onto interest segments to filter for high-net-worth individuals demonstrates advanced sophistication beyond basic targeting, and his campaign nomenclature system shows deep thinking about structuring accounts for maximum analytical clarity.

• Data analysis and optimisation [9/10]: Gaurav's analytical approach is comprehensive and methodical, with his practice of cross-referencing Meta with Google Analytics using UTM parameters demonstrating proper multi-source validation rather than blind trust in single platforms. The creative testing methodology he's developed - testing 10-12 variants to identify patterns, then running formal A/B tests on winners to build a documented library - shows systematic optimisation beyond random experimentation whilst creating genuine institutional knowledge. His ability to explain attribution discrepancies between first-click and last-click models to clients without getting defensive reveals mature analytical communication, which is rare.

• Conversion rate optimisation [9/10]: Gaurav demonstrates strong understanding of optimisation mechanics across the full funnel, with his clear grasp of CBO versus ABO strategies showing he understands how different structures fundamentally influence learning efficiency and conversion outcomes. His point about CBO allowing the algorithm to find converting audiences during learning phases whilst ABO forces spend regardless of performance really captures the core trade-off between approaches. The way he structures exclusions by removing retargeting audiences from prospecting campaigns shows systematic thinking about conversion efficiency rather than letting campaigns compete against each other, and his behavioural layering approach with frequent international travellers specifically optimises for conversion likelihood by filtering for prospects with demonstrated purchase intent and financial capacity.

• Reporting and communication [9/10]: We found his reporting capabilities to be exceptionally thorough, which becomes evident through his detailed nomenclature system that enables granular analysis by platform, audience, age, gender, and placement without relying on native breakdowns that don't always capture what you actually need. His ability to explain complex attribution discrepancies without creating confusion shows mature communication skills combined with technical fluency, and the way he collaborates with technical teams by translating marketing terminology into language developers understand demonstrates true cross-functional ability.

Areas of growth