Welcome to the Wild West, where the metrics are made up, the KPIs don’t matter, and everyone’s got their own interpretation of success. If that sounds like a circus with no ringmaster, that’s because it often is. Enter Elizabeth Johnson, the CEO of Path Performance, and the woman who’s not just setting the tent on fire—she’s controlling the flames, making sure nobody burns their eyebrows off while insisting that, yes, we can figure this marketing mess out.
Johnson doesn’t come in with your typical PR fluff or the usual Silicon Valley chest-puffery. No, she’s the kind of person who walks into a room full of “seasoned pros” who still don’t get TikTok, slams her metaphorical fist on the table, and says, “We’re rewriting the rules. Now, who’s got the guts to follow?”
When she joined me on The ADOTAT Show, we didn’t just sip the marketing Kool-Aid—we added a shot of something stronger and started grilling. You want to know what it’s like to lead an industry stuck in neutral for the last 20 years? Ask Elizabeth, because she’s been the one pushing the boulder uphill while everyone else wonders why gravity is so hard.
Forget your vanilla marketing exec. Johnson is the kind of leader who drops truth bombs like confetti. You want to keep up? Then buckle up. Here’s why Elizabeth Johnson is the real disruptor digital shopper marketing didn’t know it desperately needed.
The KPIs Everyone Loves But Don’t Understand
Let’s get one thing straight: Elizabeth Johnson doesn’t have time for your precious metrics if they don’t actually move the needle. And by needle, I mean sales—not just your inflated egos in the boardroom.
Take ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), the industry’s favorite useless acronym. It’s the metric everyone loves to trot out at meetings, but Johnson isn’t buying the hype. “ROAS gets thrown around like it’s the golden ticket, but half the time it’s not the best measure of success,” she says, with a casual shrug that says she’s probably had to correct this misconception too many times to count.
What matters more? Incrementality. Yeah, it’s a ten-dollar word that sounds like it was ripped from a Hogwarts textbook, but in layman’s terms, it’s the metric that tells you if your marketing actually did anything at all. Think of it as the difference between spending a million bucks on ads that work versus just burning cash for the sake of saying you spent it. It’s the opposite of vanity metrics, which are basically participation trophies for marketers who aren’t paying attention.
Johnson sums it up perfectly: “It’s about understanding what happens when you don’t advertise. If nothing changes when you run your campaign, guess what? You just wasted a lot of money. Incrementality is the key to figuring out if your ad dollars are actually moving the needle.”
And no, it’s not as simple as checking a box and declaring victory. “Our team spends a lot of time making sure everyone in the room understands what it actually means and how to use it. It’s not just for show—this stuff matters.”
Data Standardization: Herding Cats in the Digital Desert
You ever try to herd cats? How about convincing a room full of egos that they all need to speak the same language? Welcome to Elizabeth’s daily grind. Data standardization, folks—it’s about as glamorous as cleaning out the office fridge after a three-day weekend, but it’s absolutely necessary if this industry is going to survive.
Right now, we’re in the Wild West of data—everyone’s making up their own metrics and declaring them gospel (not that she uses that word). It’s chaos, and chaos doesn’t breed success. “We need to speak the same language,” Johnson asserts with the calm confidence of someone who’s seen the same mistakes happen over and over again and is just about done with the excuses.
Her mission? Bring the cowboys of ad tech into the 21st century. Make them use metrics that actually matter. Standardize the playing field. “The advertisers are the ones who lose when we can’t agree on metrics,” she says. “It confuses the marketplace, and it makes everyone look bad.”
Elizabeth isn’t one for patience when it comes to excuses. “You can’t run a campaign and then wonder why your results look different from everyone else’s when you’re using a completely different set of metrics. It’s like trying to measure your height in apples when everyone else is using inches.”
But getting everyone to play by the same rules? That’s another story. “It’s like playing diplomat in a hostage negotiation,” Johnson quips, “or trying to get a bunch of kids to share their snacks.” She’s building trust, one awkward boardroom conversation at a time.
Awards and Shiny Doorstops
Speaking of accolades, let’s get one thing straight: Elizabeth Johnson isn’t one to rest on her laurels—or her trophies. When I asked her about the awards that matter, she didn’t mince words. Sure, she’s picked up a few shiny ones along the way—“Women of Excellence” being one of her favorites—but she’s not the type to let it go to her head.
“I don’t discount any of the awards,” she says, ever the diplomat. “Most of them are industry-given, and I understand the strict criteria behind them.” Translation? If she’s won it, it means something, but she’s not exactly throwing a parade for herself either.
And yet, for all the industry accolades, you won’t find Elizabeth patting herself on the back. Her approach to recognition is refreshingly honest. “I did an internal victory dance, but it’s not about me. It’s about my team. I rarely use the word ‘I.’” This isn’t false humility, folks. It’s genuine leadership.
The Myth of “Faking It Until You Make It”
Let’s be clear: Elizabeth Johnson does not do “fake it until you make it.” Well, not in the way most people think. “Look, it can instill confidence,” she admits, “but it has its limits.” Instead, she’s more of a “act as if” person. As in, act as if you already belong in the room. Act as if you’re the CEO of a revenue-driving company. But don’t get cocky about it.
“Using it as a crutch is where people go wrong,” Johnson explains. “Confidence is key, but if you’re just faking everything all the time, people will catch on. It’s about finding that balance between projecting confidence and actually doing the work.”
In other words, don’t fake it unless you’re ready to back it up with actual results. Otherwise, you’re just another marketer with a PowerPoint and a prayer.
The Real Glamour of CEO Life: Juggling Chainsaws While Smiling
Now, let’s talk about the real, behind-the-scenes life of a CEO, shall we? Spoiler alert: It’s not all high-powered boardroom deals and glamorous launches. There’s plenty of “putting out fires” that don’t make the highlight reel. “Sure, you get the strategic vision moments,” Elizabeth says, “but a lot of it is making sure the wheels don’t fall off the bus.”
In a typical day, she’s bouncing between high-stakes conversations about acquisitions and product launches to the not-so-glamorous reality of project timelines, personnel issues, and—yes—printer jams. It’s like juggling chainsaws while keeping a smile on your face and pretending it’s all part of the show. And somehow, she makes it look easy.
But for all the chaos, Elizabeth thrives on the balance between the big picture and the nitty-gritty. “You’ve got to be nimble,” she says. “Your day might be planned out, but guess what? Something’s going to change. Regulations shift, competitors pivot, and you’ve got to be ready to react.”
The AI Apocalypse or Golden Age?
So, what does Elizabeth see in her crystal ball? A golden age of marketing innovation or a Mad Max-style race to the bottom? She’s betting on the former—if the industry can get its act together. “AI is the next big wave,” she says. “It’s going to separate the winners from the losers, the ones who embrace it and the ones who are still clutching their Rolodexes.”
And while everyone else is busy slapping “AI-powered” labels on their websites to sound cutting-edge, Johnson is asking the real question: What’s the actual impact? “You can’t just say you’ve got AI. You’ve got to show how it’s working at scale,” she insists. “This isn’t about riding a trend. It’s about transforming how we think about marketing.”
What’s Next: CEO, Mentor, and… Future Beach Bum?
If you’re wondering whether Elizabeth ever thinks about chucking it all and becoming a beach bum somewhere, the answer is yes. “Every once in a while, the thought crosses my mind,” she laughs. But for now, she’s all in on the future of Path Performance. “I’m passionate about what we’re building here. That’s what keeps me going.”
As for her superpower of choice? She’d love to control time. “It’s the one thing nobody has enough of,” she muses. And if anyone could figure out how to bend time to their will, it’s probably Elizabeth Johnson.
For now, though, she’s sticking to what she does best—rewriting the rules of an industry stuck in its ways, one data point at a time. And trust me, it’s going to be a hell of a ride.
