A/B: direct offer beat the network's smartlink by 41% EPC on targeted traffic.

A/B: direct offer beat the network's smartlink by 41% EPC on targeted traffic.
Cohort: one traffic source (push), one network, 30-day split. Smartlink = network's auto-optimizer routing clicks to 'best' offer.

— Smartlink arm: EPC $0.22 ▏▏▏ (n=88,000 clicks)
— Hand-picked direct offer arm: EPC $0.31 ▏▏▏▏▏ (n=86,000)

Smartlink optimized for network-wide averages; the manual pick matched this specific push audience's vertical. On untargeted/cold traffic the result reversed — smartlink led by 28%.

Read: smartlinks win on unknown traffic, lose on traffic you already understand — a 41% gap that flips with audience knowledge (n=174k clicks, 2 arms).