On July 13th 2026, Carlos spoke on a panel moderated by Danielle Lauzon (Fintel Connect) with Amanda Share (Pagaya), and John Hanley (Idaho First Bank). Big ideas Carlos discusses:1. The dangers of blindly optimizing for CPA in affiliate channels based on executive mandate2. Why marketing at a lending company is one of the hardest jobs out there3. A time he saw a huge spike in lead volume that was toxic for the business4. Why direct mail is systematically undervalued5. The (brand marketing) lesson that took him over 2 decades to learn *****Fintel Connect's Danielle Lauzon hosts a panel unpacking findings from a Cornerstone Advisors survey of 126 senior bank and credit union marketing execs — most of whom struggle to connect marketing spend to measurable outcomes, yet keep funding the channels that merely look best in reporting. Joining the conversation: Danielle Lauzon (Fintel Connect) — moderator; works on growth and strategy for the affiliate marketing platform built for financial services.Amanda Share — VP of Affiliates at Pagaya, which expands access to credit by pairing AI underwriting with performance marketing.John Hanley — EVP & CMO of Idaho First Bank and its digital brand Peak Bank, with 20 years in financial services marketing.Carlos Caro — founder of New Market Growth and publisher of The Free Toaster Newsletter, former Credit Karma executive and Capital One analyst. Topics covered: why CPA and cost-per-lead mislead budget decisions, the shared-leads horror story that turned a channel toxic, why lending dashboards need credit dimensions, direct mail's chronic undervaluation, and the case for fintechs investing in brand marketing.  ****** Come meet Carlos & Nick in San Francisco!The Affiliate Marketing Summit For Lenders & PublishersSponsored by Experian, Engine by Gen, and Prism DataSan Francisco - September 23rd & 24thThe Exploratorium150-person, curated roomEarly bird tickets ($999) end August 1Learn more: events.thefreetoaster.com ***** Sign Up For Our Newsletter The Free Toaster Newsletter ships every Wednesday at www.thefreetoaster.com, curating the biggest stories at the intersection of consumer lending, marketing, and technology.******Please Support Our Sponsors Fintel Connect Drive thousands of new accounts and billions in deposits with the only partner marketing solution built for fintech and banking – your all-in-one affiliate platform, partner network, agency, and marketing compliance engine.https://partner.fintelconnect.com/get-to-know-fintel-connect?utm_campaign=13897733-2025%20Partners&utm_source=The%20Free%20Toaster&utm_medium=podcast Spinwheel: Reduce friction in your lending application with just two fields—phone number and birthdate. Spinwheel’s APIs boost application rates by 20-30% while also providing real-time credit data and seamless payment processing. Want to see it in action? Connect with their Head of Growth for a demo!https://spinwheel.io/partner/?utm_source=freetoaster&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=july Bulldog Media Group:Bulldog Media Group is a leading performance marketing company that specializes in online customer acquisition for clients in the financial services industry. Since 2000, they have focused on financial services digital marketing as their core niche. https://www.bulldogmediagroup.com/  New Market Growth (Carlos’ agency)NMG focuses on building affiliate marketing programs for consumer lenders.www.newmarketgrowth.com