#141: Last Media Dollar Game v2.0 [BETA]
Thanks to our amazing Quo Vadis community, there have been nearly 400 games played on Last Media Dollar and 30,000 individual 1-to-1 media channel matches since launching beta v1.0 as an experiment in September 2025. Thanks to user feedback, we are going from a “generic” simple experimental game to beta v2.0.
Last Media Dollar is a simple behavioral economics game that pits 22 competing media channels against one another in head-to-head matchups to reveal “hidden” preferences when compared to where actual media money flows.
Last Media Dollar “Live” is the most unique event in Ad Land
It’s based on the online game you’re reading about right now. The event is coming to NYC on February 25 at the Roxy Cinema in Tribeca. This is not a panel. It’s a live, on-stage decision-making with Chad Stoller, VP of Media at PMG, and Joe Zawadzki, partner at Aperiam Ventures. Two more speakers will be announced soon! Secure your ticket now to be in the room where the thinking happens.
Actual Media Money Flows
In September 2025, we published our bottom-up research and estimates across 22 media channels, where nearly $1 trillion in media spend flows globally. Roughly 76% goes to eighteen digital channels, the remainder goes to four traditional channels.
Beta v.20 Game Updates
Simplified landing page: We condensed the landing page to get you into gameplay faster. Users get a quick sense of what the game is, why they should try it, and how to play.
Game Use Cases: The most important finding in our MVP is that playing Last Media Dollar requires context and a defined role. For example, are you playing a game as a brand advertiser or a performance advertiser? Are you spending media dollars as CPG, auto, finance, travel, or other verticals? Just like a real-world media plan, it’s obvious that both matter.
So, on the home page, players can now choose to play one of our 18 “House Cases” across eight different verticals. For example, you might step into the role of a CPG brand like Kraft Mac & Cheese, a luxury automaker like Genesis, or an insurance leader like Progressive. Each case is available as either a Brand or Performance case.
Building Your Own Case and Becoming a “Game Master”: Let’s say you don’t find a suitable House Case. No problem. Now you can use our GenAI helper tool to build your own case. All you have to do is answer a few prompts, and voila, you’ll get your own use case presented in the same clean “McKinsey” style as the house cases. Now you’ve become the “Game Master” of your very own use case(s).
Private Game Cases: As a game master, you can distribute your URL game link to a private group of players. For instance, let’s say you work at an agency and you just landed a new account. You have the client brief and will use it to create your LMD game case. Maybe you end up making it better than it was when you first read it. You send your game URL link to as many colleagues as you want. They play the game, and you get incredible insights that you cannot get today. It’s like asking for a new color to be invented and getting it.
Private Game Cases: Another new feature for game masters is the ability to turn a private use case into a public use case by adding it to the Case Library. For instance, perhaps you are an ad tech founder or investor. You want to know where the last marginal dollar is moving to better understand where durable demand exists. Or maybe you are a publisher revenue leader, and you want to know how buyers truly value your inventory relative to substitutes in order to reposition your offering, pricing, or go-to-market strategy. Now you have an easy way to move, knowing what you know to knowing what you don’t know, but need to, and as fast as possible.
Get Advice on Channel Matches: Stuck on a tough decision? During any match, tap the "Get AI Advice" button to receive instant, context-aware guidance from our media decision coach. The advice takes into account your specific case details, brand objectives, and the unique strengths of each channel in the current matchup. Whether you're weighing the reach of broadcast TV against the precision of digital targeting, or debating between influencer marketing and traditional print, the AI provides balanced insights to help inform your decision—without making the choice for you. It's like having a media planning expert in your pocket.
Take AI Notes for Future Reference: Capture your thinking as you play! Use the notes feature to record your rationale for each channel choice. Type your thoughts or tap the microphone to speak them. Your notes are automatically saved with each match and compiled into a complete transcript on your results page. This creates a valuable record of your decision-making process that you can reference later, share with colleagues, or use to explain your media preferences to stakeholders. It's perfect for turning a quick game session into documented strategic insights.
Last Media Dollar “Live” is based on the online game you’re reading about right now. The event is coming to NYC on February 25 at the Roxy Cinema in Tribeca. This is not a panel. It’s a live, on-stage decision-making with Chad Stoller, VP of Media at PMG, and Joe Zawadzki, partner at Aperiam Ventures. Two more speakers will be announced soon! Secure your ticket now to be in the room where the thinking happens.
Disclaimer: This post, and any other post from Quo Vadis, should not be considered investment advice. This content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe this information, or any other material from Quo Vadis, as investment, financial, or any other form of advice.