The world’s biggest AI newsletter reaches techies inside Sigma OS’s AI browser.
Campaign Overview
Advertiser: The Rundown AI (the #1 AI newsletter globally, millions of subscribers)
Placement: Sigma OS (AI browser, YC-backed startup)
Campaign Period: July
Markets Targeted: Global tech & AI enthusiasts
CPC Cap: $1.25
TL;DR
The Rundown AI used Thrads’ self-serve platform to launch Conversational Native Ads inside Sigma OS in under 5 minutes during July’s peak AI news cycle. Despite industry CPC spikes, Thrads delivered an 8% lower average CPC vs. the $1.25 target, achieving a 5.5% CTR (2.8× higher than the 2% open-web benchmark) and a 20% sign-up conversion rate. The campaign generated thousands of high-intent clicks and hundreds of new subscribers from tens of thousands of impressions.
1 Context & Objectives
The Rundown AI is the world’s leading AI newsletter, delivering top AI news and analysis to millions. In July 2025—amid major AI announcements—they aimed to acquire new subscribers by advertising directly in Sigma OS, a fast-growing AI browser used by tech-savvy audiences.
Objectives:
Keep avg. CPC ≤ $1.25 despite market surges
Achieve CTR ≥ 4% (vs. 2% open-web benchmark)
Drive sign-up conversion ≥ 20%
Capture high-quality audiences during peak AI interest
2. Audience & Targeting
Sweet Spot: AI-curious professionals and enthusiasts in Sigma OS.
Sigma OS users often ask in-browser AI prompts like “What are today’s top AI breakthroughs?” or “Summarize OpenAI’s latest release.” Thrads surfaces The Rundown AI ad at these high-intent moments, with no manual publisher selection—fully programmatic.
Demographics: 20–45 year-olds, global English speakers
Behavior: In-browser AI news and summary requests
Geography: Worldwide tech hubs (auto-matched via Thrads)
3. Solution & Execution A. Campaign Setup (Under 5 Minutes)
Logged into Thrads’ dashboard.
Set CPC cap ($1.25).
Defined global tech-enthusiast audience.
Enabled real-time ad creative generation contextual to each Sigma OS query.
No manual placements—Thrads programmatically matched and served ads.
B. Contextual Triggering
Trigger Logic: Ads activated on AI-news-related queries (e.g., “latest AI model releases”).
Dynamic Creative: Thrads built each ad dynamically, pulling The Rundown AI’s branding and tailoring copy to the user’s context (e.g., “Stay ahead of AI—tap to subscribe to The Rundown AI newsletter”).
C. User Flow
In-Chat Ad Card appears seamlessly within the AI response.
Single Tap opens The Rundown AI sign-up modal.
One-Click Subscription: Email pre-filled for instant sign-up.
C. User Flow
In-Chat Ad Card appears as part of the AI response.
Single Tap opens The Rundown AI sign-up modal.
Subscription completes in one click—email pre-filled.
4 Results
Metric | Thrad in Sigma OS | Baseline (Open-Web) | Delta |
Impressions | 47,400 | — | — |
CTR | 5.5 % | 2 % | ×2.8 |
Clicks | 2,609 | — | — |
Avg. CPC | $1.15 | $1.25 | –8 % |
Sign-Up Conversion | 20 % | — | — |
Sign-Ups | 522 | — | — |
Note: Even as industry CPCs rose ~20 % in July, Thrad held at $1.15—demonstrating cost-efficiency under extreme demand.
5 Why It Worked
Peak-moment relevance – ads serve exactly when users request AI-news summaries, maximizing click propensity.
Real-time creative – in-chat cards reflect user queries for seamless, non-intrusive integration.
Programmatic self-serve – zero dev lift; The Rundown AI launched in minutes and scaled instantly.
One-tap UX – immediate subscription flow keeps friction to a minimum, driving high conversion.
