--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition…" description: "\"At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition through our five-dollar-a-day AdWords campaign was less than twenty-five cents. Our revenue from those same c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png" --- # At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition through our… ![“At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition through our five-dollar-a-day AdWords campaign was less than twenty-five cents. Our revenue from those same customers was more than a dollar.” quote by Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png) > “At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition through our five-dollar-a-day AdWords campaign was less than twenty-five cents. Our revenue from those same customers was more than a dollar.” [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A low‑cost ad campaign can acquire customers profitably when revenue per customer exceeds acquisition cost. **In simple terms:** Cheap ads can be profitable. Key Takeaway Focus on high‑margin acquisition channels. Themes marketing economics customer acquisition Mood analytical optimistic Type business financial When to use this quote - startup budgeting - online advertising - customer lifecycle management Key Concepts ROI unit economics growth hacking Questions to Reflect On - How can you lower ad spend while maintaining growth? - What metrics reveal true profitability? A Different Perspective If acquisition cost rises, profit margins shrink. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) [Adwords Campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adwords-campaign-3845830/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Cents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cents/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Cost Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost-customer-1203976/) [Customer Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer-acquisition-1203974/) [Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) [Customers Dollar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers-dollar-3845831/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Imvu Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imvu-cost-3845829/) [Revenue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenue/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Twenty five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenty-five/) ## Related quotes > [But most automotive dealerships are set up for customer acquisition - which is crazy when you consider the average cost of customer acquisition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hughes/but-most-automotive-dealerships-are-set-up-for-customer-acquisition/) [Arthur Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hughes/) > [Demonstrate to your customer the difference between price and cost. The price is what it takes to purchase the item. The cost is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/demonstrate-to-your-customer-the-difference-between-price-and-cost/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [In 2000, when my partner Ben Horowitz was CEO of the first cloud computing company, Loudcloud, the cost of a customer running a basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/in-2000-when-my-partner-ben-horowitz-was-ceo-of-the-first-cloud/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [“Customer lifetime value and customer acquisition cost drive your growth, and you’ll run experiments to try to capture more loyal users for less, tweaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/customer-lifetime-value-and-customer-acquisition-cost-drive-your/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Lifetime value and customer acquisition cost are two of the key numbers you need to know to measure marketing effectiveness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-dib/lifetime-value-and-customer-acquisition-cost-are-two-of-the-key/) [Allan Dib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-dib/) > [“and monetizing their customers. These insights yield unique customer acquisition strategies that highlight this new approach to thinking about growth.  ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-ellis/and-monetizing-their-customers-these-insights-yield-unique-customer/) [Sean Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-ellis/) > [“IT is the business’s competitive differentiator to customer acquisition and retention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-is-the-business-s-competitive-differentiator-to-customer/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“My target customer will be? (Tip: how would you describe your primary target customer) The problem my customer wants to solve is? (Tip: what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giff-constable/my-target-customer-will-be-tip-how-would-you-describe-your-primary/) [Giff Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giff-constable/) > [I can see how he (Sandy Koufax) won twenty-five games. What I don't understand is how he lost five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/i-can-see-how-he-sandy-koufax-won-twenty-five-games-what-i-don-t/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [I can't help but react to the painful realities of the two-tiered society we live in, where the signs of poverty and inequity are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-yarrow/i-can-t-help-but-react-to-the-painful-realities-of-the-two-tiered/) [Peter Yarrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-yarrow/) > [On a royal birthday every house must fly a flag, or the owner would be dragged to a police station and be fined twenty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/on-a-royal-birthday-every-house-must-fly-a-flag-or-the-owner-would-be/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [I think, is wonderful about growing older, is appreciation for the miracle of existence, of life. I thank God every day. I also do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/i-think-is-wonderful-about-growing-older-is-appreciation-for-the/) [Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/) > [People are still crazy about Python after twenty-five years, which I find hard to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/people-are-still-crazy-about-python-after-twenty-five-years-which-i/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) ## More by Eric Ries > [The lesson of the MVP is that any additional work beyond what was required to start learning is waste, no matter how important it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-lesson-of-the-mvp-is-that-any-additional-work-beyond-what-was/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [HubSpot has used the lean startup method to build a spectacularly successful company. What I particularly love about HubSpot is that they are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/hubspot-has-used-the-lean-startup-method-to-build-a-spectacularly/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [By the time that product is ready to be distributed widely, it will already have established customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/by-the-time-that-product-is-ready-to-be-distributed-widely-it-will/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [It was 1999, and we were building a way for college kids to create online profiles for the purpose of sharing... with employers. Oops.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/it-was-1999-and-we-were-building-a-way-for-college-kids-to-create/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Except in very narrow cases, where there's breakthrough science that needs patent production, worrying about competitors is a waste of time. If you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/except-in-very-narrow-cases-where-there-s-breakthrough-science-that/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“waiting too long to release can lead to the ultimate waste: making something that nobody wants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/waiting-too-long-to-release-can-lead-to-the-ultimate-waste-making/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [There's nothing wrong with raising venture capital. Many lean startups are ambitious and are able to deploy large amounts of capital. What differentiates them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-raising-venture-capital-many-lean-startups/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“In the Lean Startup model, every product, every feature, every marketing campaign—everything a startup does—is understood to be an experiment designed to achieve validated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/in-the-lean-startup-model-every-product-every-feature-every-marketing/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Learning is the essential unit of progress for startups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/learning-is-the-essential-unit-of-progress-for-startups/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“...a long-term reputation is only at risk when companies engage in vocal launch activities such as PR and building hype. When a product fails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/a-long-term-reputation-is-only-at-risk-when-companies-engage-in-vocal/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-minimum-viable-product-is-that-version-of-a-new-product-which/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Every startup has a chance to change the world, by bringing not just a new product, but an entirely new institution into existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/every-startup-has-a-chance-to-change-the-world-by-bringing-not-just-a/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Entrepreneurs can't forecast accurately, because they are trying something fundamentally new. So they will often be laughably behind plan - and on the brink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/entrepreneurs-can-t-forecast-accurately-because-they-are-trying/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Meritocracy is a good thing. Whenever possibly, people should be judged based on their work and results, not superficial qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/meritocracy-is-a-good-thing-whenever-possibly-people-should-be-judged/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The lean startup method is not about cost, it is about speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-lean-startup-method-is-not-about-cost-it-is-about-speed/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) [Explore all 138 Eric Ries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) ## More Acquisition quotes > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [ No one suffers so much as he \[the genius\] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius-with-the-people-and-therefore/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personal-happiness-lies-in-knowing-that-life-is-not-a-checklist-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. The only possible way, then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-may-affirm-that-the-balance-of-power-in-a-society-accompanies-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Learning to play the guitar is a combination of mental and motor skill acquisition. And to develop motor skill, repetition is essential... Whenever musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-roberts/learning-to-play-the-guitar-is-a-combination-of-mental-and-motor/) [Howard Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-roberts/) > [All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milarepa/all-worldly-pursuits-have-but-one-unavoidable-and-inevitable-end/) [Milarepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milarepa/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Accounting consequences do not influence our operating or capital-allocation decisions. When acquisition costs are similar, we much prefer to purchase $2 of earnings that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/accounting-consequences-do-not-influence-our-operating-or-capital/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [A sustainable economy represents nothing less than a higher social order one as concerned with future generations as with our own, and more focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/a-sustainable-economy-represents-nothing-less-than-a-higher-social/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [One industrial age belief is that GDP or GNP is a measure of progress. I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [I ended up doing four or five plays in college and being an English major with my thesis in language acquisition, which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-ended-up-doing-four-or-five-plays-in-college-and-being-an-english/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [But most automotive dealerships are set up for customer acquisition - which is crazy when you consider the average cost of customer acquisition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hughes/but-most-automotive-dealerships-are-set-up-for-customer-acquisition/) [Arthur Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hughes/) > [As priestcraft was always the enemy of knowledge, because priestcraft supports itself by keeping people in delusion and ignorance, it was consistent with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/as-priestcraft-was-always-the-enemy-of-knowledge-because-priestcraft/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Even as the unborn babe is in the womb of his mother, these five are fixed as his life destiny: his life span, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-as-the-unborn-babe-is-in-the-womb-of-his-mother-these-five-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her "beauty" his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/what-becomes-of-a-man-who-acquires-a-beautiful-woman-with-her-beauty/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) [Browse all 395 Acquisition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition through our five-dollar-a-day AdWords campaign was less than twenty-five cents. Our revenue from those same customers was more than a dollar.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Ries" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition-through-our-five-dollar-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acquisition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition-through-our-five-dollar-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/eric-ries-2911_acquisition_at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition_437788.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At IMVU, the cost of customer acquisition through our five-dollar-a-day AdWords campaign was less than…” — Eric Ries", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric Ries", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At IMVU, the cost of customer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition-through-our-five-dollar-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/at-imvu-the-cost-of-customer-acquisition-through-our-five-dollar-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```