About

Still Hands-on. That's the Whole Point.

BackLeft has been operating since 1997. I’ve been running paid media for 15+ years... through every major platform shift, every algorithm change, and every moment when the strategy that was working quietly stopped working.

15+ Years running paid media campaigns
1997 Year BackLeft was founded
4 Platforms: Meta, Google, AppLovin, Pinterest
Mark Peesel

I'm Mark Peesel. I co-founded Summit Communication Design in Denver in 1997, which is where BackLeft came from. For the better part of 30 years I've been doing internet marketing: first websites and custom database applications, then search advertising, then social, and now almost entirely paid media across Meta, Google, AppLovin, and Pinterest.

I've worked with brands like Izze, Polar Bottle, Rudi's Organic Bakery, The Colorado Trust, Outward Bound, Gates Family Foundation, Hotel Jerome, and the University of Colorado, among hundreds of others. Different industries, different business models, but the same question: is the money you're spending actually working?

I keep a small number of clients on purpose. I'm on every account: strategy, decisions, performance reviews, and your calls. There's no team I hand you off to after you sign.

Outside of BackLeft, I've been a member of the Alpine Rescue Team in Evergreen, Colorado for 20+ years.

On the Arkansas River
The name

Why BackLeft?

BackLeft comes from my time as a commercial river guide on the Arkansas River. I spent years teaching high schoolers to raft and kayak, training guides, and running guided trips for the public down many stretches of the Arkansas.

When you're guiding a paddle raft, there are five commands that control the boat: All Forward, All Back, Back Left, Back Right, and Drift. They move the boat forward, backward, turn it, or let it run with the current.

I wanted a name that connected the work I do now to the river community I've been part of for a long time. All Forward, All Back, and Drift didn't fit. It came down to which domain flowed better (pun intended). BackLeft was it.

We still find time to get on the river as much as possible.

“The number one thing that keeps me working with them is that I know that I can always get a response that's personable, knowledgeable and accurate. I love the fact that I can call up Mark and get some answers.”

Founder, women's online education brand

How I think

The principles behind the work

Blended MER over platform ROAS

Platform-reported ROAS is what the ad platform says it drove. Blended MER (total revenue divided by total ad spend) is what your business actually made. Every platform has an incentive to take as much credit as possible. I start with the P&L.

Margin before volume

Scaling spend on a weak foundation just makes the problem worse. Before pushing harder, I want to make sure the underlying numbers actually work. Most brands that plateau have a margin problem, not a traffic problem.

Timing aggression intelligently

Knowing when to push and when to hold matters as much as how much you spend. Seasonal patterns, creative fatigue, and market timing all determine whether additional spend creates real returns or just inflates costs.

Strategy above platform metrics

Platforms are tools. They have their own optimization goals that don't always align with yours. My job is to keep the strategy anchored to your actual business: margin, cash flow, and positioning. Not the other way around.

If this sounds like what you've been looking for, let's find out if it's a fit.

Every engagement starts with a conversation. No pitch, no pressure. An honest look at your setup and whether we're the right match.

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