5 Ways Email Marketing Enhances the Customer Journey for Beauty Shoppers

In the world of beauty, it’s not just about the products—it’s about the experience. From the moment a shopper discovers your brand to the day they reorder their favorite serum, every touchpoint matters. Email marketing is your chance to educate and surprise your customers—whether you’re dropping skincare tips, sending restock reminders, or just saying “happy birthday.” For beauty brands, email isn’t just a marketing channel—it’s part of the glow-up.

So how does email marketing build on the overall customer experience with your brand? Read on for a few tips!

PERSONALIZED PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

From skin type to shade matching, email lets beauty brands deliver suggestions based on quiz responses, past purchases and more —making shopping feel curated, and truly personal.

POST-PURCHASE EDUCATION AND CARE

Automated flows that include skincare tips, how-to videos, ingredient education, or seasonal routines will keep customers engaged.

REPLENISHMENT AND REORDER REMINDERS

Email reminders based on when a product will run out helps bring customers back right when they need to restock, making their lives easier and boosting retention. This is also a great place to suggest a “subscribe and save” option if that’s something your brand is able to offer.

BUILDING LOYALTY BEYOND THE PRODUCT

Birthday discounts, VIP perks, or early access to new products sent to email subscribers show appreciation and bring value to your customers.

EDUCATION DRIVEN STORYTELLING

Education-Driven Storytelling: Email marketing is a brand’s opportunity to sell your USP (unique selling proposition) like cruelty-free formulas, sustainable packaging, or expert-backed formulations—building brand loyalty over time.

The brands winning in today's competitive beauty landscape aren't just selling products—they're building relationships, one thoughtfully crafted email at a time.

If you have email marketing needs, drop us a line! We’d love to chat all things email with you!

Beyond Inspiration: How Pinterest Can Be a Revenue Driver for Fashion Brands

Pinterest advertising delivers impressive ROI for premium fashion brands targeting style-conscious consumers—but many brands still view it as purely an inspirational platform rather than a conversion driver.

The Pinterest Advertising Opportunity Backed by Industry Data

Fashion brands often wonder where to invest their advertising dollars for the best return. Recent analysis of Pinterest campaigns for premium fashion brands reveals the platform can deliver significant revenue impact beyond brand awareness. This performance aligns with broader industry findings. Measured's latest 12-month data from more than 70 incrementality tests shows Pinterest consistently outperforming other view-based social platforms in incremental ROAS. And yet, Pinterest is still often thought of as a secondary social platform. 

When executed strategically, Pinterest campaigns have generated substantial conversion volumes and revenue attribution that rival traditional advertising channels. The data suggests many fashion brands are missing a significant opportunity by under-allocating Pinterest in their media mix.

Success on Pinterest is built around two core strategies that leverage the platform's unique targeting capabilities: keyword-targeted prospecting campaigns and engagement-based retargeting campaigns.

Why Pinterest Works for Fashion: The High-Intent Advantage

Pinterest offers something unique in the social landscape that particularly benefits fashion brands. As industry measurement experts note, Pinterest creates a high-intent environment where users actively search for inspiration tied to life events, seasonal moments, and specific product categories—meaning ads are often welcomed, not skipped.

In addition, Pinterest attracts a distinctly spending-focused audience compared to other social media platforms. Over half of Pinterest users (55%) are willing to make purchases of $50 or more, and they're twice as likely as TikTok users to spend $150 or more on a single purchase. This contrasts sharply with TikTok, where lower-priced products tend to perform better.

Fashion brands achieve stronger performance when they align Pinterest campaigns with natural shopping cycles and provide customized creative for keyword targeting. Spring, summer, and holiday campaigns that capture users during active wardrobe planning periods typically see the strongest results, taking advantage of Pinterest's longer consideration cycles where content has a longer shelf life than ephemeral content on other platforms.

Retargeting for Proven Performance

Retargeting campaigns consistently emerge as conversion champions, reaching website visitors and engaged users with targeted messaging. In our experience, these campaigns tend to maintain steady month-over-month performance, with strong conversion rates and revenue attribution that validate Pinterest's place in the marketing mix.

This performance becomes even more significant when viewed through proper measurement frameworks. While Pinterest's strength in influencing consideration and purchase over slightly longer time horizons is often undervalued in last-click attribution models, incrementality testing reveals the platform's true business impact.

Prospecting Through Strategic Keyword Targeting

Fashion and seasonal keywords provide powerful opportunities to reach new audiences actively searching for style inspiration. Using a structured approach with multiple keyword groupings paired with specialized creative for each segment has proven effective across client campaigns.

Premium Keyword Investment Strategy

When certain keyword groupings dominate spend early in campaigns, implementing a tiered approach allows for better budget distribution and optimization. This structure has helped brands achieve significant month-over-month spend increases while maintaining or improving efficiency, often seeing revenue gains of 30% or more from keyword targeting optimization.

These performance gains validate industry observations about Pinterest's measurement advantages. The platform's improved ad tech stack helps advertisers better target and measure performance, revealing incremental growth that might otherwise remain hidden.

Attribution Success Across Multiple Models

Platform-Attributed Performance

Pinterest's native attribution tracking shows strong results across client campaigns, with conversion volumes that demonstrate the platform's ability to track user journeys from initial engagement through final purchase.

Last-Click Attribution Validates Impact

Google Analytics data consistently confirms Pinterest's impact through last-click attribution, typically showing:

• Strong user acquisition through Pinterest paid social

• High-quality sessions with impressive engagement metrics

• Engaged session rates often exceeding 30%

• Meaningful revenue attribution through last-click measurement

The combination of platform and last-click attribution provides confidence in Pinterest's true impact on customer acquisition. This dual attribution success addresses a critical industry challenge: platforms like Pinterest often don't shine in click-based metrics, but prove their value when you measure what actually moves the business through proper incrementality testing.

Creative Performance Highlights

Video Content Excellence

Pinterest's video capabilities prove especially valuable for showcasing fashion products:

• Video view times consistently exceed platform averages

• Total video views can reach impressive volumes across campaign portfolios

• Longer video engagement correlates with higher-value keyword audiences

User Engagement Quality

Analytics data reveals impressive user behavior patterns:

• Above-average engagement time per session indicates users actively browse and consider products

• High event-per-session rates demonstrate meaningful interaction with site content

These engagement patterns reflect Pinterest's unique proposition: users approach the platform in a discovery mindset, actively seeking style solutions and inspiration. This emotional state creates ideal conditions for fashion brands to showcase products, build desire, and drive purchases.

Strategic Takeaways for Fashion Brands

Pinterest Users Shop with Intent

Strong conversion rates across campaign types reveal that Pinterest users approach the platform with purchase intent. They arrive ready to discover and buy, making Pinterest a valuable addition to a fashion brand's advertising mix. This shopping behavior explains why Pinterest consistently ranks at the top among view-based social platforms in industry performance benchmarks.

Attribution Modeling Matters

By tracking both platform-attributed and last-click conversions, brands gain a complete picture of Pinterest's impact. Platform attribution captures the full customer journey, while last-click attribution validates final conversion moments. Monitoring both metrics helps brands understand Pinterest's role in the conversion path.

This measurement approach is crucial because Pinterest's performance might be hidden from view if you're relying solely on last-click, pixel-based attribution to make budget decisions. With proper incrementality testing and unified measurement frameworks, the signal becomes clear: Pinterest delivers strong, measurable incremental ROAS.

The Opportunity Cost of Under-Investment

Despite proven performance, Pinterest remains under-allocated in many media plans. Fashion brands often fall into common perception traps: viewing Pinterest as niche, lacking the headline-grabbing appeal of other platforms, or undervaluing its longer-term influence in favor of immediate click-based metrics.

This misalignment represents a significant opportunity cost. Industry data suggests advertisers stand to benefit meaningfully from increasing their budget allocation to Pinterest, especially when paired with strategic campaign management.

The Pinterest Advantage for Fashion

Pinterest's evolution into a conversion-focused platform creates unique opportunities for brands targeting style-conscious consumers. The platform's combination of visual inspiration and shopping intent provides an environment where fashion brands naturally excel.

The dual attribution success we consistently observe—strong performance in both Pinterest's native tracking and Google Analytics measurement—provides confidence that Pinterest delivers measurable business impact beyond vanity metrics. When combined with industry-wide incrementality testing that shows Pinterest outperforming other view-based social platforms, the case for increased investment becomes compelling.

Getting Started with Pinterest Advertising

Ready to explore how Pinterest advertising can drive revenue for your fashion brand? The key is approaching Pinterest with the same strategic rigor as other major platforms, using proper measurement frameworks to capture its full business impact.

Next Steps:

• Connect with your account team to discuss Pinterest advertising strategy for your fashion brand

• Schedule a consultation to explore Pinterest campaign opportunities

• Implement incrementality testing to measure Pinterest's true impact on your business

• Discover how we help brands maximize Pinterest advertising performance

If Pinterest isn't at least in the mix for your fashion brand, and treated with strategic importance backed by proper measurement, you may be leaving incremental growth on the table.

Source Links/Citations:

Campaign insights based on Revel Interactive's analysis of Pinterest advertising performance across multiple fashion brand clients. Results may vary based on brand, audience, and execution.

• Measured – Incrementality Testing Analysis
• Highspot Viewer

This blog was edited with the help of Claude AI.

Why Advertisers Should Be Running Brand Lift Studies on Meta (If They Qualify)

In today’s performance-driven paid social advertising landscape, it is easy to focus solely on familiar metrics like CTR, CPM, ROAS, and CPA. They’re immediate, accessible, and easy to report. However, if you are only measuring Meta ad performance based on what is instantaneously accessible, you’re overlooking a critical part of the picture - are your ads driving incremental brand impact? 

That is where Meta’s Brand Lift Study comes in. 

Meta Brand Lift studies are an extremely powerful way to understand how your Meta ads are influencing consumer perception of your brand beyond the immediately trackable data more commonly associated with performance marketing. 

What is a Meta Brand Lift Study? 

A Brand Lift study is a controlled experiment offered through the Meta Business platform that measures the incremental impact of your ads on brand perception categories including:

• Standard Ad Recall

• “Do you recall seeing an ad for [Page name] online or on a mobile device in the last 2 days?”

• Standard Brand Awareness

• “Have you heard of [Page name]?”

• Familiarity 

• “How familiar are you with [Page name]?”

• Favorability

• “How would you describe your overall opinion of [Page name]?”

• Recommendation 

• “Will you recommend [Page name] to a friend?”

Here is how it works: Meta splits your eligible audience into two randomized groups - those who see your ads (the test group) and those who don’t (the holdout group). Both groups are later served a short in-feed multiple choice survey with questions specific to your brand and their ads. 

More on the available Meta Brand Lift Study questions. 

The test will then calculate the difference in performance between each group by survey question, which represents the incremental brand lift of your ads by category (favorability, recall, awareness, etc)

Step by step instructions on how to properly create a Meta Brand Lift test here 

Unfortunately, there are minimum spend requirements that must be met in order to qualify for a meta brand lift study, which vary by targeted country. Find Meta Brand Lift Study requirements here

Why should your brand participate? 

Measuring brand awareness impact on Meta can be difficult in general. While we easily have access to metrics like CPM & Reach, it is difficult to understand whether or not our ads are really impacting perception of the brand. 

Upper funnel campaigns often face budget scrutiny for that very reason - because their impact is not as tangibly measurable as say a sales, lead generation, or traffic campaign. 

A brand lift study can help validate dollars spent on top of funnel initiatives, or help prove that non-ToFu initiatives are having an impact on brand perception in addition to driving clicks, ROAS, etc. 

The results are real survey answers from your target audience, essentially giving you a way to ask what they think about your brand with minimal effort on your part.

Additionally, the results of these studies can clue you into the impact of your ad creative on your audience across the key brand metrics. If the study shows minimal lift, it is a clear signal. It may be time to switch up your messaging, refresh your visuals, or reframe your narrative to improve consumer perception. 

If you're running ads on Meta, a Brand Lift Study isn't just a nice tool to have access to, it's a strategic experiment to validate impact, justify spend, and refine your approach. If you qualify, run one. You’ll walk away with real insights directly from your audience, insight into creative impact, and a more compelling reporting story that goes beyond the easily accessible, familiar metrics.  

Photo: © Negative Space from Pexels

Is AI Going to Kill SEO? The Truth for 2025 and Beyond

With the explosive growth of generative AI, many marketers are wondering: Is AI going to kill SEO? It’s a valid question. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are reshaping how people search and find information online. But rather than declaring SEO dead, it’s time to understand how it’s evolving, and how to adapt your strategy to stay ahead.

The Shift from Search Engines to Answer Engines

Traditional search engines like Google were built to organize the world’s information and deliver links to websites. But today’s AI-first platforms are focused on delivering answers, not just results. That’s a fundamental change in how people engage with content.

Instead of clicking on blue links, users are increasingly interacting with AI tools that summarize, synthesize, and cite. The days of optimizing solely for 10 blue links on a SERP are gone. In their place, we’re entering the era of conversational search and synthesized results.

Will AI Replace Search Altogether?

Not quite. According to Google' s John Mueller:

“Google's John Mueller said AI is not replacing search, but he also acknowledged that AI is changing many things and will require adjustments” (1)

AI is becoming the interface for search, not a full replacement. While AI models can generate answers, they still rely on up-to-date, high-quality content from the open web. That means your content still matters—maybe more than ever.

However, the metrics are shifting. Click-through-rates from traditional SERPs may decline as users get their answers directly from AI. But that doesn’t mean SEO is obsolete. It means the way we measure SEO success is changing. Visibility, citations, and brand presence within AI-generated results are the new frontier.

What’s Really “Killing” SEO

If anything is hurting SEO, it’s not AI, it’s outdated strategies. Keyword stuffing, low-quality content, and deprecated technical optimizations are no longer effective. AI rewards clarity, depth, and usefulness.

Consider an example from Mr Jonathan Jones at the recent Google Search Central Live NYC 2025 of outdated SEO strategies being put to rest:

• “Google doesn't have a notion of "toxic back links" internally.

• It's not something you need to use the disavow tool for.

• For the most part "we try to ignore those links".

• "Only use the disavow tool when you get a manual links penalty IF you are buying links. It's not something” (2)

Pruning deprecated SEO strategies frees up your in-house or SEO agencies’ team to focus on the ranking factors that really matter. Modern SEO must align with how people actually search and how AI interprets that intent.

That means creating content that goes beyond keywords and delivers real value. Your content should help AI tools understand your expertise and pull you into their answers.

How to Future-Proof Your SEO Strategy

Here’s what to focus on moving forward:

BUILD TOPICAL AUTHORITY

AI tools are more likely to cite sites that demonstrate subject matter expertise. Create content clusters around your key topics. Link them together. Build trust with both users and machines.

OPTIMIZE AI VISIBILITY

Treat AI tools like new search engines. Just as you optimize for Google’s crawler, think about how AI models evaluate and cite sources. Structured content, clean markup, and well-labeled sections improve your chances of being referenced.

PUBLISH FRESH, FACTUAL CONTENT

Long Language Models (LLMs) still struggle with real-time accuracy. Regularly updated, trustworthy content gives you a competitive edge. If you’re a source of truth in your space, AI engines will turn to you.

DOUBLE DOWN ON BRANDED SEARCH

As AI condenses the search journey, brand recognition becomes even more important. People may skip browsing and go straight to the source they trust. You want to be that source.

INVEST IN ORIGINALITY

AI-generated content is everywhere—but so is AI detection. Original insights, first-party data, interviews, and unique POVs set you apart from the generic noise.

SEO Isn’t Dying. It’s Evolving

SEO has never been static. From keyword matching to mobile-first indexing, to Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (or E-E-A-T ) and now AI-powered results, it’s always been about adapting. The brands that win in this new landscape will be the ones who understand that search is becoming semantic, conversational, and contextual.

AI won’t kill SEO (at least not quite yet), but it will kill lazy SEO.

The opportunity today is to build better content, improved strategies, and a future-proof presence across both traditional search and AI-powered platforms.

Resources

• Google Affirms AI Is Not Replacing Search

• My Takeaways From Google Search Central Live NYC 2025

Photo: © Unsplash

Performance Max Unlocked: Channel Reporting Finally Arrives!

Just when we thought Google couldn't possibly roll out any more "game-changing" updates this year (we're looking at you, Google Merchant Center Next), they've dropped another bombshell – and this time, it's one advertisers have actually been begging for! Google has finally announced channel-level reporting for Performance Max campaigns, along with some other reporting goodies that'll make your PMax data much more transparent without having to write additional scripts and Frankenstein reporting. Let's dive into what's changing and how these updates can supercharge your campaign strategy!

Channel Performance Reporting: The Black Box Opens Up!

What a relief! After years of advertisers feeling like they were shooting in the dark with Performance Max campaigns, Google is introducing new channel-level reporting – a top-requested feature that helps you understand how your Performance Max campaign is delivering results across Google's full range of channels and inventory (Google).

The new "Channel performance" page will show you:

• A campaign-level performance summary with visual data breakdowns

• Detailed insights into which channels are engaging your customers

• Format-level breakdowns across channels (especially for video and product feeds)

• A downloadable channel distribution table with clicks, conversions, cost, and more

This is massive for all of us who've been frustrated by PMax's lack of transparency! Now we can actually see where our budget is going and which channels are driving real results. Imagine being able to discover that YouTube is crushing it for your client, then doubling down on video assets to capitalize on that success. Game. Changer.

Search Terms Reporting: Keywords Return!

If you've missed the granular search data from standard Search campaigns, you'll love this update. Full search terms reporting is rolling out now, which means you'll get the same granularity of Search reporting you do for Search and Standard Shopping campaigns, right in Performance Max (Google).

This creates some fantastic optimization opportunities:

• Create new text assets targeting your highest-performing search terms

• Apply campaign-level negative keywords for irrelevant searches

• Use brand exclusions when needed (just watch your performance!)

From there, navigate to the “Custom” tab at the top of the pop-up window, and click “Create custom metric”. Easy enough, right?

Now that we know what custom metrics are and where to find them, let’s talk about some custom metrics you can build on your own and utilize in your reporting.

Asset Reporting Gets Richer

The asset-level reporting is also getting a serious upgrade. Google is adding impressions, clicks and cost metrics, so you can see a wider range of performance data for your assets (Google).

Even better? This expanded reporting is coming to Search and Display campaigns too, not just Performance Max!

With these new metrics, you'll be able to understand which asset types and themes are most effective, helping you prioritize what creative to build next. Better data means better Ad Strength scores, which means better overall campaign performance!

Diagnostics: Troubleshooting Made Simple

Another exciting feature is the new diagnostics tool that surfaces potential issues on specific channels so you know where to prioritize your efforts (Google).

For instance, you might discover that you're:

• Not showing on Maps because you're missing store locations

• Limited on Search because your landing pages need optimization

• Underperforming on YouTube due to insufficient video assets

These insights make troubleshooting so much easier and give you clear direction on how to improve your campaigns.

Why This Matters (And How To Use It)

Google's Performance Max platform has grown, but many marketers have been skeptical about the "black box" approach. These transparency upgrades address those concerns while still maintaining the AI-powered benefits of PMax.

While these new reports give you much more visibility, remember that Performance Max focuses on your main conversion goals, constantly looking across all channels to find the most valuable conversions that maximize your total campaign return in real time (Google). Don't get too caught up in optimizing individual channels if your overall campaign is crushing it!

The open beta for channel performance reporting will start in just a few weeks, with more details coming at Google Marketing Live on May 21. Stay tuned for the rollout, and as always, if you have questions about implementing these new features, reach out to your Revel team – we're already gearing up to make the most of these powerful new insights!

Resources

• Channel performance and more reporting coming to Performance Max

Photo: © Unsplash

Revel Interactive Ranks on Denver Business Journal’s 2025 Best Places to Work

We’re proud to announce that Revel Interactive has been recognized on the Denver Business Journal’s 2025 Best Places to Work list. This honor celebrates our continued commitment to fostering a workplace where employees feel supported, empowered, and valued.

A Recognition Rooted in Employee Feedback

The Best Places to Work Awards are determined based on confidential employee surveys conducted by Quantum Workplace. These surveys evaluate key areas such as:

• Team dynamics

• Leadership transparency

• Communication practices

• Workplace culture

• Overall employee satisfaction

Only companies that receive the highest scores across these categories earn a spot on the list.

Our Commitment to Culture

At Revel Interactive, we believe culture is more than a buzzword, it’s the foundation for sustainable growth and long-term success. We’ve built a team that thrives on collaboration, integrity, and a shared commitment to excellence. From our onboarding experience to professional development opportunities and internal communication practices, every aspect of our workplace is designed with people in mind.

A Thank You to Our Team

This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the voices of our employees. We’re grateful to our team for the trust they place in us and the energy they bring to our work every day.

Thank you for making Revel Interactive a truly exceptional place to grow, create, and lead.

5 Meta Custom Metrics That Can Make Your Data Work For You

As a performance-driven agency, Revel is always looking for fresh insights to bring to our clients. When reviewing performance on a weekly basis, it can be easy to get sucked into the pattern of reporting on the same KPIs in Meta. While these key metrics deliver important information to us about the paid media side of the business, we can uncover so much more data about our ads utilizing Meta’s custom metrics feature. In this article, we’ll discuss what custom metrics are, where to find them, and provide some inspiration for custom metrics you can build yourself.

What Are Custom Metrics?

Launched in late 2019, Meta’s custom metric feature allows users to create custom formulas to calculate new metrics utilizing the data Meta already has available. Custom metrics can be great for calculating things like: conversion rate, average order value, and cost per acquisition.

Where Can I Find Custom Metrics?

Custom metrics are just a few clicks away when we’re in Ads Manager. To create a custom metric, first navigate to the “Customize columns” button under the “Columns” dropdown in Meta Ads Manager.

From there, navigate to the “Custom” tab at the top of the pop-up window, and click “Create custom metric”. Easy enough, right?

Now that we know what custom metrics are and where to find them, let’s talk about some custom metrics you can build on your own and utilize in your reporting.

5 Meta Ads Custom Metrics

Conversion Rate

While not included in Meta’s standard reporting columns, CVR provides us with essential information about our ads. It can help answer questions like:

• Does our ad offer a compelling enough value proposition?

• Does our landing page effectively deliver on what our ad promises?

• Are users having to click through too many pages on the site to find what they’re looking for after they see our ad?

For these reasons, CVR is a staple metric to include in your reporting.

Average Order Value

AOV tells us, on average, how much our customers are spending per purchase. This metric is pretty straight forward, but can provide lots of context when discussing revenue fluctuations with a client.

Hook Rate

Used for video ads, Hook Rate is a great tool to discover if user attention is effectively being captured within the first 3 seconds of your ad. Also referred to as “thumb-stop rate”, this metric helps us determine if our ads are compelling enough to stop a user’s doomscrolling.

Cart Drop-Off Rate

Cart Drop-Off Rate can help us uncover issues with our ads. Did the client make a change to their site without informing your team? Is there an issue on site we’re not aware of, such as requiring a minimum purchase value to checkout, or showing an out of stock item as available? A spike in this rate can help answer these questions.

Revenue Per Link Click

We frequently look at CPCs with clients, but have you ever discussed revenue per link click with a client? This metric adds color to our traffic: is our traffic profitable? Are there times of day where lots of traffic is being generated, but they’re converting less than average? This metric provides another tool when you’re reviewing traffic quality and revenue fluctuations.

Summary

Custom metrics have a variety of applications within Meta Ads Manager, and can equip you with the tools you need to add color to all your reporting. Once you start using custom metrics to your advantage, you unlock a world of useful data that wouldn’t be available to you otherwise. At Revel, we use custom metrics to bring unique insights to our clients. Let us start helping you learn the most from your data!

Photo: © Unsplash

Set-up and Utilization of Maximize Value Campaigns on Meta

Social campaigns have long been viewed as upper funnel and mid funnel tactics, but with new campaign objectives like maximize conversion value we are better able to optimize toward the end purchase than ever before.

Advertisers can now mirror tried and true tactics on search like target ROAS bidding using the max conversion value optimization event in an Advantage+ shopping or traditional sales campaign. Leveraging a tROAS on social campaigns allows us to combine the powerful catalog capabilities and visual nature of social ads with more accuracy than ever before.

When using the max conversion value campaign there are several things to consider in set-up in order to ensure the best return. When using a tROAS the campaign will curb spending unless it is confident that the tROAS can be hit.

ATTRIBUTION SETTING

While 7 day click 1 day view attribution remains best practice, when setting up a max value campaign it is important to consider if a different attribution window makes sense for optimization. For example, if you combine the max value objective with a retargeting audience, you may be looking for more immediate conversions than a prospecting campaign and therefore a 1 day click attribution setting may make sense. Regardless of the attribution setting selected you need to be aware of what that setting dictates when setting your target ROAS goal.

TARGETING

Max value works best with both broad targeting and broad creative, but can also be deployed to ensure a specific return on a particular audience segment. To use the retarget example from above, we may be looking to convert on retargeting audiences only at a known return. Oftentimes retargeting audiences have touchpoints in other channels like search or email that may convert them and therefore we want to limit the duplicative spend against these audiences unless we can guarantee a specific ROAS is met. Considering the targeting when setting your ROAS goal is key to ensuring success with this campaign type.

Creative & Product Assortment

The third major consideration when setting up a Max value campaign is around product assortment and creative. Max value campaigns really thrive when using catalog ad formats like collection and carousel ads.

When it comes to the product set you select, think about keeping it as broad as possible. After several rounds of testing, we found that layering in promotional creative into a max value campaign hurt the campaign’s ability to spend at the tROAS goal. Essentially, we were confusing the algorithm by asking it to find higher AOV purchasers but then feeding in discounted products in the creative. Additionally, even full price product ads did significantly better when the entire catalog was included vs. a subset of the catalog. You still want to include several ad variations, but leaning into all catalog ads will help this campaign type optimize best.

Other Considerations

Several other considerations for determining if max value makes sense for your brand. Max value is best deployed not only with a range of products and price points as mentioned above, but specifically for brands where AOV can be a challenge. Brands who struggle to find adequate conversion volume to exit the learning phase likely are not a fit for a Max Value campaign. Secondly, given the volatility of daily spend it is not recommended that you rely only on max value campaigns within your social strategy. Finally, these campaigns take a full two weeks to ramp up and start to hit that tROAS goal consistently.

Interested in learning more about max value campaigns? Reach out to our team to discuss if this tactic might be the right fit for your program.

Photo: © Unsplash

Elevating Meta Dynamic Product Ads: The Power of Supplementary Feeds

The Challenge: Making Dynamic Ads Align with Brand Standards & Aesthetics 

Meta dynamic product ads have long since proven themselves to be an effective digital marketing tool, but their default appearance is justifiably not every brand’s cup of tea. Dynamic product ads come with certain limitations that can make it challenging to tailor ads to specific brand standards. While Meta product feed customization services like Socioh exist, they aren't attainable to all businesses. Enter a practical and accessible solution: supplementary feeds.

Supplementary feeds are a powerful tool that enable brands to control the product images that appear in Meta dynamic ads instead of relying on the images automatically pulled from the product feed. If the default product images don’t meet expectations, supplementary feeds provide the flexibility to enhance and optimize visuals for a more brand-aligned ad appearance.

A Real-World Solution: Solving the Mis-matched Image Ratio Dilemma

Our client faced a specific challenge:

• Meta DPAs require a 1x1 product image ratio, but both their Shopify and GoDataFeed product feeds exclusively feature 2x3 product images, the preferred ratio for their website images.

• As a result, their default product images in DPAs were automatically resized, adding unwanted white borders to the top and bottom of the images—going against their brand’s visual aesthetics.

• They wanted to maintain their website’s product image aesthetics while ensuring a clean, brand-aligned appearance in their Meta catalog-based ads. 

TLDR: They needed 1x1 product images to pull in exclusively to Meta without existing anywhere in the feeds that power their other channels. 

The Meta Supplementary Feed Approach

The solution was straightforward:

1. Client created 1x1 ratio product images specifically for Meta ads

2. Client placed links to these images in a Google Sheet*

3. We added a column with corresponding product IDs (the ID that Meta reads and associates with the products in the feed)

4. We uploaded the new feed**

1. How to add a supplementary feed to your catalog in Commerce Manager 

Beyond Image Ratio: Creative Possibilities

Supplementary feeds open up numerous creative opportunities that will exclusively apply to the Meta feed:

• Overlay brand logo on product images

• Add text callouts (e.g., "Best Seller” or “New Arrivals”)

• Show different product angles or on-model images (as opposed to the default, oftentimes plain catalog shots)

• Feature custom backgrounds

• Visually callout discounts or active promotions 

• Feature seasonal or holiday-themed elements 

• Create custom backgrounds

Conclusion

Supplementary feeds offer a powerful, flexible way to take control of your Meta dynamic product ads. By thinking creatively and leveraging this tool, brands can create more compelling, on-brand advertising experiences that capture customer attention and drive conversions.

*To ensure proper upload, image links must link directly to the image file. Links that direct to a webpage or require a download will result in upload failure.

**Additionally, we needed to configure our data sources to prioritize images from the supplementary feed over other feed sources.

To do this in Commerce Manager:

1. Go to Data Sources

2. Select Configure Data Sources

3. Navigate to Image

4. Choose your Supplementary Feed

5. Click Save

This ensures that Meta pulls the preferred images from the supplementary feed for dynamic ads.

Photo: © cottonbro studio from Pexels

2025 Demand Generation Campaign Landscape: Supplement & Expand Your Ecommerce Strategy Across Google Ads

As the Google Ads landscape keeps evolving, ecommerce marketers are continuing to look for ways to optimize their advertising strategies, reaching potential customers at every stage of the marketing funnel. While campaigns like Search & Performance Max still continue to play crucial, bottom-of-the-funnel roles, Demand Generation campaigns have emerged as a powerful tool for engaging higher-funnel audiences. But how do Demand Generation campaigns fit into the broader Google Ads ecosystem, and what does the future hold for this advertising tactic in 2025? 

What Are Demand Generation Campaigns? 

Demand Generation campaigns leverage display tactics to engage users across Google’s most popularly owned products, including Gmail, the Discovery Feed, YouTube, and the Google Display Network (GDN). This campaign type allows advertisers to reach large audiences with visually engaging ads that grab attention, making it a key strategy for building awareness and expanding your brand’s reach. 

Demand Generation campaigns are not typically geared towards immediate conversions but are instead designed to create awareness and interest. As of 2024, these campaigns can also include video ad placements, allowing for even greater creative flexibility. The combination of eye-catching imagery and video formats, paired with the most expansive audience targeting options of any Google Ads campaign type, makes this an ideal solution for engaging users who may be unfamiliar with your brand. 

A hallmark of Demand Generation campaigns is the use of “Similar to” audiences, a feature that was largely disabled across other Google Ads products in late 2023 and early 2024. This allows advertisers to target users who exhibit behaviors similar to their existing customer base, creating a fertile ground for new customers and incremental purchases. 

The Evolution of Demand Generation Campaigns in 2025

As digital advertising becomes more visually oriented, Google has invested heavily in evolving Demand Generation campaigns to meet the needs of a more dynamic market. In 2025, several updates and features are set to revolutionize how these campaigns are executed, including new controls for audience targeting and a more seamless online shopping experience.

• Increased Control Over Where Your Ads Serve: Unlike other visual-forward campaign types like Performance Max or standard YouTube campaigns, which do not allow advertisers to control where their ads are shown, DG campaigns are expected to introduce Channel Controls in March of 2025. This feature will enable advertisers to choose which Google properties to serve their ads on, including specifying where ads will appear on YouTube. For instance, if your target audience is particularly active on YouTube Shorts, you’ll be able to serve ads on this placement & later retarget those users via Gmail or other Google properties, creating a more cohesive customer journey to purchase. 

• Seamless Shopping Integration: In February 2025, product feeds began rolling out for DG campaigns, a feature that presents significant opportunities for e-commerce advertisers. With product feeds, users can swipe up to view product options directly from the ad, allowing them to purchase without ever leaving the platform. This “instant purchase” option is especially useful for products that are visually appealing or seizing offers that make a consumer’s decision to purchase more urgent. 

Additionally, advertisers promoting in-store offerings will soon be able to integrate local product availability feeds, encouraging foot traffic by showing real-time inventory at physical store locations. This feature is currently in beta but is expected to become a standard part of the DG toolkit in coming months. 

• Goodbye Video Action Campaigns: as part of the broader trend towards consolidating Google Ads offerings, the Video Action campaign type will be phased out in 2025. Starting in April, advertisers will no longer be able to create new Video Action campaigns, with existing ones being disabled by July. However, Google is offering an “upgrade” path for these campaigns, transitioning them into Demand Generation campaigns. This change further underscores the increasing importance of DG as a key pillar in Google’s plans for their advertising platform. 

What Does This Mean for Your Marketing Strategy? 

As Demand Generation campaigns become an increasingly vital part of the Google Ads marketing funnel, they offer tremendous potential for businesses seeking to connect with new audiences in a meaningful way. While traditionally seen as a tool for creating awareness, the visual nature of these campaigns-especially with the addition of video & shopping features-means that they can also be conversion-focused, driving sales in new & innovative ways. 

For brands targeting younger generations, the ability to leverage YouTube Shots for highly engaging short-form video content will be crucial. Gen Z, in particular, spends significant time on platforms like YouTube & TikTok, often turning to them as sources of product discovery. DG campaigns, with their focus on video & visually rich content, are perfectly suited to this trend. 

The introduction of product feeds also makes Demand Generation campaigns even more valuable for an e-commerce business. As users are exposed to ads featuring products they can quickly purchase, this creates a seamless & intuitive shopping experience, making them more likely to convert & become customers. 

To Conclude:

In 2025, Demand Generation campaigns are poised to become an indispensable tool for digital marketers looking to grow their brand & expand their audiences. With the ability to leverage visual content, expansive audience targeting, & seamless shopping integrations, these campaigns will offer both awareness & conversion opportunities. As Google continues to refine & expand this campaign type, it’s clear that DG will play a central role in shaping the future of Google Ad’s place in the digital media plan. 

By understanding the strengths and new features of DG campaigns, advertisers can position themselves to meet the evolving expectations & needs of today’s consumers, all while driving better results for their marketing dollar.

Source:

• This blog was produced with drafting support from ChatGPT
• New Demand Gen Features for 2025 - Google Ads Blog

Photo: © grinvalds from Getty Images Pro