Sunday Rundown #126 is here to bring you three essential updates: Google’s latest research on capturing the other 50 % of your marketing ROI, five critical insights about Performance Max that too many advertisers still miss, and an infographic-driven guide to social listening best practices. Dive in to sharpen your strategies and stay ahead in digital marketing.
How to unlock the hidden 50 % of your marketing ROI in 2025
Ahmet Baş and Michał Protasiuk explain that many advertisers focus only on short-term gains—capturing returns in the first few months—and ignore the long-tail impact of brand building over the subsequent two years. Their report, in partnership with WARC, shows that while short-term media investments return about £1.87 per £1 spent, including sustained effects, lifts that to £4.11. They recommend a “modern measurement framework”—notably Marketing Mix Modelling—to balance upper- and lower-funnel activities, suggesting marketers allocate 50 – 60 % of budgets to branding and 40 – 50 % to performance tactics, then use agile budgeting to capitalise on unexpected demand.
Read more → How to unlock the hidden 50% of your marketing ROI in 2025 Think with Google
TPE #118: 5 things you must know about pMax (that most people still don’t)
Miles McNair highlights five often‐overlooked realities of Performance Max campaigns that can make—or break—your results:
- Negative keyword lists can be added via Google support (use the official Performance Max Campaign Modification Request Form)
- Audience signals are suggestions, not direct targeting—Google will still expand beyond them if it sees conversion potential
- Search themes in pMax can cannibalise your Search campaigns, because identical match types compete equally in auctions
- Branded conversions inflate pMax performance metrics—exclude brand traffic to get an accurate view
- Spend allocation scripts exist to reveal channel-level spend across Search, Shopping, Video, Display, etc.
Read more → TPE #118: 5 things you must know about pMax (that most people still don’t)
How To Use Social Media To Find Out What Content Followers Want [Infographic]
This Salesforce-powered infographic walks you through a social listening framework to discover exactly what your audience craves on social channels:
- Define your goals (brand awareness, lead gen, support) and select the right listening tools
- Monitor mentions and keywords across platforms to spot trending topics and sentiment shifts
- Analyse volume and context, then categorise feedback (product ideas, pain points, competitive intel)
- Engage proactively by responding to questions and sharing content aligned with audience needs
- Iterate your strategy based on insights, refining content pillars and posting cadence
Dive into the visual guide → How To Use Social Media To Find Out What Content Followers Want [Infographic]
Bonus links
- Marketing Strategy Framework: How to Get More Leads & Sales in 2025
- LinkedIn Ads Audit: A Complete Checklist
- Evidence That Google Detects AI-Generated Content
Thank you for taking the time to read our Sunday Rundown #126. If there’s a story you’d like to see here, reply below or contact us. See you in two weeks!