Latest news with #PerformanceMax
Campaign ME
4 days ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
MENA industry reacts after Amazon abruptly exits Google Shopping Ads
Between July 21 and July 23, 2025, Amazon withdrew from virtually all Google Shopping auctions in major global markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The dramatic move was first brought into sharp public focus by Mohammed Sajjad, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Azadea Group, who wrote, 'Amazon didn't reduce bids. Didn't trial a new format. They vanished from approximately 60 per cent of Google Shopping auctions. Overnight. Global. Coordinated.' This development follows a 50 per cent reduction in Amazon's Google Shopping ad spend in the United States in May 2025, suggesting that the July move was the culmination of a carefully orchestrated strategy rather than an impulsive decision. Market backdrop and competitive signals Amazon's withdrawal comes just as holiday shopping ramps up, with 71 per cent of consumers expected to begin before Thanksgiving, up 18 per cent year-over-year. The timing could significantly reshape traffic flows during the industry's most critical quarter, compelling competitors to adapt their campaigns earlier and more aggressively. This move also follows key shifts in Google's advertising ecosystem. In late 2024, Google removed Performance Max's priority over Standard Shopping campaigns, diminishing the dominance of automated ad placements. Simultaneously, Google Lens began serving shopping ads within its 20 billion monthly visual searches, and Perplexity AI entered the market with a one-click, AI-powered shopping assistant. In this context, Amazon's move is widely viewed as a deliberate shift away from paying for visibility on Google, and toward controlling the entire product discovery journey themselves. As Sajjad puts it, 'Amazon didn't tweak a line item — they redrew the map.' Industry leaders weigh in The advertising and e-commerce world responded with a wave of analysis and speculation. Executives and digital leaders interpreted the withdrawal as a calculated signal of Amazon's evolving position in the digital advertising ecosystem. Faheem Ahmad, Head of Growth at Chalhoub Group, framed the move as a data-driven optimisation play with broader implications for ad strategy, saying, 'They presumably spent $50m per year on shopping ads, given a 600 million inventory size. That's $230 per product per day, which is huge. Amazon may only continue advertising its private-label inventory, which represents just 2 per cent of its SKUs.' Asim Shaikh, eCommerce and Digital Leader at iHerb, framed the withdrawal as a structural shift rather than a tactical change. 'I believe this isn't about bid strategy, it's a pure platform power shift. Amazon recently blocked Google's 'Project Mariner' crawler. If Google's AI models train on your content, and you're paying them for traffic? That's a bad deal not only for Amazon but for most established retailers,' Shaikh said. Shaikh added that Amazon likely wants to be 'the first step in search, not the last click'. Strategic tension with Google Faisal Dean, CEO of Assembly's MENA region, contextualised Amazon's withdrawal as part of a broader trend in their relationship with Google. 'This is not the first time Amazon has pulled back spend. However, this seems to be the most drastic to date,' he noted. Dean also pointed to the growing contradiction in Amazon's continued funding of a competitor that is building directly competitive capabilities. 'The strategic contradiction of funding your competitor has become more apparent as Google's AI-powered contextual answers and zero-click queries could put Amazon at risk of over-reliance,' he said. Dean added that while the decision likely includes considerations around MMM (marketing mix modeling), LTV-driven incrementality testing, and seasonality-driven investments, there may also be a forward-looking element at play. He said, 'This could potentially be a future-facing strategy to stop part-funding, both with advertising dollars and data, Google's feature rollouts announced earlier this year, which aim to improve the personalised shopping experience and close the loop within Google itself i.e., stepping onto Amazon's turf, as well as free up millions in advertising spend to re-invest into their own growing retail media offering'. A data-driven power move According to current third-party estimates, Amazon Prime has approximately 220 to 260 million paying members globally, with around 180 million in the United States alone. This accounts for nearly 75–80 per cent of all US households. For many Prime subscribers, the purchase journey starts and ends on Amazon, making Google and other search platforms increasingly irrelevant. As Rasha Hamzeh, Managing Director at the Inhouse Agency, put it, 'Owning discovery, ditching dependency, not a test but a territory grab. Or maybe Amazon's betting that customers no longer need to be acquired. Not fighting for clicks but optimising for loyalty.' Darine Sabbagh, GM of E-commerce at Chalhoub Group, added, 'At their scale, there's enough critical mass in the zMOT journey to just 'Amazon it,' rather than 'Google it' first. Staying on Google may have simply been a way to crowd others out.' Chris Bishop, Ecommerce Director at SQUATWOLF, framed the withdrawal as a defining industry moment, saying, 'The king is dead, long live the king. Amazon stepping back from Google Shopping isn't just a gap in the auction – it may be a once-in-a-cycle shift in category dynamics.' Bishop adds, 'While Amazon tests how far it can pull back from funding Google's coffers without losing its grip on the customer, especially in territories where it has long commanded a disproportionate share of wallet, this could be an Ehrenberg-Bass moment: double down on penetration, win light buyers, and build mental availability while the giant is, perhaps arrogantly, asleep at the wheel.' What's next? With CPCs down 20–40 per cent, competitors are already capturing market share in Amazon's absence. Whether Amazon's self-sufficiency gamble pays off, or simply creates space for rivals to reclaim paid search real estate, remains to be seen. Bilal Adham, Group Vice President of Digital at DP World, sees this as a familiar pattern. Adham said, 'We've seen similar tactics from Shein, Temu, and Alibaba — flooding Google listing ads early on, then pulling back once they'd built a pool of users.' But in Amazon's case, the implications may run deeper. He added, 'If you take a step back, are Amazon telling us they've reached the holy grail of ecommerce? Scale acquisition, then shift to trust, experience, and habit. With app installs, repeat sessions, logged-in users, and CRM, it reduces the need for paid discovery altogether, playing on loyalty and advocacy.' Adham ended with a sharp reflection, saying, 'Back in 2014, Eric Schmidt called Amazon 'Google's biggest search competitor.' For Amazon, that moment may have quietly arrived.' For now, one thing is clear: Amazon has signaled it no longer intends to play by Google's rules. Whether others follow may define the next era of digital commerce. Authored by Nasser Oudjidane, Co-founder and CEO at
Time Business News
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Leveraging Google Ads Performance Max Campaigns for Better Conversions
In the ever-evolving landscape of online advertising, marketers are constantly seeking innovative ways to drive better results. One of the most transformative tools in Google's advertising arsenal is the Google Ads Performance Max campaign. Launched to offer advertisers a goal-based campaign type that allows performance optimization across all Google inventory, Performance Max is changing how businesses approach digital advertising strategies. This article dives deep into how you can leverage Google Ads Performance Max campaigns to boost your conversion rates, maximize ROI, and gain deeper insights into consumer behavior. Whether you're an in-house marketing team or part of a digital agency, understanding the inner workings of Performance Max can give you a crucial edge in today's competitive market. Traditional Google Ads campaigns, such as Search, Display, and YouTube, each require separate setup, targeting, and creative assets. In contrast, Performance Max consolidates all of Google's ad channels into a single campaign. This means your ads can appear across Search, Display Network, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Discover, all while using a single campaign setup. The real power lies in machine learning—Performance Max uses Google's AI to optimize bids, placements, and creative combinations in real time, based on your conversion goals. Unlike previous campaign types, Performance Max doesn't rely heavily on keyword-based targeting. Instead, it utilizes audience signals and intent-based data to dynamically serve the most relevant ads. You provide the assets—headlines, descriptions, images, videos—and Google's algorithm takes care of the rest. It tests thousands of combinations to identify which creatives resonate best with different audience segments across various channels. To get the most out of a Performance Max campaign, it is essential to provide high-quality assets and detailed audience signals. Your text, visuals, and video should align tightly with your business goals. Google recommends using all available asset types—headlines, descriptions, images, logos, and videos—because more diverse creative assets give the system more flexibility to optimize performance. Adding audience signals doesn't limit your reach but helps the system learn faster by suggesting who you think might convert. These can include custom segments based on recent website visitors, previous converters, or customer match lists. The more informative your audience signals, the more effectively Google's AI can accelerate the learning phase. Additionally, conversion tracking must be robust. If you don't already have enhanced conversion tracking set up, now is the time. Feeding the system with accurate data ensures it learns what actions matter most—whether that's purchases, form fills, phone calls, or newsletter signups. With Performance Max campaigns, your creative assets are no longer confined to one ad type or channel. Google's AI dynamically assembles and displays your creatives across its network based on real-time performance indicators. This increases the importance of crafting diverse and compelling content. Your headlines and descriptions should clearly highlight your unique selling proposition, benefits, and calls to action. Visual assets, including both images and videos, should represent your brand professionally and engagingly. Google recommends at least one video asset, and if none is provided, the system may auto-generate one—which can be less impactful and brand-aligned. To further elevate performance, A/B test different sets of creatives in separate asset groups to see which messaging and design approaches yield the best results. Monitoring how different creative elements perform over time can help refine your overall messaging strategy. Performance Max campaigns run on smart bidding strategies such as Maximize Conversions or Maximize Conversion Value, optionally combined with Target CPA or Target ROAS goals. The algorithm uses signals from past performance, user behavior, device, location, and time of day to optimize in real time. For advertisers accustomed to micromanaging bids and placements, this can feel like a loss of control. However, smart bidding, when paired with clearly defined goals and sufficient conversion data, can drastically improve efficiency and ROI. It's crucial to allow the algorithm a learning period of at least two weeks, during which performance may fluctuate. Avoid making major adjustments during this time. Once the campaign stabilizes, regularly evaluate performance reports and adjust your budget toward the most profitable asset groups or audience segments. One of the criticisms of Performance Max is its lack of transparency. Unlike standard campaigns, it doesn't allow granular breakdowns of where your ads are showing or which assets are driving conversions. However, Google has gradually improved this with the introduction of the Insights page, asset group performance reporting, and audience segment reports. Use these insights to understand which combinations are working and which need refinement. Though you may not get full placement transparency, patterns in performance can still help optimize your campaign structure and creative assets. It's also essential to monitor for cannibalization. Performance Max can overlap with other campaigns—especially brand search—so setting up campaign exclusions and using performance reports to monitor for overlap can help keep your data clean. Performance Max campaigns are particularly effective for e-commerce brands using Merchant Center feeds, as they integrate seamlessly with Google Shopping. When connected, the campaign can automatically pull product titles, descriptions, and pricing to enhance ad delivery. The ability to showcase products across Search, YouTube, and Discover simultaneously boosts visibility and conversion potential. For lead generation, it's equally powerful. You can direct users to optimized landing pages, track form fills, and even use lead form extensions within the ad itself. Businesses offering services, courses, or consultations—such as those running a Digital Marketing Course in Chandigarh—can benefit from higher conversion rates due to more personalized and dynamic targeting. One of the most important things to remember is to continuously test and refine your asset groups. As user behaviors and search trends evolve, so should your creatives. Always ensure your website and landing pages are fast, mobile-optimized, and conversion-friendly to support the traffic generated from your campaigns. Additionally, use Performance Max in conjunction with other campaign types. While Performance Max is powerful, it works best as part of a holistic Google Ads strategy. For instance, maintain separate brand campaigns to preserve control over search intent and use remarketing lists to reinforce touchpoints with returning users. Regularly monitor conversion paths and attribution reports within Google Ads and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how Performance Max contributes to your overall funnel. Integrating offline conversion data through enhanced conversions or Google's API can further empower the campaign to optimize for real business outcomes. In summary, Google Ads Performance Max campaigns represent a significant evolution in digital advertising. They offer a streamlined, AI-powered solution that leverages Google's entire inventory to maximize conversions with minimal manual effort. By focusing on high-quality creative assets, accurate conversion tracking, and strategic audience signals, businesses can unlock unprecedented performance. While it may take time to fully adapt to the automation-centric nature of Performance Max, the results—when managed correctly—speak for themselves. Whether you're an e-commerce business, a service provider, or even promoting educational programs, Performance Max offers a flexible and future-ready solution to drive better marketing outcomes. For marketers who want to stay ahead of the curve, learning how to fully utilize this campaign type is no longer optional—it's essential. Consider expanding your expertise through certified training or a specialized digital program to sharpen your edge in modern advertising. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Time Business News
14-07-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Google Ads Performance Max: Pros, Cons, and Best Practices
In an ever-evolving digital advertising landscape, Google has continuously adapted its tools to meet the growing demand for automation and efficiency. One of the latest innovations to take center stage is Google Ads Performance Max, a campaign type that promises advertisers the ability to drive results across all of Google's inventory from a single campaign. From Search and Display to YouTube and Gmail, Performance Max combines Google's AI-driven optimization with expansive reach. But as with any powerful tool, it comes with its own set of advantages, limitations, and strategic nuances. This article will explore the pros, cons, and best practices of using Performance Max to help advertisers make informed decisions and improve campaign performance. Launched globally in late 2021, Performance Max is designed to supplement your existing keyword-based Search campaigns to help you find more converting customers across all of Google's channels. Unlike traditional campaign types, it uses automation to optimize bidding, budgeting, audience targeting, creatives, and attribution in real time. You simply provide the necessary assets—such as headlines, descriptions, images, and videos—and Google's AI does the rest, testing asset combinations and distributing your ads where they are most likely to perform. The defining feature of Performance Max is its goal-based nature. You tell Google what conversions matter most—whether it's sales, leads, or in-store visits—and the system focuses entirely on maximizing that objective. Performance Max stands out for its ability to eliminate guesswork. One of its most compelling advantages is its access to the full range of Google's inventory. Traditional campaign types often require separate strategies for Search, Display, YouTube, and other platforms. Performance Max simplifies this by bundling them into a single campaign, saving time while expanding reach. Another significant advantage is its use of machine learning to optimize ad delivery. Google's algorithms analyze signals in real time, such as device, location, search intent, and user behavior, to ensure your ads reach the right people at the right time. For marketers who want to scale quickly without micromanaging dozens of campaigns, this can result in improved conversion rates and reduced CPA. Asset automation is also a win. You can supply a variety of creatives—text, image, video—and Google will dynamically combine and test these variations, continuously learning which combinations perform best. This dynamic optimization can help overcome ad fatigue and improve user engagement. Performance Max also shines when it comes to lead generation and online sales for e-commerce and service-based businesses alike. Retailers using the Merchant Center integration benefit from greater product visibility across shopping ads, while service providers can target high-intent customers through AI-powered signals. Despite its strengths, Google Ads Performance Max is not without flaws. The most cited concern among advertisers is the lack of transparency. While Google's AI manages a lot behind the scenes, it doesn't always provide detailed reporting on where ads appear or how each asset contributes to performance. This makes it difficult to understand what's working and why. Another downside is the limited control over placements and targeting. Unlike traditional campaigns where you can exclude placements or target specific keywords, Performance Max limits manual intervention. This can lead to your ads showing up in less relevant contexts or to audiences outside your ideal demographic. Data cannibalization is another potential issue. Performance Max campaigns can overlap with existing Search campaigns and sometimes take credit for conversions that might have happened anyway. Without proper setup and campaign priority settings, this can lead to inefficient budget allocation and skewed attribution. Additionally, while the automation can be powerful, it also means that new advertisers might not fully learn the strategic fundamentals of digital advertising. That's one reason many professionals still recommend supplementing their hands-on learning with a performance marketing course online, which offers foundational skills alongside advanced tactics. While automation is central to Performance Max, strategic input from marketers is still essential. A foundational best practice is to provide diverse, high-quality creative assets. Since the system relies on testing combinations of headlines, descriptions, and media, the more options you supply, the more data it has to optimize effectively. Setting the right goals is equally critical. Because the campaign is goal-based, clearly defining your conversion actions—whether it's purchases, sign-ups, or phone calls—is crucial. Ensure your Google Ads conversion tracking is set up correctly, as the AI's learning and bidding strategy depends heavily on accurate data. Audience signals, though not mandatory, are highly recommended. These signals give Google initial direction about your ideal customers, helping to speed up the learning process and improve performance from the start. You can use customer lists, website visitors, or segments based on interests and behaviors. Keeping existing Search campaigns active alongside Performance Max is another effective strategy. While Performance Max can drive incremental value, Search campaigns offer precision and transparency. When used in tandem, they create a comprehensive funnel, with Performance Max handling discovery and upper-funnel reach while Search covers direct intent. Another important tip is to monitor campaign performance through the new Insights page. Although Google doesn't reveal detailed placement-level data, the Insights tool can help you identify which audience segments, search categories, and creative assets are driving conversions. Use this data to refine future creative and audience inputs. Finally, test incrementally. Don't launch a full-scale campaign right away. Start with a smaller budget and a narrow product or service set. Observe performance trends over a few weeks before scaling. This controlled approach allows for better understanding and adaptation without risking large portions of your advertising budget. Google continues to iterate on Performance Max, responding to feedback and expanding its capabilities. Recent updates have introduced features such as asset group reporting, keyword insights, and more granular controls, hinting at a future where transparency and automation can coexist more harmoniously. As machine learning technology advances, Performance Max is likely to become a cornerstone in most digital advertising strategies. However, it will always be important for marketers to retain critical thinking and campaign oversight. Even the best AI tools require human direction, especially when it comes to understanding brand voice, long-term objectives, and customer relationships. Google Ads Performance Max represents a major leap forward in campaign automation and reach, offering marketers a powerful tool to drive performance across Google's extensive ecosystem. While it brings the benefits of scale, efficiency, and real-time optimization, it also presents challenges around control and transparency. By understanding these trade-offs and implementing best practices, advertisers can harness the strengths of Performance Max while mitigating its limitations. For professionals looking to stay ahead in the digital landscape, pairing hands-on campaign management with a credible performance marketing course online can bridge the knowledge gap and lead to smarter use of tools like Performance Max. Whether you're managing e-commerce sales or lead generation, Performance Max is shaping the future of automated advertising—and now is the time to get it right. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
United News of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Turkish competition authority imposes a fine on Google
New Delhi, July 11 (UNI) The Turkish Competition Authority announced on Thursday that it had decided to impose a penalty of TL 355.1 million (approx $8.9 million) on search giant Google. The decision has taken into consideration Google's failure to follow the regulatory instructions of the board. The Turkish Competition Authority is a regulatory watchdog based in Turkey. It is a government organization that ensures fair competition in the markets of goods and services. In a statement released by the board, the authority found non-compliance by Google, as per the Protection of Competition Act, for distorting fair competition in the market. The Protection of Competition Act is designed to prevent practices that hinder competition in Turkey's markets. It also oversees the ongoing mergers and acquisitions within Turkey. In June Turkish Competition Authority also ordered an investigation into Google's Performance Max (PMax) campaign, in charge of combining data from multiple sources to hamper competition. Google Performance Max (PMax) enables advertisers to promote their business across Google Ads. UNI SAS PRS
Scotsman
08-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Understand your audience to weather the digital dust storm
Embrace changes – but don't do it blindly, says Mike Christoforou, because good marketing is about the people as well as the tools Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Last week marked the halfway point of 2025 and it's fair to say it's been a whirlwind six months in the digital marketing world. Daily feature rollouts, the explosion of AI tools, and what feels like an identity crisis in SEO have left many teams spinning. But while the digital dust storm rages on, the truth remains clear; the best marketing still starts with a clear understanding of your audience. At Perceptive Communicators, we support clients across the built environment, science, technology and leisure sectors to cut through the noise with impactful content and campaigns that deliver real commercial results. That's our anchor, and it's never been more important. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In recent months alone, we've helped deliver a sell-out audience of over 2,500 people for a world-leading quantum sector event, using a highly tailored LinkedIn campaign targeting nine distinct audience segments – from healthcare and finance to telecoms and AI. We ensured the right message reached the right people and the result was full registration weeks ahead of schedule. Portrait of young woman on dark background. Concept of computer science (Picture: In a separate campaign, a strategic Meta and Google advertising push helped drive £9 million in home sales for one of Scotland's biggest housebuilders. This wasn't just about serving up ads, it was about understanding buyer behaviour and tailoring content to what really resonated with them. Of course, AI played a part. Meta's Advantage+ and Google's Performance Max helped amplify what was working, using machine learning to optimise placements, creatives and formats. But let's be clear, automation alone doesn't deliver impact. These tools are only as powerful as the thinking and content behind them. Strategy still matters. Creativity still matters. And perhaps more than ever, audience insight is the true differentiator. That's particularly important as AI starts to reshape how people find information. With 67 per cent of organisations worldwide now using Large Language Models like Gemini and ChatGPT, traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is being rapidly rewritten. We're seeing the rise of AI-powered summaries, new ranking systems, zero-click searches and a flurry of new acronyms: SGE (Search Generative Experience), AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AISO (AI-in-Search Optimisation). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's easy to feel overwhelmed. But here's the constant: as long as people search for information before making decisions, visibility will still matter. SEO isn't dead – it's evolving. And today's optimisation goes far beyond websites. Mike Christoforou is Social & Digital Director at Perceptive Communicators Social media posts, press releases, email marketing, blog posts and newsletters play an increasing role in discoverability. That's why we take a holistic view at Perceptive. We ensure keywords and messaging are embedded into all communications, increasing visibility for our clients. One recent development reinforces this point. From July 10, Instagram has confirmed that public photos and videos from professional accounts will be automatically indexed on Google. That's a significant shift. Posts that were once purely engagement-driven will now need to be optimised for search too. Visibility strategies are expanding – and quickly. At Perceptive, we're embracing these changes, but not blindly. We're not chasing the latest algorithm tweak or relying on AI tools to do all the heavy lifting. Our focus remains on delivering measurable and cost-effective results that help clients meet their commercial goals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That's what great marketing is really about; connecting the right message with the right person at the right time – whether that happens to be through a LinkedIn ad, a blog post or a simple Google search. In a world of ever-faster technology, the fundamentals still win. Good marketing isn't just about the tools. It's about people.
