August 19, 2025  |  SIGN UP

Ronan Shields
SENIOR REPORTER, AD TECH

Google’s Performance Max is one of its most celebrated ad formats, often touted as the leading advertising company's flagship AI-powered solution.

Yet behind the marketing gloss, some advertisers say the product consistently underdelivers. A growth marketing veteran who has shifted tens of millions in ad spend away from PMax described it as “the worst execution” by a major player, citing incrementality tests that showed less than 10% genuine lift compared with 70–90% in other Google formats.

Despite Google’s claims of over a million advertisers and 90+ quality updates in 2024, marketers reported aggressive pushback when they tried to pull budgets, with reps questioning their methods and even lobbying clients directly.

In practice, switching back to Google Shopping improved ROAS by about 20% and lowered customer acquisition costs, reinforcing suspicions that PMax has been more about sales incentives than advertiser value.

ADVERTISEMENT

MARKETING ON PLATFORMS

'It’s the worst execution I’ve seen': Confessions of a marketer on pulling every client off Google's PMax

Google’s AI-powered advertising tool Performance Max (PMax) is the marketer’s paradox: everyone complains about it, but few actually walk away. Some do, though — pulling their ad dollars entirely.

AGENCY CULTURE

In AI and data, WPP Media revives a playbook it thinks it can finally win

WPP Media might be light on new business wins, but it's heavy on data. 

SPONSORED BY PADSQUAD

Why video ads should be interactive

Interactive video advertising provides an opportunity for brands to stand out in a crowded space, but only if they utilize features that will engage consumers like shoppable elements, playable ads and polls. This report details how advertisers are already leveraging these features — and driving meaningful business outcomes.

ZERO-CLICK FUTURE

Google AI Overviews linked to 25% drop in publisher referral traffic, new data shows

Publishers are well-accustomed to Google’s familiar PR playbook — offering placating promises of more traffic and better-quality clicks to defuse backlash whenever it rolls out major search changes, even as the numbers often tell a different story. With Google AI Overviews, it’s no different.

A MESSAGE FROM DIGIDAY+

Digiday+ is your edge in a fast-moving industry

Subscribe to access premium reporting, original research, early story previews and exclusive virtual events led by our editorial team — all designed to equip media and marketing professionals with the intelligence they need to stay ahead of the curve.

Explore memberships

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Havas joins race to find answers to clients’ zero-click search queries

As users adopt AI search tools like Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT in lieu of traditional search engines, clients are worried about what exactly generative AI search tools are saying about their brands and whether that can be measured and ultimately influenced.

GENERATIVE AI

Confessions of an agency exec on using AI in global campaigns despite regulation

While most AI companies have headquarters in Silicon Valley, U.S. federal lawmakers have not yet broached regulating the sector. President Donald Trump has even gone so far as to encourage the tech's development and removal of federal regulations that could hinder AI development and deployment in The White House's AI framework.

SPONSORED BY BLOCKBOARD

Amid budget scrutiny, marketers are driving growth through programmatic CTV

Marketers are under increasing pressure to deliver better business outcomes, even as they face budget shortfalls and shrinking teams. These circumstances make it imperative for teams to maximize their spending. Blockboard CEO Matt Wasserlauf talks through how marketers are driving growth through smarter, more accountable programmatic buys on CTV.

DIGIDAY AWARDS