Benchmarks

Real, sourced case files from paid-search and paid-social campaigns actually run: platform, spend range, timeframe, the metric that mattered (ROAS, CPA, or CTR), the verdict, and honest post-mortems on what failed, not only wins. This is the flagship section and the site's only defensible moat; nothing here is aggregated industry data or a platform's claimed lift figure, and every record carries a last-reviewed date because AI ad defaults change fast enough to make older figures misleading. Tactics in Bidding and failures documented in Creative link back to specific records here as their evidence base.

Google AdsMeta AdsTikTok AdsPerformance MaxAdvantage+AI Max for SearchROASCPAwinlossmixed resultecommerceB2Blocal service
Operator metric shown first; any third-party figure carried in a record’s body is industry context, not our own result.
Case filePlatformCampaign typeSpend rangeMetricClaimed vs. actualVerdictLast reviewed
How the Rini Skincare Backlash Rewrites Influencer Trust Rules
Semrush vs. Ahrefs AI Features (2026): Feature Matrix and Use-Case Verdict
When AI Performance Marketing Fails: Failure Cases, Blind Spots, and How to Build GuardrailsGoogle Ads, Meta, programmaticPerformance Max, Advantage+
Why Alphabet's Negative Free Cash Flow Changes Google AdsGoogle AdsAI MaxVariousCTR: 6.34%
actual 6.34%
LOSS2026-07-24
How Google's AI Investment Boosts Stock but Hurts AdvertisersGoogle AdsSearchMultiple budget levelsCTR: 20-40% decrease
actual 20-40% decrease
LOSS2026-07-24
How Google's $205B AI Bet Is Reshaping Your Ad BudgetGoogle AdsAI Max for SearchAll levelsConversions: 7% increase
actual 7% increase
MIXED2026-07-24
The Howard-McDonald's Sponsorship as a Local DMA ChannelOOHSponsorshipLocal franchisee co-opVisitation lift: Not yet measured
actual Not yet measured
MIXED2026-07-24
Martha Stewart's Three-Layer AI Audit for Performance MarketersMeta AdsAdvantage+$100k-$500kCTR: 12
actual 12
MIXED2026-07-24
ServiceNow's Kill Switch: The AI Ad Agent Risk You Can't IgnoreGoogle Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok AdsAI Ad Agent Automation$200,000 per month (example account)Agent termination capability: 60%
actual 60%
MIXED2026-07-24
ServiceNow AI Demand Earnings Impact Enterprise Software StocksServiceNowEnterprise AILargeAI ACV: $1B
actual $1B
MIXED2026-07-24
ServiceNow's 40% sell-off may already price in Armis integration riskServiceNowStock Analysis$7.75 billionRevenue Growth: 24%
actual 24%
MIXED2026-07-24
The App-Install Funnel Behind Taco Bell's $1 DealGoogle AdsPerformance MaxLowCPA: 4.98
actual 4.98
MIXED2026-07-23
What Taco Bell's $1 deal reveals about crisis advertisingMeta AdsFlash PromotionUnder $100kCPA: 76%
actual 76%
MIXED2026-07-23
How Taco Bell's Digital Silence Cost in Paid Ad PerformanceGoogle AdsSearchHighStore visits: 19%
actual 19%
LOSS2026-07-23
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