Here’s something we’ve noticed over the last few years - and it’s a big one. Performance marketing is finally lifting its head up from pure ROI targets and looking at the wider marketing picture. And honestly? It’s about time.
The brands that really smashed it last year weren’t obsessing over ROI in isolation. They were the ones thinking bigger, smarter, and longer-term. In a world where competition is fierce and costs keep creeping up, this shift isn’t a “nice to have”. It’s essential for growth.
So, let’s climb out of the ROI weeds for a minute and talk strategy.
Around 15 years ago, brands talked a lot about the “digital customer” - which digital channels do we need to reach them and get them to convert? Digital plans were kept in their own little bubble. Separate decks, separate personas, separate conversations about how different demographics used “the internet”. Very of its time.
Fast forward to now and, well, digital isn’t a channel anymore. It’s just life. It shapes how people discover brands, do their research, buy things, and decide who they’ll stick with. That’s why digital platforms now sit right at the centre of most marketing strategies. And rightly so.
But if performance marketing success is still being judged purely on ROI, there’s a good chance you’re leaving serious value on the table. Channels like Paid Search, Paid Social and Affiliates can do a lot more than just harvest last-click conversions.
Let’s break it down.
Consumers are savvy. They bounce confidently between platforms throughout their journey; researching, comparing, buying, coming back for more. They don’t think in neat funnel stages, and they definitely don’t think in channel silos. So why should brands?
Meanwhile, tech platforms are all jostling for your budget, each promising the world. Our job is to help you invest that budget in a way that actually supports your business objectives, not just what looks good in a platform dashboard.
Quick test: how many brands have you discovered recently by
If you’re laser-focused on short-term ROI, you’ll miss these moments entirely. And those moments are often where new customer relationships begin. Growth doesn’t happen without new customers, no matter how efficient your bottom-of-funnel activity looks on paper.
Performance marketing shouldn’t just capture demand. It should help create it.
Automation is everywhere. And don’t get us wrong, we love clever tech. But strategy can’t be outsourced to an algorithm.
This is where agencies earn their keep. We act as the strategic layer between brands and tech platforms, connecting the dots and asking the awkward-but-important questions. Platforms won’t give you a truly holistic view (they can’t), and their priorities will never perfectly match yours.
AI should support your decisions, not make them for you.
In a world of endless scrolling and skipped ads, creative that genuinely grabs attention is doing the heavy lifting. It needs to feel right, look right, and tell your brand story properly.
But creative doesn’t work in isolation. The magic happens when it’s powered by data, using insights to deliver the right message, to the right people, at the right moment in their journey. Add a proper test-and-learn approach into the mix, and you’ve got a system that keeps improving, not standing still.
Ready to Climb Out of the ROI Weeds? If you’re a bold ecommerce brand looking to unlock real growth this year - and you’re ready to stop judging performance marketing on ROI alone - we should talk.
Drop us a line at hello@geniegoals.co.uk and let’s build something that works today and sets you up for tomorrow.
That’s big picture performance.
