That is the second in a sequence of articles by common PPC Hero contributor – and Hero Conf speaker, Lisa Raehsler – during which we put a number of the most anticipated talks from October’s Hero Conf San Diego within the highlight.
Learn Half 1: What’s Working in AI and PPC Proper Now (and What to Watch Subsequent)
What does significant efficiency appear like in 2025?
As entrepreneurs, we’re underneath extra stress than ever to justify outcomes and but lots of our metrics and attribution fashions are outdated.
This yr’s Hero Conf San Diego audio system are taking a contemporary have a look at new requirements when measuring paid media efficiency. From incrementality and media combine modeling to artistic AI reporting and visitors high quality, these periods spotlight observe what’s right here and now, show worth, and act on insights.
This text explores how high minds in paid media are redefining efficiency measurement within the new AI-powered PPC world, and how one can apply the identical pondering to your campaigns. These insights are drawn from the Hero Conf 2025 agenda, however their worth goes nicely past the convention.
1. Prep Your Measurement for Life After Cookies
As third-party cookies part out, many PPC execs are being pressured to rethink how they observe, and attribute efficiency. Conventional measurement strategies that depend on pixel-based monitoring have gotten much less dependable, particularly throughout a number of units and platforms.
“Advertising attribution is a zero-sum sport, and utilizing third-party cookie information to measure efficiency is generally incorrect. Some channels shall be overvalued, some channels shall be undervalued. So the secret is to establish which channels are being undervalued or overvalued. And that’s what Media Combine Modeling is all about.”
– Speaker: Ben Vigneron, VP of Analytics at Blackbird PPC
– Session: Prep your measurement for all times after cookies
However as Ben factors out, the cookie dialog is perhaps lacking the larger concern. Attribution itself has been flawed for years utilizing cookies.
Ben’s session presents a path ahead. He breaks down how media combine modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing may give entrepreneurs a extra correct view of channel worth and implement these methods in real-world campaigns, even with out excellent monitoring.
2. Demystifying Incrementality for Paid Media Execs
In 2025, incrementality is lastly getting the eye it deserves, however there may be nonetheless lots of confusion round what it really means. At its core, incrementality is the observe of measuring what wouldn’t have occurred with out your adverts as a option to isolate true influence from noise.
Whereas many entrepreneurs deal with it as a check or a retroactive evaluation, the true energy of incrementality lies in the way it reshapes your total media method.
Liam Wade defines and reframes incrementality. His method challenges the outdated habits of chasing surface-level attribution and presents a brand new lens for understanding what really drives enterprise development.
“Incrementality isn’t nearly measurement. It’s a radically totally different paid media method that challenges your finest observe. On this session, I’ll present you flip proof into motion—making use of incrementality to your paid media to unlock substantial top-line income development and profitability.”
– Speaker: Liam Wade, Director of Efficiency at Impression
– Session: Demystifying incrementality for paid media and past
Liam’s session will enable you lower via the noise and really apply incrementality in your campaigns so that you’re optimizing based mostly on actual elevate, not simply what the platform advised you occurred.
3. Past ROAS: Superior E-Commerce KPIs for Profitability
One of many greatest measurement traps in ecommerce promoting is over-relying on platform-reported ROAS. It’s a tempting metric that’s straightforward to entry, easy to clarify, however it hardly ever tells the complete story. In actuality, excessive ROAS can disguise skinny revenue margins or low buyer lifetime worth.
Paolo Vidali challenges advertisers to go deeper. His method reframes efficiency round true enterprise influence, particularly in ecommerce environments the place logistics, pricing, and achievement instantly have an effect on outcomes.
“It’s straightforward to get caught up in ecommerce PPC by optimizing purely on the numbers. Look past primary stats that the advert platforms provide you with and calculate a real ROAS that features profitability (tariffs and all), product availability, and buyer lifetime worth.”
– Speaker: Paolo Vidali, CEO at Hidden Gears
– Session: Past ROAS: superior e-commerce KPIs for profitability
In his session, Paolo will stroll via sensible frameworks to maneuver past surface-level ROAS. You’ll learn to construct a measurement technique that displays operational realities and use that perception to drive smarter, extra worthwhile development.
4. Making Google Advertisements and Looker Studio Work for You
As marketing campaign information turns into extra advanced, entrepreneurs want extra than simply dashboards. They want programs that may flip disconnected information into clear insights. But many nonetheless depend on cobbled-together reviews or default templates that aren’t customized.
Joshua Slodki sees AI and automation as reporting instruments. His session focuses on how entrepreneurs can use Looker Studio (enhanced with AI) to construct reviews which might be smarter, cleaner, and constructed for motion.
“The accessibility of AI to information entrepreneurs within the technique of writing code opens a world of potentialities to broaden their advertising and marketing analytics alternatives utilizing Looker Studio. I hope of us come away fascinated with the methods they’ll automate the reporting they’re at the moment cobbling collectively—and loopy new methods they’ll use the platform now that they’re not chargeable for studying the code to make it occur.”
– Speaker: Joshua Slodki, President at Buoy Digital Group
– Session: Making Google adverts & looker studio be just right for you
Josh will present attendees break away from guide reporting and unlock the complete potential of Looker Studio Blends to save lots of time and floor helpful insights that drive efficiency.
5. Not All Site visitors Is Good Site visitors
Extra visitors doesn’t imply higher outcomes. Actually, probably the most ignored efficiency killers in paid media is poor-quality visitors and clicks that by no means convert and warp your information. In 2025, entrepreneurs have to shift focus from quantity to relevance.
Aashna Makin takes this problem head-on. Her session reframes how we outline “success” in PPC by specializing in viewers high quality and intent and never simply uncooked numbers.
“My session dives into why unhealthy visitors can damage your paid advert campaigns, what good visitors actually seems to be like, and appeal to it. It’s not nearly scale—it’s about relevance.”
– Speaker: Aashna Makin, Founder at SuperAds
– Session: Not all visitors is sweet visitors
Attendees will learn to establish purple flags of their campaigns, filter out wasteful visitors, and construct methods that prioritize customers who’re prone to convert whereas bettering each efficiency and profitability.
Closing Takeaway
Efficiency measurement in 2025 is about understanding what drives outcomes after which bettering them. It’s time to rethink attribution, embrace incrementality, filter out low-value visitors, or construct the reporting system you’ve all the time wished. It’s clear that the outdated metrics are usually not sufficient.
The periods above spotlight how entrepreneurs are evolving their method to ROI and paid media efficiency. Should you’re prepared to maneuver past the fundamentals and construct a method for the long run, these talks will provide you with the frameworks to get there.
Need to lead the following period of promoting? Be a part of the dialog at HeroConf.
Hero Conf San Diego will happen September 23-24 on the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Tickets are on sale now
