Bigger budget, better returns
Most brands find that the more they spend, the less each extra bit of budget brings back. This one went the other way.
- 3.5xRevenue across Meta and Google, January to March 2026 against the same quarter in 2025On a budget that more than doubled
- 9.8xReturn on Google ad spendUp from 2.7x, on 36% less spend
- +321%Purchases from MetaOn a budget that roughly tripled
The challenge
Beer is one of the most crowded categories there is, and the household names have deep pockets. For a challenger brand online, the usual story is that every extra bit of ad spend brings back a little less than the last. The first quarter makes it harder still, with Dry January and tight post-Christmas budgets.
The brand wanted to grow quickly. Our job was to make sure that growth paid for itself.
What we did
Made creative the engine on Meta.
Instead of leaning on a few ads until people tired of them, we kept a steady rhythm of fresh, topical campaigns built around the drinks calendar, from Christmas into the New Year, alongside brand, press and partnership activity. There was always something new to notice.
Tightened Google right up.
We kept the account to two focused campaigns, Search and Performance Max, cut the budget by 36% and made each one earn its keep. Search went from 1.4x to 5.0x, and Performance Max from 4.4x to 15.1x.
Scaled in steps.
We grew the budget gradually through 2025 rather than all at once, so each increase had to prove itself before the next. By the first quarter of 2026, the brand was investing more than twice as much each month as it had a year before.
The results
| Measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Ad spend | +196% |
| Purchases | +321% |
| Revenue | +326% |
| Return on ad spend1.6x to 2.3x | +44% |
| Cost per purchase | 30% lower |
| Measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Ad spend | 36% lower |
| Conversions | +119% |
| Revenue | +136% |
| Return on ad spend2.7x to 9.8x | +268% |
| Cost per conversion | 71% lower |
| Measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Ad spend | +131% |
| Revenue | +252% |
| Blended return1.9x to 2.9x | +52% |
Three first quarters on Google
Return on Google ad spend, January to March each year.
Bar chart. Q1 2024: 0.9x; Q1 2025: 2.7x; Q1 2026: 9.8x.
Show the numbers
| Period | Return on Google ad spend |
|---|---|
| Q1 2024 | 0.9x |
| Q1 2025 | 2.7x |
| Q1 2026 | 9.8x |
Budget in, revenue out
Meta and Google together, January to March, with Q1 2025 set to 100.
- Q1 2025
- Q1 2026
Bar chart. Meta and Google together, January to March, with Q1 2025 set to 100. Ad spend: Q1 2025 100, Q1 2026 231; Revenue: Q1 2025 100, Q1 2026 352.
Show the numbers
| Measure | Q1 2025 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Ad spend | 100 | 231 |
| Revenue | 100 | 352 |
Every month of the quarter grew
Meta revenue by month, with each month of 2025 set to 100. Every month of 2026 was more than four times the year before.
- 2025
- 2026
Bar chart. Meta revenue by month, with each month of 2025 set to 100. January: 2025 100, 2026 402; February: 2025 100, 2026 434; March: 2025 100, 2026 438.
Show the numbers
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| January | 100 | 402 |
| February | 100 | 434 |
| March | 100 | 438 |
In context
The typical return for food and beverage brands is 1.6x on Meta and 3.2x on Google (Triple Whale global medians, August 2025 to July 2026). This brand reached 2.3x on Meta and 9.8x on Google, about three times the Google median, in one of the toughest quarters of the year for beer.
What this means
The budget more than doubled, and the return still went up on both channels. That’s the point where a brand stops buying growth and starts building it.
Against the industry benchmark
- This brand
- Food and beverage median
Bar chart. Meta: This brand, Q1 2026 2.3x, Food and beverage median 1.6x; Google: This brand, Q1 2026 9.8x, Food and beverage median 3.2x.
Show the numbers
| Channel | This brand | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | 2.3xThis brand, Q1 2026 | 1.6xFood and beverage median |
| 9.8xThis brand, Q1 2026 | 3.2xFood and beverage median |
How we measure: Ad results are as reported by Meta Ads Manager and Google Ads for the periods shown, using each platform’s standard attribution settings. Revenue means the purchase value each platform attributes to its ads, and return on ad spend (ROAS) is that revenue divided by ad spend. Website conversion rate is the share of visits to the brand’s website that ended in a purchase. To keep our clients’ figures private, we show changes as percentages and returns as multiples, rounded, rather than revenue or spend. Benchmarks are global medians published by Triple Whale (Meta Ads benchmarks, Google Ads benchmarks) for 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, covering more than 40,000 brands on Meta and 21,000 on Google. Measurement methods differ, so treat the comparisons as a guide. Every brand is different, and past results don’t guarantee future performance.
What it means for you