Spending less, selling more
A young brand on a lean budget needs every bit of it to count. We found where the money was leaking and put it to work.
- +66%Revenue across Google and Meta, June to August 2026 against the same months in 2025On 8% less spend
- 6.8xReturn on Google ad spendUp from 2.8x
- +57%Revenue from MetaOn almost exactly the same budget
The challenge
For a young brand in a fast-moving category, any budget spent on ads that don’t pay their way is budget that can’t go on stock, product or people. This brand was working with a lean monthly budget across Google and Meta, so every bit of it had to earn its place.
What we did
Followed the money.
Almost half of the previous year’s Google budget had gone to campaigns that brought back barely more than they cost, about 1.1x. We switched them off.
Backed what was working.
We moved the budget into the two campaigns that were already earning, brand search and Performance Max, and grew them by around 45%. Brand search improved from 5.5x to 7.5x, and Performance Max from 3.3x to 5.8x.
Rebuilt Meta with new campaigns.
We held the budget almost exactly where it was, so every gain had to come from doing things better.
The results
| Measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Ad spend | 27% lower |
| Conversions | +44% |
| Revenue | +75% |
| Return on ad spend2.8x to 6.8x | +140% |
| Cost per conversion | 49% lower |
| Measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Ad spend | +4% |
| Purchases | +40% |
| Revenue | +57% |
| Return on ad spend1.9x to 2.9x | +51% |
| Cost per purchase | 26% lower |
| Measure | Change |
|---|---|
| Ad spend | 8% lower |
| Revenue | +66% |
| Blended return2.3x to 4.1x | +80% |
Where the Google budget went
June to August, with the 2025 Google budget set to 100. In 2025, almost half of it sat in campaigns returning about 1.1x. In 2026, all of a smaller budget went to the campaigns that worked.
- Campaigns we kept and grew
- Campaigns we switched off
Bar chart. Google ad spend, June to August, with the 2025 budget set to 100. 2025, budget 100: campaigns we kept and grew, 50% of it at 4.5x; campaigns we switched off, 50% of it at 1.1x; 2026, budget 73: campaigns we kept and grew, 100% of it at 6.8x.
Show the numbers
| Campaigns | Year | Budget (2025 = 100) | Share | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campaigns we kept and grew | 2025 | 50 | 50% | 4.5x |
| Campaigns we kept and grew | 2026 | 73 | 100% | 6.8x |
| Campaigns we switched off | 2025 | 50 | 50% | 1.1x |
| Campaigns we switched off | 2026 | None | None | No spend |
Less in, more out
Google and Meta together, June to August, with 2025 set to 100.
- 2025
- 2026
Bar chart. Google and Meta together, June to August, with 2025 set to 100. Ad spend: 2025 100, 2026 92; Revenue: 2025 100, 2026 166.
Show the numbers
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Ad spend | 100 | 92 |
| Revenue | 100 | 166 |
In context
The typical return for health and wellness brands is 1.4x on Meta and 2.1x on Google (Triple Whale global medians, August 2025 to July 2026). This brand reached 2.9x on Meta, about double the median, and 6.8x on Google, more than three times it.
What this means
Every gain here came from the budget the brand already had. We found the money that was being wasted and moved it somewhere it could work.
Against the industry benchmark
- This brand
- Health and wellness median
Bar chart. Meta: This brand, June to August 2026 2.9x, Health and wellness median 1.4x; Google: This brand, June to August 2026 6.8x, Health and wellness median 2.1x.
Show the numbers
| Channel | This brand | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | 2.9xThis brand, June to August 2026 | 1.4xHealth and wellness median |
| 6.8xThis brand, June to August 2026 | 2.1xHealth and wellness 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