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In this episode, we sit down with Zavire from Pilothouse’s Google team to dissect a common problem many DTC brands face: Performance Max campaigns that stagnate after a few months of initial success.

You’ll hear exactly how Pilothouse helped Benji Sleep break out of this “PMAX plateau” by overhauling their campaign structure — and why the first move was to turn the campaigns off.

Key Learnings:

Why PMAX campaigns often stagnate after 3-4 months

The power of a 5-7 day PMAX "off period" to reset bidding algorithms

How segmentation by product or audience unlocks better signal quality and performance

Strategic product feed enhancements that drive Shopping ROI

The myth of audience signals in PMAX and how to work around it

How scripts can provide campaign-level transparency across Google placements

How a restructured PMAX approach delivered a 37% ROAS lift and 2.2x conversions for Benji Sleep

If your Google Ads results are fading, this episode gives you a practical, tested playbook to turn things around.

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Timestamps

00:00 – Why PMAX Campaigns Plateau After 3-4 Months

02:05 – Common Pitfalls: CPC Drops and Irrelevant Traffic

04:15 – How to Reset PMAX: Turn Off and Rebuild

06:30 – Campaign Segmentation for Product & Audience Clarity

08:45 – Overcoming Performance Spiral With Strategic Breakouts

11:00 – The Myth of Audience Signals in PMAX

13:00 – Strategic Feed Optimization and Supplemental Data

15:00 – Campaign Structure: Before vs After (Benji Sleep Case Study)

18:00 – Breaking Out Asset Groups vs Full Campaigns

20:00 – ROAS Lift + Conversion Volume Gains

21:20 – Using Scripts to Track PMAX Placements & Attribution

Hashtags

#pmaxstrategy #googleadsoptimization #dtcpodcast #roasgrowth #performancemarketing #ecommercetips #mediaoptimization #pilothouse #googleadscampaigns #dtcbrands

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