In a recent PPC Live podcast interview, Dean Kadi, Head of Paid Growth at One Link Media, shared a real-world agency experience where a client insisted on replacing their best-performing Meta ads with high-profile creative — despite clear evidence that the existing strategy was delivering strong results. The discussion highlights the trade-offs agencies often face between technology and customer preferences, while offering valuable lessons on communication, testing, tracking, and why data should always drive decision-making in PPC.
This campaign was going very well
Dean Kadi and his team at One Link Media created a highly successful Meta marketing strategy for premium woodworking brand Rubio Monocoat using user generated content (UGC). By testing multiple creators, hooks, formats, and messaging angles, they improved the account’s ROAS from about 2.1x to consistently between 3x and 4x. Their tests revealed that the most important factor in buying the product was not the variety of colors of the product, but the fact that customers only need one coat of the product, which saves a lot of time and effort.
The client wanted to temporarily freeze all winning ads
Despite strong performance, the client unexpectedly requested that all successful UGC ads be paused in favor of highly branded static and video creators. The new ads looked polished but failed to feel part of the Meta platform, which is often critical to engagement and conversion. The decision was not based on operational issues but on the client’s preference for general branding.
The dangerous thought behind the new strategy
The client based its new creative approach on a survey suggesting that customers like the product’s color range, considering that this is the main reason people buy it. However, the agency’s test data had already proven otherwise. This highlights a common mistake in marketing where internal reasoning or isolated feedback overrides broader data on real-world performance and customer behavior.
“We would like this to be a winner”
One of the most important moments in the conversation came when the client admitted that he was looking for a new creative way to be successful. Dean pointed out that paid media doesn’t work based on likes or expectations – the audience decides what resonates. No matter how strongly stakeholders feel about a campaign’s direction, performance data ultimately determines success.
What agencies should do in situations like this
Dean advised agencies to remain calm, professional, and evidence-driven when conflicts arise with clients. Instead of arguing emotionally, sellers should clearly talk about the risks, explain their thinking, and put recommendations in writing. By maintaining expertise and letting the data speak for itself, agencies can protect relationships while still standing behind their expertise.
The results are down – as expected
New branded creators did not do well immediately, with rising acquisition costs and declining performance across Meta campaigns. Although the agency continued to explore audience and development strategies, the core problem remained creation itself. After about eight weeks of negative results, it became clear that the client’s new method was not working.
It goes back to the restored functionality of UGC
Once the client agreed to relaunch the original UGC ads, the campaign’s performance improved rapidly within just a few weeks. The restoration of native-looking content and proven messaging angles restored the account’s efficiency and confirmed the agency’s original strategy. Interestingly, the performance of Google ads has remained stable because those campaigns rely heavily on brand search activity.
Big lesson: let the data tell the story
Dean’s biggest takeaway was that agencies should rely on data rather than emotion when navigating difficult client situations. Sometimes clients need to see a malfunction firsthand before accepting a recommendation. By consistently presenting clear reporting and measurable results, marketers can use evidence to guide conversations and rebuild trust.
Common PPC error centers are still encountered
Beyond this client issue, Dean highlighted incorrect tracking setup as one of the most common mistakes still seen in PPC accounts today. Missing server-side tracking, incorrect event configuration, and weak conversion tracking setup can have a significant impact on optimization and reporting. Even the strongest campaigns struggle when the underlying data infrastructure is flawed.
AI won’t fix a bad strategy
Dean also cautioned against over-reliance on AI tools in marketing. While AI can improve efficiency and speed up workflow, it cannot compensate for weak strategy or bad thinking. Marketers still need to critically analyze results, refine data, and use human judgment, because customers ultimately hold humans accountable — not AI systems.
Final thoughts
This story serves as a reminder that successful PPC campaigns rely on testing, data, and strategic guidance rather than internal opinions or brand preferences alone. Agencies should rate professionals with confidence in their expertise, document their recommendations carefully, and trust performance metrics over guesswork. In the end, the audience decides what works – and the data almost always tells the truth.
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