What we changedWhat did Digital Rocket change?
Six changes, two of which did most of the work. The Google rebuild and the Meta creative shift landed in the same year, and the combination drove the 158% jump. Neither channel alone would have done it.
Meta, the Advantage+ transition. In April 2025 we moved primary prospecting off manual interest targeting and onto Advantage+. More consistent cost per lead, and reach into buyer segments we had not manually identified. The biggest strategic shift of the year.
Creative, AI UGC video and vertical formats. AI-generated UGC-style video became the top performing format: a consistent cost per lead near $40 AUD with 4 to 6 months of creative longevity, against the usual 4 to 6 weeks before fatigue. Vertical formats outperformed square and portrait by 25 to 40% and became the default by Q3 2025.
Value Rules, regional bid control. Granular regional bids without losing Advantage+ automation. By December 2025 QLD and NSW ran at roughly $20 AUD per lead while VIC held $40 to $50.
Google, Performance Max and a structural rebuild. PMax launched in November 2024 with sub $50 AUD cost per lead in its first learning phase. 2025 added consistent DSA conversions, exact-match segmentation, ad group consolidation and a September Demand Gen launch. Net: cost per lead down 29%, lead volume up 139% in one year.
Event awareness integration. Three awareness campaigns tied to industry events: Food Service Melbourne Expo in May, Fine Food Show in September reaching about 50,000 unique accounts, and Food and Hospitality in October. They built recognition with exactly the right buyers, drove booth traffic, and fed remarketing audiences back into the conversion campaigns.
Green, amber, red lead qualification. The same qualification system Digital Rocket runs on franchise and legal accounts, giving the sales team one consistent filter.