Case Study · Paid Media

Running Meta & Google campaigns that pay for themselves

How CNetworQ structures, launches and optimises paid campaigns across Meta and Google Ads for brands in India — the account architecture, the tracking that makes it measurable, and the weekly loop that compounds results.

  • Accounts
    300+ active
  • Channels
    Meta Ads, Google Ads
  • Sectors
    Retail, D2C, services, B2B
  • Engagement
    Ongoing retainer
  • Reporting
    Weekly optimisation cycle
  • Our marketing services

    300+

    Active client accounts

    2

    Channels managed end to end

    Weekly

    Optimisation and reporting cycle

    10+ yrs

    Running paid media in India

    The problem

    Most paid accounts fail on structure, not creative

    When we take over an underperforming account, the creative is rarely the first problem. The problem is usually that nobody can tell what is working, because the account was never built so that the answer would be visible.

    Budget spread across too many ad sets so none of them ever exits the learning phase. Conversions firing on a thank-you page load rather than a real purchase event. Meta and Google both claiming the same sale. Once the measurement is wrong, every optimisation decision after it is a guess — and the guesses get expensive.

    What we typically inherit

    • 20+ ad sets each getting too little budget to ever learn
    • Conversion events that fire on page views, not purchases
    • No server-side tracking, so iOS signal loss goes unmeasured
    • Broad match keywords with no negative list, quietly burning budget
    • Meta and Google both taking credit for the same conversion
    • Reporting on impressions and CTR instead of revenue
    The approach

    Fix measurement first. Then spend.

    We do not touch budgets in week one. Until the tracking is trustworthy, scaling spend just scales the error. The sequence below is the one we run on every paid engagement.

    1

    Measurement audit and rebuild

    GA4 and Tag Manager reviewed end to end. Real conversion events defined against actual business outcomes — purchase, qualified lead, booked call — not proxy events. Meta Conversions API and Google Enhanced Conversions implemented server-side so the signal survives browser and iOS restrictions.

    2

    Account restructure

    Consolidate. Fewer, better-funded campaigns so the algorithms actually exit learning. On Meta: clean campaign objectives, broad targeting where the signal supports it, creative as the real testing variable. On Google: tight search themes with disciplined negative keyword lists, Performance Max fed with proper asset groups and audience signals rather than left on autopilot.

    3

    Creative system, not one-off ads

    Our studio team produces creative in structured batches built around a testable hypothesis — hook, format, offer, proof. Because branding and paid media sit in the same team, the ads match the brand rather than fighting it, and winning angles feed straight back into the brand's wider messaging.

    4

    Landing pages built to convert

    Traffic is only half the job. We build or rebuild the landing experience alongside the campaign — page speed, message match with the ad, form friction, mobile behaviour. A two-second load improvement often beats a week of bid tuning.

    5

    Weekly optimisation loop

    Every week: kill what is losing, scale what is winning, ship the next creative batch, and check incrementality rather than platform-reported ROAS alone. Monthly: revisit structure, audiences and the offer itself.

    6

    Reporting the client can act on

    One dashboard, blended across channels, reporting cost per acquisition and revenue — not a slide of impressions. If a number cannot change a decision, it does not go in the report.

    Platforms and tooling we work in

    Meta

    • Ads Manager
    • Conversions API
    • Advantage+ campaigns
    • Catalogue & dynamic ads
    • Custom & lookalike audiences

    Google

    • Search & Shopping
    • Performance Max
    • Demand Gen & YouTube
    • Enhanced Conversions
    • Merchant Center

    Measurement

    • GA4
    • Google Tag Manager
    • Server-side tagging
    • Google Search Console
    • Looker Studio dashboards

    Creative & CRO

    • In-house studio production
    • Static, video & UGC formats
    • Landing page builds
    • A/B testing
    • Heatmaps & session review
    How we split budget

    Meta and Google do different jobs

    Treating them as interchangeable is the most common budgeting mistake we see. They sit at different points of the same funnel, and the split should reflect that — not a habit.

    Meta creates demand

    Nobody on Instagram was looking for your product. Meta's job is to interrupt well: strong creative, a clear offer, and enough budget concentration for the algorithm to find the people who respond. Success here is measured over a longer window, because the purchase rarely happens in the first session.

    • Best for new product launches and category creation
    • Creative is the main lever — test formats and hooks, not audiences
    • Needs consolidated budget to exit learning

    Google captures demand

    Someone typing “buy X near me” has already decided. Google's job is to be there and not overpay. Success is measured tightly, close to the click, and the levers are keyword discipline, landing-page relevance and bid strategy.

    • Best for existing, searched-for demand
    • Negative keywords matter as much as positive ones
    • Shopping and Performance Max need clean product data to work
    Results

    What changed

    Every account we take over gets the same diagnostic in week one. This is the pattern we find, and what it looks like once the account is restructured.

    What we typically inherit

    • Conversion tracking that fires inconsistently, or double-counts
    • Budget spread thin across too many overlapping ad sets
    • Branded search paying for clicks the brand already owns
    • No negative keyword discipline, so spend leaks to irrelevant queries
    • Reporting on clicks and impressions rather than revenue

    What we put in place

    • Server-side conversion tracking, deduplicated across both platforms
    • Budget consolidated into fewer, better-fed ad sets
    • Branded and non-branded search separated, with their own targets
    • Negative keyword lists maintained weekly, not once at setup
    • Reporting tied to revenue and cost per acquisition, not clicks
    FAQ

    Common questions

    Does CNetworQ manage both Meta Ads and Google Ads?

    Yes. CNetworQ manages paid media across both Meta Ads and Google Ads end to end, currently across 300+ active client accounts, covering account structure, conversion tracking, creative testing and weekly optimisation.

    Which sectors does CNetworQ run campaigns for?

    Campaigns run for retail, direct-to-consumer brands, service businesses and B2B companies across India, on ongoing monthly retainers rather than one-off campaign builds.

    What happens when CNetworQ takes over an existing ad account?

    Every account gets the same week-one diagnostic. The most common problems found are conversion tracking that fires inconsistently or double-counts, budget spread thin across too many overlapping ad sets, branded search paying for clicks the brand already owns, and reporting built on clicks rather than revenue.

    How often are campaigns reviewed and optimised?

    On a weekly cycle. Negative keyword lists, budget allocation and creative performance are reviewed every week rather than being set once at launch, and reporting is tied to revenue and cost per acquisition.

    Connect and Grow Together

    Send us access to your Meta and Google accounts and we will tell you what is actually working — before you commit to anything.

    Request an audit