San Diego Sessions: #2. The Next Level of ROI and Real Performance in Paid Media
This is the second in a series of articles by regular PPC Hero contributor – and Hero Conf speaker, Lisa Raehsler – in which we put some of the most anticipated talks from October’s Hero Conf San Diego in the spotlight.
Read Part 1: What’s Working in AI and PPC Right Now (and What to Watch Next)
What does meaningful performance look like in 2025?
As marketers, we’re under more pressure than ever to justify results and yet many of our metrics and attribution models are outdated.
This year’s Hero Conf San Diego speakers are taking a fresh look at new standards when measuring paid media performance. From incrementality and media mix modeling to creative AI reporting and traffic quality, these sessions highlight how to track what’s here and now, prove value, and act on insights.
This article explores how top minds in paid media are redefining performance measurement in the new AI-powered PPC world, and how you can apply the same thinking to your campaigns. These insights are drawn from the Hero Conf 2025 agenda, but their value goes well beyond the conference.
1. Prep Your Measurement for Life After Cookies
As third-party cookies phase out, many PPC pros are being forced to rethink how they track, and attribute performance. Traditional measurement methods that rely on pixel-based tracking are becoming less reliable, especially across multiple devices and platforms.
“Marketing attribution is a zero-sum game, and using third-party cookie data to measure performance is mostly incorrect. Some channels will be overvalued, some channels will be undervalued. So the name of the game is to identify which channels are being undervalued or overvalued. And that’s what Media Mix Modeling is all about.”
– Speaker: Ben Vigneron, VP of Analytics at Blackbird PPC
– Session: Prep your measurement for life after cookies
But as Ben points out, the cookie conversation might be missing the bigger issue. Attribution itself has been flawed for years using cookies.
Ben’s session offers a path forward. He breaks down how media mix modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing can give marketers a more accurate view of channel value and how to implement these strategies in real-world campaigns, even without perfect tracking.
2. Demystifying Incrementality for Paid Media Pros
In 2025, incrementality is finally getting the attention it deserves, but there is still a lot of confusion around what it actually means. At its core, incrementality is the practice of measuring what would not have happened without your ads as a way to isolate true impact from noise.
While many marketers treat it as a test or a retroactive analysis, the real power of incrementality lies in how it reshapes your entire media approach.
Liam Wade defines and reframes incrementality. His approach challenges the old habits of chasing surface-level attribution and offers a new lens for understanding what truly drives business growth.
“Incrementality isn’t just about measurement. It’s a radically different paid media approach that challenges your best practice. In this session, I’ll show you how to turn evidence into action—applying incrementality to your paid media to unlock substantial top-line revenue growth and profitability.”
– Speaker: Liam Wade, Director of Performance at Impression
– Session: Demystifying incrementality for paid media and beyond
Liam’s session will help you cut through the noise and actually apply incrementality in your campaigns so you’re optimizing based on real lift, not just what the platform told you happened.
3. Beyond ROAS: Advanced E-Commerce KPIs for Profitability
One of the biggest measurement traps in ecommerce advertising is over-relying on platform-reported ROAS. It’s a tempting metric that’s easy to access, simple to explain, but it rarely tells the full story. In reality, high ROAS can hide thin profit margins or low customer lifetime value.
Paolo Vidali challenges advertisers to go deeper. His approach reframes performance around true business impact, especially in ecommerce environments where logistics, pricing, and fulfillment directly affect outcomes.
“It’s easy to get caught up in ecommerce PPC by optimizing purely on the numbers. Look beyond basic stats that the ad platforms give you and calculate a true ROAS that includes profitability (tariffs and all), product availability, and customer lifetime value.”
– Speaker: Paolo Vidali, CEO at Hidden Gears
– Session: Beyond ROAS: advanced e-commerce KPIs for profitability
In his session, Paolo will walk through practical frameworks to move beyond surface-level ROAS. You’ll learn how to build a measurement strategy that reflects operational realities and how to use that insight to drive smarter, more profitable growth.
4. Making Google Ads and Looker Studio Work for You
As campaign data becomes more complex, marketers need more than just dashboards. They need systems that can turn disconnected data into clear insights. Yet many still rely on cobbled-together reports or default templates that are not personalized.
Joshua Slodki sees AI and automation as reporting tools. His session focuses on how marketers can use Looker Studio (enhanced with AI) to build reports that are smarter, cleaner, and built for action.
“The accessibility of AI to guide marketers in the process of writing code opens a world of possibilities to expand their marketing analytics opportunities using Looker Studio. I hope folks come away thinking about the ways they can automate the reporting they’re currently cobbling together—and crazy new ways they can use the platform now that they’re not responsible for learning the code to make it happen.”
– Speaker: Joshua Slodki, President at Buoy Digital Group
– Session: Making Google ads & looker studio work for you
Josh will show attendees how to break free from manual reporting and unlock the full potential of Looker Studio Blends to save time and surface useful insights that drive performance.
5. Not All Traffic Is Good Traffic
More traffic doesn’t mean better results. In fact, one of the most overlooked performance killers in paid media is poor-quality traffic and clicks that never convert and distort your data. In 2025, marketers need to shift focus from volume to relevance.
Aashna Makin takes this challenge head-on. Her session reframes how we define “success” in PPC by focusing on audience quality and intent and not just raw numbers.
“My session dives into why bad traffic can hurt your paid ad campaigns, what good traffic really looks like, and how to attract it. It’s not just about scale—it’s about relevance.”
– Speaker: Aashna Makin, Founder at SuperAds
– Session: Not all traffic is good traffic
Attendees will learn how to identify red flags in their campaigns, filter out wasteful traffic, and build strategies that prioritize users who are likely to convert while improving both performance and profitability.
Final Takeaway
Performance measurement in 2025 is about understanding what drives results and then improving them. It’s time to rethink attribution, embrace incrementality, filter out low-value traffic, or build the reporting system you’ve always wanted. It’s clear that the old metrics are not enough.
The sessions above highlight how marketers are evolving their approach to ROI and paid media performance. If you’re ready to move beyond the basics and build a strategy for the future, these talks will give you the frameworks to get there.
Want to lead the next era of advertising? Join the conversation at HeroConf.
Hero Conf San Diego will take place September 23-24 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Tickets are on sale now
