Operating Model
Towards a trading partnership,
not a reporting relationship
This is the direction we are building towards with every client. Not just execution, but a genuine commercial partnership where performance is measured by profit, decisions are shared, and both sides know what good looks like.
"The ambition is clear: strategy led by you, developed in collaboration with us, and executed in partnership."
Ownership & Accountability
Where we think ownership should sit
This is the ownership model we are working towards. The principle is simple: you set the commercial direction, we translate it into channel strategy and deliver against it. The detail evolves with each client relationship.
Measurement & Success
The metrics we believe matter most
We are increasingly moving towards tracking what your finance team cares about, not what Google's dashboard defaults to. These are the metrics we think should earn their place in every report.
POAS
True efficiency after cost. The only metric that tells you whether spend is generating profit.
New Customer CAC
True acquisition cost. What you actually pay to win a customer who would not have found you otherwise.
Customer Quality
Repeat behaviour matters more than volume. A customer who buys once at a discount is not the same as one who returns.
Existing Customer Mix
Shows whether paid is reactivating lapsed customers (incremental) or over-targeting active ones (non-incremental).
Contribution Margin
Commercial truth. Revenue means nothing if the margin structure does not support it.
Incrementality
Growth that would not have happened otherwise. The question every finance team eventually asks.
Communication Cadence
Where reporting is heading
The goal is reporting that your team can take directly into a leadership discussion without additional work. This is the standard we are building towards across every engagement.
Trading Call
Decision-focused session covering performance, actions taken, and what happens next. Designed so you can take this directly into a leadership discussion without additional work.
Decision-Ready Report
Not a summary. A decision-making tool. Performance with YoY and forecast context, POAS as primary metric, new vs. existing customer breakdown, and contribution margin trajectory.
'What We Are Doing Next'
The most important section. 3-5 clear, owned actions tied directly to performance. No vague 'we will monitor' language. Specific, accountable, measurable.
Strategic Review
Deeper performance analysis against commercial targets. Incrementality findings, customer quality trends, and strategic recommendations for the period ahead.
Commercial Health Check
Full review of contribution margin, CAC trends, customer mix, and channel incrementality. The kind of analysis you would take to a board meeting.
What we aim to include weekly
- Channel performance with YoY and vs. forecast context
- POAS as primary metric (ROAS shown for context only)
- New customer acquisition: volume, CAC, and early quality signals
- Existing customer breakdown: reactivated (incremental) vs. active/loyal (non-incremental)
- Clear view on where paid drives growth vs. captures demand you would have converted organically
- Contribution margin trajectory
- Creative performance: what is scaling, declining, and being tested next
What we are moving away from
- ×Descriptive reporting that narrates numbers without recommendations
- ×Platform metrics without commercial context
- ×Reports that require interpretation before use
- ×Dashboards that need a training session to read
- ×Updates from people who do not know your account
How We Structure Activity
The direction: structure around customer state
We are increasingly moving away from structuring campaigns around what Google recommends and towards organising activity by where the customer is in their journey and whether spend creates genuinely incremental value.
Priority areas
New customer acquisition
True incrementality. Customers who would not have found you without paid activity.
Lapsed customer reactivation
High-value segment. Customers who already know you but need a reason to return.
Controlled retargeting
Not over-reliance. No wasted spend on audiences who would convert anyway.
What we actively avoid
- ×
Over-investment in branded activity
Brand campaigns that cannibalise organic traffic at £6k+/month are common. We test and prove true incrementality before committing budget.
- ×
Paying for intent you already own
If a customer would have converted organically, paying Google to claim the attribution is not growth. It is a tax.
- ×
Platform-objective-led structuring
Google wants you to maximise conversions. We want you to maximise contribution margin. These are not the same thing.
Built to prove value, not lock you in
We use a short initial period to demonstrate methodology, then move to rolling terms. If the relationship is not working, you can leave. The structure is designed to earn your continued business, not trap it.
Initial period
Fixed-term methodology implementation to prove the approach works
After that
Rolling monthly with 30-day notice. You stay because it works, not because you are locked in.
Structured check-ins
30, 60, and 90-day review points against agreed commercial targets
Reporting standards
Weekly reporting format agreed before contract starts and included in scope
Senior involvement
Embedded in weekly cadence and strategy discussions. Not limited to quarterly reviews.
Interested in where this is heading?
If this kind of partnership model sounds like what you are looking for, let us have a conversation about how it could work for your business.