Ad Review Call — 2026-04-05
Overview
Scullin was reviewed as part of a broader weekly ad review call covering five clients. The focus for Scullin was campaign performance across branded, retirement, and competitor search campaigns, with a specific recommendation to change bid strategy on the competitor search and retirement campaigns to target CPA.
Attendees: Melissa Cusumano, Gilbert Barrongo, Mark Hope (Asymmetric)
Campaign Performance Summary
| Campaign | Notes |
|---|---|
| Branded | High conversions; already using target CPA bid strategy |
| Retirement | High conversions; CPC elevated (~$63 cost per conversion) |
| Competitor Search | High CPC (~$120); lower conversion quality due to intent mismatch |
Competitor Search Campaign
The competitor search campaign targets users searching for competing brands. As discussed, these campaigns inherently carry higher CPCs and lower conversion quality because users clicking the ad often realize it isn't what they were looking for. The current bid strategy (Maximize Conversions) is not constraining spend efficiently.
"They click on it and then realize it's not what they were looking for." — Mark Hope
Retirement Campaign
Cost per conversion is approximately $63. While this is elevated, the team noted that a single sign-up in this business is worth tens of thousands of dollars, making the economics defensible. However, bringing the CPA down is still desirable.
Key Decisions
- Change bid strategy on the competitor search and retirement campaigns from Maximize Conversions to Target CPA
- Starting target CPA: $40, with the intent to reduce from there as the algorithm gathers data
- The branded campaign already runs on target CPA and is performing well — this serves as the model for the other campaigns
Action Items
- [ ] Gilbert — Update bid strategy on Scullin competitor search and retirement campaigns to Target CPA at $40 (to be completed same day, post-meeting)
Context & Notes
- Scullin is a financial services / retirement planning client where a single conversion carries very high lifetime value, which justifies higher CPCs relative to most accounts
- The branded campaign's existing target CPA setup is the reference point for this change
- No other structural changes were discussed for this review cycle; landing pages and ad creative were not flagged as concerns
Related
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- [2]