In this episode, Richard Hill sits down with Alexandra Stephens, Head of Performance at eComOne, to unpack how performance marketing has transformed from granular manual work to AI-powered automation, and why human insight around profitability still matters more than ever.

Alex shares her journey from fashion merchandising to leading paid advertising strategies across Google, Meta, and Microsoft, revealing how the industry shifted from SKAG-based campaigns to algorithmic bidding. But automation isn't the full answer. She explains why ROAS has become a vanity metric, how to feed profit margin data directly into your campaigns, and why visiting a client's warehouse is non-negotiable for building real strategy.

They discuss multi-channel integration (PPC, SEO, email), creative differences between intent-driven search ads and discovery-driven social, and how to prepare for Black Friday a month in advance by segmenting products early. Alex also introduces incrementally testing, proving what's actually driving revenue versus what just looks good on a dashboard, and shares her thoughts on the upcoming wave of ads on ChatGPT and other LLMs.

If you're running paid campaigns, managing budgets across channels, or trying to shift from surface-level metrics to genuine profit growth, this episode delivers tactical frameworks and real-world advice from someone actively managing multi-million pound accounts.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Topics Covered

00:04 — Introduction: Performance marketing and measuring real impact

00:52 — Meet Alexandra Stephens, Head of Performance at eComOne

01:28 — Alex's journey from fashion merchandising to performance marketing

02:49 — The shift from manual SKAG campaigns to AI-driven automation

04:06 — Why profit margins matter more than ROAS

07:24 — Understanding your client's business and warehouse operations

09:42 — How paid advertising works alongside SEO and email

13:34 — Creative strategy differences: search ads vs. social ads

16:10 — Where automation helps and where manual intervention is essential

17:39 — Preparing for Black Friday and peak trading periods

19:39 — Incrementality testing and proving true campaign effectiveness

21:28 — Ads on ChatGPT and LLMs for eCommerce brands

22:37 — Book recommendation: Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

23:08 — Where to find Alex and connect on LinkedIn