A recent analysis by industry consultant Richard Angel reveals that up to 25% of performance media spending erroneously fluctuates across digital advertising campaigns. The findings shared on March 24, 2025 highlight the persistent challenges in digital marketing implementation, despite the expansion of artificial intelligence capabilities across major platforms.
Performance Marketing, Retail Media and Martech consultant Angel have published these observations as part of their ongoing work to conduct performance marketing audits and capabilities reviews of brands. His evaluation comes when there are many organizations Quickly adopt new platform features without addressing basic operational issues.
“Recent projects revealed that up to 25% of performance media spending is accidentally arranging or wasted. This is a result of poor platform knowledge, poor control mechanisms, and excessive reliance on historical budgeting divisions rather than current performance,” according to Angel.
Audit results show that many organizations continue to struggle with the fundamentals of implementation across their digital marketing operations. Common issues include inaccurate transformation tracking, inappropriate technology deployment, and audience configuration issues. These technical drawbacks often remain undetected until an external review is carried out.
Angel specifically identified several recurring challenges across multiple client engagements. Among the most common issues were “campaigns launched without a clear purpose” and “outdated or inflexible account structures, with limited scalability.” These underlying issues continue despite significant advances in platform capabilities and increased investment in digital channels.
The findings also highlighted patterns of concern regarding the implementation of automated features. According to Angel, many organizations have adopted “new AI-driven platform capabilities without governance, assets, data integrity, or the brand risk control needed to effectively use them.” This observation highlights the disconnect between technical capabilities and operational preparation within many marketing departments.
Another important issue identified in this study was “lack of customer journey considerations and viewer-first thinking.” This strategic oversight shows that many organizations focus on platform mechanics rather than developing comprehensive audience strategies that match consumer behavior patterns.
The analysis also examined the role of creative assets in performance marketing campaigns. Angel said, “Creatives are often treated as an afterthought rather than a core driver for performance.” This approach means that assets are “reused past prime, either with limited testing or in a structured update cycle.”
Platform algorithms can optimize creative elements, but research should not work without proper planning and collaboration with creative teams. The lack of integration between creative development and campaign execution was identified as a key factor that undermines campaign performance. “Without this, targeted campaigns will also perform poorly,” Angel said.
Operational issues went beyond campaign implementation to reporting and analytics capabilities. Organizations generally struggle to establish a “single source of truth in reporting” and develop “naming conventions” that “make basic analysis unnecessary difficulties.”
Structural issues are also common, with many “performance marketing specialists working together from other media channels, products, sales, or commercial teams operating isolated from each other.” This siloed approach prevents effective collaboration and limits the ability to develop integrated marketing strategies.
Dan Cholton, who describes his work as increasing profits for enterprise advertisers, has reinforced these findings in his response to Angel's ratings. “I couldn't agree with Richard any more. Governance is essential to success. All the right and great basics in place, have a clear purpose, a proper account structure (with naming conventions) and definitely spend more time creatively!” Coulton wrote.
Research shows that these challenges exist regardless of whether the media is internally managed or by external agencies. This suggests that the problem is not specific to a particular organizational structure and is systematic across the industry.
Angel characterized these fundamentals as “glorious basics,” noting that “the term may sound simple, but it remains an important indicator of whether performance marketing is set to provide value.” His analysis concluded, “Standards, structures, and proper governance should not be an option. It's accountable to the channel, scalable and effective.”
The implications of these findings are important for organizations investing in digital marketing. There is a substantial financial incentive to address these challenges, as up to a quarter of media spending can be wasted due to implementation issues.
The study also suggests that technological advancements alone are insufficient to improve marketing performance without corresponding improvements in operational capabilities. This contradicts the common industry narrative that new technologies automatically lead to enhanced results.
The timing of these observations is particularly relevant given the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence capabilities across major advertising platforms. While these features offer potential performance benefits, Angel's findings show that they lack the basic elements needed to effectively utilize many organizations.
Several industry experts have been engaged in analyzing angels, highlighting their association with current market conditions. Describing himself as a human-focused marketing executive and business strategist, Prakash Patel suggested establishing a consultant called “#Dome-Marketing Efficiency Division” in response to the findings.
The study also encourages Chorlton to refer to his own research on paid search naming rules, indicating that standardization remains a continuing challenge for many organizations. His guide is intended to address one particular aspect of the “great basics” identified in the angel evaluation.
