Case study

Marks & Spencer

December 12, 2024

A person is lying on a bed, wearing a purple satin camisole and shorts set with pink lace trim.

The goal

For nearly 150 years, the name Marks & Spencer has been synonymous with quality, style, innovation, and value. Offering a wide selection of food, clothing, and home goods, Marks & Spencer is one of the UK’s most trusted and beloved brands. With advertising costs on the rise and return on ad spend diminishing, the team at Marks & Spencer pivoted their advertising strategy by leveraging Microsoft Performance Max while it was still in beta.

The solution

By trialing PMAX, Marks & Spencer was able to leverage Microsoft’s industry-leading AI capabilities, combining them with the power of engaging ads that helped them reach the right audience at the right time. By maximizing conversions and experimenting with different combinations of creative assets, Marks and Spencer saw significant results — and all from a single, unified campaign. PMAX boosted revenue by 227% with just a 32% spend increase.

“Microsoft Performance Max has been incredibly beneficial for us. We’ve been able to control costs and improve ROAS while ensuring paid search is hitting its targets, which plays a large part in Marks & Spencer’s wider business success."

— Dan Thompson-Rourke, Paid Search Assistant Manager, Marks & Spencer

The results

As a result of the lingerie team’s initial success, Marks & Spencer decided to launch further Performance Max campaigns across additional categories. PMAX now accounts for 30% of their total revenue.