The Modern Media Buying Playbook for Google and Meta

If you've been in paid media for more than five minutes, you know things are changing fast. But for many DTC brands, the real shift isn’t just algorithmic. It’s operational.

Top operators are no longer thinking in isolated channels or scattered tactics. They're thinking holistically. In full loops. And nowhere is that more apparent than in how the best media buyers now run ads on Meta and Google.

Why Structure Matters More Than Ever

The first thing elite buyers will tell you? Account structure is not optional anymore. A messy account equals messy data. And when your data is messy, your optimization is too.

With Meta, the shift is toward simplicity. Gone are the days of twenty different ad sets. Now, buyers focus on consolidated structures that let the algorithm work with broader signals. One campaign. Few ad sets. Multiple creatives.

On Google, it’s about signal strength and intent layering. If Meta is discovery, Google is demand capture. But both require clean, clear structure to learn and optimize correctly.

Creatives Are the Real Targeting

In both platforms, creative is doing the heavy lifting. Not audience targeting. And that means volume is no longer a nice-to-have.

Brands should be running five to ten new creatives weekly across both Meta and Google. Think video-first on Meta, and search-aligned display or Performance Max on Google.

But more than quantity, the key is diversity. You need a range of angles, formats, and hooks that map to different stages of awareness. That’s how you build a resilient ad account.

Measurement Is an Ecosystem

One of the biggest shifts is how performance is measured. It’s no longer just ROAS inside Meta or Google. Top teams are looking at blended metrics. They’re tracking MER (marketing efficiency ratio), payback windows, new customer revenue, and cohort-level LTV.

Even on Meta, where attribution is notoriously noisy, performance is triangulated. Buyers are combining platform data with post-purchase surveys, GA4, and tools like triple-tagging to get a clearer picture.

At FLF, we encourage our clients to zoom out. Ad platforms will always have inconsistencies. But when you align your creative testing, media structure, and measurement frameworks, the picture gets a lot clearer.

Creative Strategy and Media Need to Sit Together

This is a big one. In most brands, creative and performance teams are siloed. One makes the ads. The other runs them. But that model is outdated.

High-growth brands are blending the two. Media buyers are sitting in on creative brainstorms. Strategists are helping map messaging to audience cohorts. There’s a shared language between performance and production.

The result? Better ideas. Faster iteration. Clearer learnings. And ads that actually work.

The Ad Account Is a Feedback Loop

The best teams treat their ad account like a living organism. Inputs (like creative) go in. Performance data comes out. That data informs new creative. And the loop continues.

Creative testing is no longer just for creative’s sake. It’s part of a system. You run tests. You learn what’s working. You scale the winners and kill the losers. Then you brief in the next round based on real feedback.

This loop is what powers compounding growth. And it only works if the whole team is aligned.

Full-Funnel Planning Is Table Stakes

The smartest media buyers are mapping every asset to a specific part of the funnel. That means you’re not just launching ads. You’re launching TOF (top-of-funnel) ads for discovery, MOF (middle-of-funnel) ads for education, and BOF (bottom-of-funnel) ads for conversion.

Each stage has a role:

• TOF: Introduce the brand. Hook attention. Build curiosity.

• MOF: Explain the offer. Build belief. Overcome objections.

• BOF: Push for the conversion. Answer FAQs. Create urgency.

And these stages don’t live in silos. A great BOF ad might double as a TOF ad when repackaged with a new hook.

Retargeting Is Getting Smarter

With limited tracking and smaller custom audiences, retargeting has changed. It’s not about chasing the same user across the internet anymore. It’s about using intent signals and site behavior to build smarter segments.

Buyers are relying more on platform-built audiences, engagement-based retargeting, and contextual sequencing. The goal is to match the message to the moment, not just the person.

The New Media Buyer

The job description has changed. Today’s media buyer needs to:

• Understand creative strategy

• Navigate attribution complexity

• Think across channels

• Work closely with data and creative teams

They’re not button-pushers. They’re strategists. Analysts. Storytellers. And they’re the bridge between product, brand, and customer.

Final Thought

The old playbook is fading fast. What’s replacing it is not a single tactic or hack, but a more integrated way of operating.

At Feels Like Friday, we build systems where media, creative, and strategy work together. Because that’s what it takes now.

Whether you’re spending five thousand or five hundred thousand a month, the fundamentals are the same.

Treat your ad account like a system. Build with intention. Learn fast. And never stop evolving.