Hot take: Most PPC managers aren’t running strategy. They’re running reflexes. A
By Elizabeth Greene · February 18, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Hot take: Most PPC managers aren’t running strategy.
They’re running reflexes.
ACoS goes up.
Drop bids.
ACoS goes down.
Raise bids.
Placement spikes.
Pull it back.
Placement dips.
Push it harder.
That’s not strategy.
That’s reacting to a dashboard.
And reacting feels productive.
You’re inside the account.
You’re moving levers.
You’re “optimizing.”
But nothing fundamental changes.
Here’s what strategy actually looks like:
You decide which SKU deserves budget.
Not based on emotion. Based on margin and inventory depth.
You decide which queries are proven.
Not “relevant.” Not “high volume.”
Proven. Converting. Profitable.
You decide which spend is dead.
And you cut it without hesitation.
Strategy is capital allocation.
Most PPC managers never get there.
They live in campaign settings.
They argue about placement modifiers.
They tweak bids daily.
Meanwhile…
No clear ACoS targets per SKU.
No defined breakeven.
No scaling rules.
No kill rules.
Just motion.
Amazon will always give you something to adjust.
That doesn’t mean you should.
If your “strategy” changes every time yesterday’s data shifts…
You don’t have a strategy.
You have anxiety with access to ad spend.
Average managers optimize campaigns.
Strategic operators allocate capital.
Big difference.
Stop reacting.
Start deciding.