The plan is working, and it is working better than modelled
Through seven months we have spent $12,164 on nonbranded against a plan of $12,800, and returned $73,385 against a modelled $47,100. That is a 6.03x blended ROAS versus a 3.7x target.
The comparison that matters is against last year. Over the same Jan to Jul window in 2025 the account spent $24,163 and returned $59,165, a 2.45x. So 2026 has produced 24% more revenue on 50% less spend. The summer reset was the whole thesis of this forecast and it held: May through July came in at $4,260 combined versus $17,254 in the same three months of 2025.
Monthly Nonbranded Spend • 2025 Actual, 2026 Plan, 2026 Actual
Monthly Nonbranded ROAS • Actual vs Target
Act nowAugust is pacing at half the plan
August is the month the forecast designated as the demand recovery ramp, budgeted at $2,900 on the back of an 8.61x August 2025. Six days in we have spent $272, which annualises to roughly $1,400 for the month. If the ramp is intentional we should say so. If it is a budget or bidding constraint, this is the single most time sensitive item on the page.
OpportunityA 6x return against a 4x target says the cap is the constraint, not the efficiency
Every complete month except May cleared its ROAS target, four of them by 40% or more. Consistently returning 6x on a 4x target is the signature of a budget that is throttling delivery rather than a media plan that is at its limit. April is the clearest example: 7.25x on a 14% underspend. The Q4 numbers in this plan were sized in February against 2025 performance and now look conservative.
ConfirmedThe summer reset was the right call and should stay in next year's plan
May through July 2025 burned $17,254 at a 1.54x. The same three months in 2026 spent $4,260 and returned $25,364, a 5.95x. We cut $12,994 of spend out of the summer and revenue moved only $1,177, a 4% dip. Close to thirteen thousand dollars of spend was buying almost nothing. This is the finding to carry into the 2027 forecast.
WatchMay is the one soft spot
May came in at 2.84x against a 3.0x target, the only month to miss. It is a small miss on a small budget and not worth acting on alone, but May has now underperformed two years running (1.18x in 2025) and should be modelled at a lower target next year rather than treated as an anomaly.