Why performance spend alone won’t drive 2026 success

For years, brands have relied on Google and Meta for fast, measurable results. Spend in. Revenue out. And it worked – until it didn’t. As media costs rise and platforms grow more unpredictable, that comfort zone has turned into a dependency trap. With the rise of AI, changes to cookie regulation, and social search changing the landscape, it’s no wonder some brands are feeling overwhelmed. It’s not enough in 2025 to rely just on your performance marketing to drive your brand forward. We unpacked this in our latest webinar, “Why Your Performance Spend Won’t Drive Growth in 2026,” with Lydia Hinchliff, Strategy VP at Journey Further, and Chloe Byrne, eCommerce Manager at Silver Cross. Their message? You can’t buy your way to sustainable growth – you have to earn it.  

When dependence becomes risk

As Lydia explains:

“Growth looks strong on paper, but it becomes fragile when you need to reduce spend. Performance media should scale what’s working – not be the growth engine itself.”

Silver Cross, a 140-year-old heritage brand, learned this first-hand.

“We were hitting sales targets,” Chloe shared, “but at the sacrifice of ROAS. The percentage of spend versus revenue kept creeping up. It just wasn’t sustainable.”

That realisation sparked a mindset shift from chasing quick wins to building something that could stand without constant spending.  

Building a brand that can breathe

Over the past year, Silver Cross has deliberately built stronger brand foundations: improving organic visibility, amplifying advocacy, and investing in creative that earns attention rather than buys it. The results? Two recent pushchair launches achieved viral-level exposure – powered by organic momentum rather than media alone. “If our performance budget was cut tomorrow,” Chloe said, “we’d lose some of those lower conversion value, quicker consideration purchases, but the core business would hold. We’ve built enough momentum to stand on our own two feet thanks to our top-funnel work.”  

Performance media has its place – just not centre stage

Performance media isn’t the villain. It’s the accelerator. But it should only scale what’s already proven to work. So ask yourself:

• Where would growth come from if you paused paid spend for a month?
• Are you buying attention or building loyalty?
• Does your brand inspire advocacy on its own?

These are the questions that separate brands built for a quarter from brands built for a decade.  

Rebalancing for 2026

The next era of growth belongs to brands with the courage to play the long game: brands strong enough to thrive when spend slows down. As Lydia states:

“It’s not about walking away from performance media. It’s not about turning that off, but it’s about putting it back in its proper place, using it really deliberately in service of your brand, your business that is strong enough to stand without it.”

  Watch the full webinar here Book a strategy session our team