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Apr 15, 2026 Lexy Ware

Blog Recap: Push and Pull Advertising: Prioritizing Your Digital Ads Budget in 2026

Past Event: Push and Pull Advertising: Prioritizing Your Digital Ads Budget in 2026

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With attention fragmented across podcasts, streaming, and social feeds, the question for advertisers in 2026 isn’t where they could show up — it’s where every dollar will actually work. At April’s Social Media Breakfast Madison, Lasso Marketing founder Tyler Wagner laid out a framework: push to fill the funnel, pull to capture demand, and when budget is tight, focus on the one platform that solves the real business problem. Here’s how it translates to Google, Meta, and LinkedIn.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Google and Meta have a monopoly and are the best avenues through which to advertise
  • Push and Pull Advertising- Push means pushing out to an audience, they are asking for our advertising. Pull advertising we are bringing in people who have expressed intent.
  • “Creative” is the new targeting for Meta and moves the needle forward on the platform.
  • “Creative” means more audience. 
  • Targeting is more advanced on LinkedIn than other platforms

“One way to think about digital advertising is what problem am I trying to solve,” says Tyler.

You can view the presentation slides here: Push and Pull Advertising

How Google, Meta, and LinkedIn Ads Work — and When to Use Each

Tyler’s stage-setter was simple: most of the world’s ad budget flows to two platforms because that’s where audiences are. Alphabet is projected to pull $229B and Meta $220B in 2026 ad revenue — more than four times the next-largest platform (Amazon at $70B). For B2B specifically, LinkedIn punches above its weight, capturing 41% of B2B ad budgets and reaching 83% of IT decision-makers. That’s why the session focused on these three.

Meta Ads carry an average CPM of about $4.55, making them the most cost-efficient of the three for raw reach. The big shift in 2025 was the rollout of Andromeda, Meta’s overhauled targeting algorithm. Manual audience inputs matter less now; creative itself functions as a targeting signal, with Meta matching ads to users based on what each individual responds to. The practical implication: more creative variations — different formats, different messages, different visual approaches — unlock more audience. If you only remember one thing about Meta in 2026, it’s that creative is the new targeting, and that means investing in a designer is no longer optional. Activate Meta when you have qualified audiences (customer lists, lookalikes, page engagers) and a diverse creative library ready to deploy.

LinkedIn Ads run an average CPM of $39.80 — over 8x what Meta charges. That premium buys the most granular B2B targeting available anywhere: industry, function, company, company size, seniority, job title, group memberships, and the newer buyer-group targeting that reaches the “hidden buyers” who influence decisions without holding the obvious titles. LinkedIn also runs thought leader ads, which generate 2.2x higher click-through rates than image ads and let you build top-of-funnel awareness through individuals on your team rather than a brand page. The rule of thumb Tyler shared: the higher your customer LTV, the more LinkedIn pays off. For deal sizes well below the $50K mark, the math gets harder to justify.

Google Ads is really six campaign types under one roof — Search, Display, Video (YouTube), Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen — each suited to a different funnel stage. Search captures expressed demand and splits into brand (people searching your name) and non-brand (people searching the category) — typically run as separate campaigns to control budget and prevent cannibalization. YouTube delivers premium CTV inventory with zip-code-level granularity at the largest streaming service in the U.S. (13% of all TV viewership). Performance Max is the automated full-funnel option that runs across YouTube, Search, Display, Gmail, Discover, and Maps — Tyler noted his own stance has softened over the past year as Google’s algorithm has improved and AI overview placements increasingly require Performance Max or broad match to show up.

The short version: Meta for engaging qualified audiences with creative diversity, LinkedIn for B2B with a defined ICP and full-funnel content, Google for capturing expressed demand and reaching across all of Google’s properties.

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT:

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The purpose and mission is for these children to – Feel included, loved, and special; Be accepted for what they can do and who they are; Be a participant instead of a spectator in an activity; Build self-esteem; Laugh, enjoy, and have fun; and never let any boundary define them.

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What’s Next

March’s Social Media Breakfast Madison (May 20 7:30-9) will feature “Getting Mentioned by AI: Separating Snake Oil from Sound Advice” Steve Robinson, Co-founder, Path3. This event will be in-person and virtual. Be sure to follow Social Media Breakfast Madison on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.