This case study highlights how we at Vertex Expert Network supported a qualitative research initiative focused on understanding small and mid-sized businesses that actively run digital advertising but do not use Google Ads. The study explored their motivations, platform preferences, and barriers to adoption across key global markets.
We at Vertex Expert Network conducted a multi-market study across the United States, Germany, and India to engage SMB decision-makers responsible for digital marketing strategy and ad spend allocation.
The research focused on businesses that:
- Actively run paid digital advertising campaigns
- Use platforms such as Meta, LinkedIn, Amazon Ads, TikTok, and others
- Do not currently advertise on Google Ads or YouTube Ads
- Primarily focus on lead generation as their marketing objective
A total of 20 participants were recruited for in-depth interviews, ensuring representation across industries including:
- Finance
- Healthcare
- Automotive
- B2B / SaaS / IT services
- Local business services
The objective was to understand why qualified advertisers choose alternative platforms over Google’s ecosystem and how they evaluate performance across digital channels.
Targeted SMB Recruitment:
A total of 20 participants were recruited for in-depth interviews, ensuring representation across industries including:
- Finance
- Healthcare
- Automotive
- B2B / SaaS / IT services
- Local business services
The objective was to understand why qualified advertisers choose alternative platforms over Google’s ecosystem and how they evaluate performance across digital channels.
We at Vertex implemented a strict screening process to identify business owners and marketing leaders actively managing digital advertising budgets.
Participants were required to:
- Be directly involved in digital marketing decision-making
- Have active ad spend across non-Google platforms
- Operate within independently owned SMBs
- Be responsible for or closely involved in campaign setup and strategy
- Maintain monthly marketing budgets within defined thresholds
Global Market Coverage:
We recruited participants across:
- United States
- Germany
- India
Ensuring balanced representation across company size, industry verticals, and marketing maturity levels.
In-Depth 1:1 Interviews:
A total of 20 one-on-one qualitative interviews (60 minutes each) were conducted via moderated sessions.
Each discussion focused on understanding:
- Current digital advertising mix and platform strategy
- Reasons for avoiding or not adopting Google Ads / YouTube Ads
- Performance expectations across different ad platforms
- Lead generation strategies and channel effectiveness
- Budget allocation and experimentation behavior
Strict Qualification Criteria:
All participants met key requirements, including:
- Active digital advertising across at least one major platform
- No current use of Google Ads (or minimal recent exposure within strict thresholds)
- Decision-making authority over marketing or direct involvement in execution
- Minimum operational scale and marketing budget thresholds
Engagement in ongoing or planned digital advertising activity
The study delivered clear insights into how SMB advertisers approach platform selection and digital marketing strategy outside the Google ecosystem.
Key findings included:
- Strong reliance on Meta, LinkedIn, and niche platforms for lead generation
- Preference for platforms perceived as more predictable or cost-efficient in performance
- Strategic experimentation with multiple ad channels to diversify acquisition
- Varying levels of familiarity and confidence with Google Ads among non-users
These insights helped the client better understand barriers to adoption, competitive positioning challenges, and opportunities to re-engage SMB advertisers across global markets.
- SMB founders, owners, and senior marketing decision-makers.
- Heads of marketing and digital marketing managers responsible for paid media strategy.
- Business operators managing multi-platform digital advertising budgets.
Marketing leads actively running or overseeing lead generation campaigns.
Have a similar research challenge? Vertex helps organizations uncover actionable insights through expert recruitment and qualitative research.
