Case study
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Germany powers up their e-commerce campaigns with AI-driven advertising tools
The goal
Kickstarting sales through AI-powered campaigns, multichannel expansion, and smarter targeting
As an industry leader and first mover, Samsung Electronics Germany recognized that as the number of placements and channels that customers interact with grows, AI could allow them to be everywhere at once and dynamically create ads that resonate with their audiences to enhance engagement.
Additionally, AI could improve their abilities to make faster, data-driven decisions, which could help them cut down the time spent on important, but time-consuming tasks like reporting, while still getting the insights they needed.
Together with Microsoft Advertising, Samsung set out to explore innovative AI-based solutions, extend their audience reach, and experiment with modern, performance-driven ad experiences.
The solution
Driving Results Together with Performance Max and Microsoft Copilot
Samsung worked with their media agency Starcom (part of Publicis Media) and Microsoft Advertising to optimize Performance Max (PMax) in their campaign portfolio alongside traditional search campaigns. PMax offers key advantages that were crucial for Samsung's advertising success. As an all-in-one AI-powered campaign, PMax combines search, product, native, and display ads across the Microsoft Advertising Network. It uses predictive targeting to pinpoint audiences with intent signals and deliver assets that resonate.
- Unmatched Reach: PMax ensures extensive reach, helping Samsung maintain and expand its market share.
- Tap into Conversational AI with Ads in Copilot: PMax is the primary method for serving ads in Microsoft Copilot. These effective ads boost sales and conversion rates, acting like a digital marketing assistant.
- Contextual Immersivity: PMax seamlessly integrates ads across various consumer surfaces, enhancing the consumer experience.
Samsung had been experimenting with PMax since 2022, working with Starcom to test, learn, and adjust to understand the best way to drive meaningful business results. Building on their learnings, they relaunched their PMax campaigns with a refined setup in time for Black Friday in 2024—with clearer campaign goals, stronger data signals, and optimized creative assets.
“During the critical Black Friday period, our Performance Max campaigns delivered results on par with Search in terms of both ROAS and conversion rate—proving their value in reaching new audiences and driving performance. Based on this success, we’ve expanded PMax across additional product categories and made it a core part of our long-term digital marketing strategy."
— Marina Korenkova – Digital Performance Marketing Manager D2C, Samsung Electronics Germany
Product ads in Microsoft Bing for Samsung Galaxy S25
Multimedia ads in Microsoft Bing for Samsung Galaxy S25
Product ads in Microsoft Copilot for Samsung Galaxy S25
“For me, the placement of Product ads within Microsoft Copilot is a key advantage of Performance Max via Microsoft Advertising. No other ad platform in the industry lets you advertise within AI agents."
— Daniel Haag, Team Lead Marketing D2C, Samsung Electronics Germany
Ultimately, adding PMax alongside their existing search campaigns was the perfect fit for Samsung's needs, allowing them to branch into new channels and reach new audiences to drive more conversions.
The collaboration with Starcom played a crucial role in ensuring an efficient and data-driven campaign execution. Their expertise in media strategy and optimization contributed to achieving Samsung’s goals and maximizing the impact of Microsoft Advertising’s latest innovations.
Here’s a few ways Starcom and Samsung optimized PMax:
- Search themes: These helped the team target relevant audiences and better align with user intent.
- Brand exclusion lists: Samsung was able to exercise greater targeting control and budget efficiency by excluding brands they didn't want their ads to be associated with. This ensured the campaign focused on relevant brand positioning without any overlap.
- Search term report: This report shows what people are searching for when your ads are shown—enabling Samsung to refine ad copy, optimize search theme targeting, and make real-time strategic adjustments.
- Tailored strategy for Bing: Rather than simply importing Google campaigns, Samsung developed a strategy specifically for Bing with a more consolidated campaign structure. Prioritizing effectiveness over granularity better aligned with platform-specific strengths and user behavior.
Samsung and Starcom also leveraged Perfomance Max to create Product Ads, Responsive Search ads, and Multimedia ads. These ad types — displayed within ad placements within Microsoft Copilot during active user interactions—occur in key moments of product exploration. The seamless integration into conversational chat flow highlights a novel approach to reaching users within AI-assisted environments. And along the way, Samsung and Starcom had 24/7 real-time support from Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform. They relied on Copilot's Performance snapshot capability in conversational chat to get weekly performance overviews and insights using generative AI.
Performance snapshot for Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform
Campaign diagnostics for Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform
“Integrating Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform into our workflow has reduced the time spent on weekly campaign analysis and reporting by 30–40%. This enables us to make optimization decisions and roll out iterations much faster."
— Marco Berghoff, Managing Partner, Publicis Media
The results
Samsung crushes KPIs with campaign engagement and efficiency
The impact was clear: 2025 kicked off as Samsung’s most efficient year yet with Microsoft Advertising.
The new PMax setup delivered a significant short-term boost in revenue during the 2024 Black Friday period. ROAS more than doubled, while maintaining consistently strong conversion rates over the past three years.
And compared to previous years, the learning phase was noticeably shorter, allowing Samsung to reach optimal performance faster. Encouraged by reliable results, Samsung implemented PMax as an always-on strategy on Bing — extending the benefits beyond seasonal peaks, flagship launches and into ongoing campaign activity.
“Microsoft Advertising Network has become a must-buy for us, not only because of its high-value audience, but also thanks to its powerful AI-driven tools that help us reach and engage them more effectively year after year."
— Daniel Haag, Team Lead Marketing D2C, Samsung Electronics Germany
Samsung's campaigns made significant improvements across key performance metrics:
- High investment with high efficiency: After relaunching their PMax campaigns, Samsung increased investment by 260% in a competitive environment while maintaining stable ROAS, resulting in significantly enhanced outcomes.
- 2.8x higher click-through rates (CTR) since 2022: Better ad relevance improved audience engagement, leading to CTR growing for three straight years.
- Higher conversion volume: Overall conversion volume increased with improved audience targeting from 2022 to 2025.
- 35% time saved in reporting: Copilot provided helpful support in tracking performance and conducting weekly analysis.
Achieving stable performance at significantly higher spend levels highlights not only the strength of the creative and targeting approach, but also the power of Microsoft’s AI-driven PMax platform to deliver consistent results under greater pressure.
“As the customer journey grows increasingly complex, Microsoft Advertising’s cutting-edge AI innovations empower us to stay ahead of the competition and unlock significant value for our business. The partnership with our Microsoft Advertising account team is truly collaborative and strategic. Together with our agency Starcom and the always-on support from Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform, we feel fully equipped to make fast, data-driven decisions and continuously optimize our campaigns."
— Simona leseanu, Head of Marketing D2C, Samsung Electronics Germany
With a clear testament to the efficiency and scalability of the campaign strategy, Samsung also proved that PMax played a complementary role with their traditional search campaigns during the holiday season.
“We’ve seen Performance Max evolve into a highly profitable campaign type. In 2024, our campaigns drove a 143% increase in revenue compared to the previous year, highlighting a significant year-over-year performance gain."
— Daniel Haag, Team Lead Marketing D2C, Samsung Electronics Germany
How to achieve similar success
Want to see the same kind of success in your own organization? Just follow these best practices:
- Use AI-driven advertising tools: Performance Max and Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform deliver data-backed insights and enhance campaign performance.
- Improve targeting with search themes and brand exclusions: Ensure ad relevance and efficiency by refining audience targeting.
- Analyze performance in real time: Use search term insights and AI-powered analytics to adjust campaigns dynamically.
- Work with expert partners: Team up with experienced media agencies to get the most out of new advertising technologies.
By implementing these strategies, you can increase engagement, conversions, and return on investment in a competitive digital landscape. Talk to a Microsoft advertising expert today to learn more.
Your input makes us better
Take our quick 3-minute survey and help us transform your website experience.
