Ep. 02: PMax, AI, and the Myth of Set-It-and-Forget-It – A Real Talk with Ben Lund
Performance Max can scale. But only if you control the inputs.
Otherwise? You’re handing the wheel to a robot with no map.
In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I’m joined by Ben Lund, founder of Rise Marketing Group and ex-Googler, to unpack what’s real...and what’s wildly misunderstood...about AI-driven campaigns in 2025.
We get into:
⚙️ The real value of human strategy in an AI world
📉 Why Performance Max fails when left unchecked
🧠 The mindset behind building a 7-figure agency that’s still human-first
👀 Why automation without alignment is just budget drain
💡 If you’ve ever felt the gap between AI promise and real ROI…this one’s for you.
🔗 Listen + learn more at risemkg.com and connect with Ben
Creators and Guests
Host
Adam W. Barney
Adam W. Barney is an energy coach, strategist, and author helping leaders and founders stay energized, build impact, and scale with optimism. He hosts “Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?” to unpack what’s working (and what’s just noise) in the agency world.
