# Travel Microsoft Ads: 15% Higher ROAS With PMax | OVERTOP [Home](/)›[Success stories](/success-stories/)›[Microsoft Ads](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/)›icelolly.com Microsoft Ads success story · Holiday comparison and travel deals site # How icelolly.com earned a 15% higher return on ad spend with Microsoft Performance Max. icelolly.com, the UK holiday deals site run by Ice Travel Group, wanted to reach travellers before they typed a search. Performance Max, travel audiences and patient bidding gave it a higher return and cheaper clicks than its Search campaigns. Businessicelolly.com MarketUnited Kingdom GoalReach more holidaymakers at a better return ## The results. Compared with its traditional Search campaigns over the last six months. - **15%**higher return on ad spend than Search - **32%**lower cost per click than Search - **40%**of total search investment now in Performance Max Performance Max ran on Microsoft Advertising from June 2025. Microsoft compares the last six months with traditional Search campaigns in a story published February 10, 2026, and does not state the exact dates or how the results were measured. ## The challenge. icelolly.com is a UK holiday comparison and travel deals site run by Ice Travel Group. It helps people find package holidays and compare prices before they book. Search ads had long been its main way to win those shoppers on Microsoft Advertising. Search only reaches people at the moment they type. Many holidaymakers spend weeks browsing destinations, reading reviews and watching for deals before that point. The team wanted to reach those travellers earlier, and to do it profitably, with campaigns efficient enough to scale up quickly when demand rose. ## What they did. Performance Max campaigns · Travel in-market audiences · Automated bidding to a return target · Budget caps for peak season Added Performance MaxIn June 2025 the company launched [Performance Max campaigns](https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/solutions/ad-products-formats/performance-max), which use one budget to show ads across search results and the wider Microsoft network. The aim was to find new holidaymakers and win sales that Search alone was missing.Gave the system room to learnEarly on, the return targets were set at a realistic level rather than an aggressive one. A looser target lets automated bidding try more auctions, so it learns what works faster.Pointed it at real travellersThe campaigns used travel [in-market audiences](https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/tools/performance/audience-targeting): people Microsoft can see are actively comparing destinations, browsing deals or planning a seasonal trip. That gave the system strong clues about who to reach beyond search.Paced spend for peak seasonBudget caps were watched closely so money lasted through the busy holiday planning periods, instead of running out early in the week or the month.Scaled what workedAs the results held up, Performance Max grew to 40% of the company’s total search investment. ## Why it worked. Our read on the decisions behind the numbers, and what any business can take from them. Holidays are planned, not impulse buysTravellers browse for weeks before they book. Reaching them while they are still comparing places a brand in the running before the final search.Audiences sharpen automationAutomated campaigns are only as good as the signals they get. Telling the system who is in the market for a trip helped it spend on likely buyers, not casual browsers.Patience pays earlyTight return targets on day one can starve a new campaign of data. Starting realistic, then tightening, gave the bidding enough room to find profitable traffic.Judged against SearchThe results were measured against the company’s own Search campaigns, so the higher return and cheaper clicks show what Performance Max added, not just how busy the season was. ## How we would run this play for your business. You do not need a national budget to use the same ideas. This is how Overtop Media Digital Marketing puts them to work in our [microsoft ads management](/microsoft-ads/). Launch with a plan to learnWe set realistic targets in the first weeks, then tighten them as the data comes in, so your new campaigns find profitable customers instead of stalling.Feed the right signalsWe add audiences of people already shopping for what you sell, plus your customer lists and conversion tracking, so the system spends on buyers.Protect your busy seasonWe pace budgets around your peak weeks and watch spend daily, so you are visible when demand is highest. That is the core of our [Microsoft Ads management](/microsoft-ads/).Run it beside GoogleMany of your customers use both search engines. Our [Google Ads management](/google-ads/) runs the same play there, with one view of what each channel returns. ## Who this play fits. You do not have to be a holiday comparison and travel deals site to use the same approach. It is a strong fit for: - Travel agents and tour operators - Hotels, resorts and holiday lets - Comparison and deals websites - Online stores with seasonal peaks - Event and attraction ticket sellers - Any business whose buyers research before they book ## Want results like these? Tell us about your business and your goals. We will show you where Microsoft ads can bring you customers, and what it would take. [Start growing with Microsoft ads](#audit) [Or call (704) 237-0707 ›](tel:7042370707) [See how we run Microsoft ads for our clients ›](/microsoft-ads/) ## More Microsoft ads success stories. - [ Home and building **318%** greater return on ad spend ### Len The Plumber Heating and Air Read the story › ](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/len-the-plumber-heating-and-air/) - [ Financial services **40%** more conversions ### BBVA Mexico Read the story › ](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/bbva-mexico/) - [ Software and technology **778%** return on ad spend (roughly) ### Superhuman Read the story › ](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/superhuman/) [See all Microsoft ads success stories ›](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/) Results as published by Microsoft Advertising in its Ice Travel Group success story. Results for other businesses will differ. Analysis by Victor Bubuioc, MBA, Digital Performance and Growth Expert, published October 12, 2026.