Sail CMO Brief — 2026-09-03

TL;DR

Meta carries the loop. Sail-scoped Meta spend $1,552 (7d) / $4,777 (28d), 1.7% CTR, 288 leads @ $16.59 blended.
Hotel lead magnet is the engine — "Video 2 - Not Gradient" alone drove 90 leads @ $9 (28d). The Aug-21 image/video refresh (Live auction, Competitor previews, Fall shoulder, Rate shopping) is landing at $5–7 CPL — best in the account. Scale candidates.
Restaurant Rank is burning money with no captured leads. ~$1,900 (28d) at 5–8% CTR but 0 tracked leads on Meta. Either the lead pixel/event isn't firing or the landing page doesn't capture. #1 fix.
LinkedIn is expensive and thin — $461 (7d) / $2,021 (28d), 0.59% CTR, ~$10 CPC, 16 conversions, 0 lead-gen leads. "Thought Leader" (Shahar 20M post) is the one bright spot: 3.83% CTR @ $3.34 CPC.
LinkedIn audience leak: Disney, Chick-fil-A, and large hotel chains (Aimbridge, Fontainebleau, BWH, Highgate…) are being served. 19 clear non-ICP companies flagged for exclusion — listed below for your OK.
Blocked: Clarity (403, daily export quota) and competitor Ad-Library (app not authorized). LinkedIn API version bumped to 202608 (old 202502 sunset).

Meta — Sail scope

$4,777

Spend 28d ($1,552 · 7d)

1.69%

CTR 28d

288

Leads 28d

$16.59

Blended CPL 28d

Campaign	Spend 7d	Spend 28d	Impr 28d	CTR	CPC	Leads 28d	CPL
Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$643.97	$1,096.93	353,071	1.84%	$0.17	126	$8.71
Sail Lead Magnet	$224.25	$1,031.08	364,930	1.20%	$0.23	108	$9.55
Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet - Lead Restaurant	$234.80	$1,030.22	27,640	2.59%	$1.44	0	—
Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet 3	$0.00	$852.51	20,816	6.65%	$0.62	0	—
Sail Lead Magnet — pps_comparison ($40/day)	$407.36	$601.24	65,029	1.63%	$0.57	52	$11.56
Sail Lead Magnet - ABM	$34.85	$136.73	2,485	1.13%	$4.88	2	$68.36
Sail SBB	$7.05	$28.27	1,335	3.37%	$0.63	0	—

Hotel lead-gen CPL (excluding zero-lead restaurant spend) averages ~$9.40. Restaurant campaigns show high CTR but their leads read as 0 — see the tracking flag below.

Creative performance — SCALE / HOLD / PAUSE

Delivering Sail creatives, 28d, spend ≥ $40, aggregated across ad sets. Recommendations only.

Rec	Creative	Campaign	Spend	CTR	CPC	Leads	CPL
SCALE	[12] Image Feed - Competitor ad previews	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$77.36	1.0%	$0.19	12	$6.45
SCALE	[07] Image Story - Live auction	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$68.49	2.4%	$0.12	10	$6.85
SCALE	[03] Video Gradient - Fall shoulder priced	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$66.78	1.2%	$0.46	14	$4.77
SCALE	[02] Video Gradient - Rate shopping blind spot	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$57.53	2.0%	$0.14	8	$7.19
SCALE	[11] Image Feed - Review gap	Sail Lead Magnet	$44.04	1.6%	$0.13	6	$7.34
HOLD	Nearby Search Visibility Gap - Feed + Story (No Advantage+)	Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet - Lead Restaurant	$840.24	5.2%	$0.77	0	—
HOLD	Video 2 - Not Gradient	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$781.46	1.4%	$0.18	90	$8.68
HOLD	pps_comparison	Sail Lead Magnet — pps_comparison ($40/day)	$618.87	1.6%	$0.58	52	$11.90
HOLD	Sail Restaurant Rank - 79 Percent Skip Your Name - Feed + Story	Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet - Lead Restaurant	$467.33	7.7%	$0.71	0	—
HOLD	Video 1 - Gradient	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$417.87	1.2%	$0.37	44	$9.50
HOLD	Sail Restaurant Rank - 0 of 81 Map Points - Feed + Story	Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet - Lead Restaurant	$306.06	2.2%	$1.67	0	—
HOLD	Restaurant Rank - Your Restaurant at #13 - Free Report - Story	Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet - Lead Restaurant	$162.78	1.5%	$1.71	0	—
HOLD	[10] Image Feed - Rate parity	Sail Lead Magnet	$137.70	1.1%	$0.34	14	$9.84
HOLD	[05] Video Plain - Pre-flight check	Sail Lead Magnet — Geo ABO (winners)	$128.87	3.2%	$0.07	16	$8.05
HOLD	[04] Video Plain - Flat market	Sail Lead Magnet	$105.57	1.5%	$0.25	10	$10.56
HOLD	[16] Image Feed - By hand	Sail Lead Magnet	$62.48	1.2%	$0.28	0	—
HOLD	Sail Restaurant Rank - Mobile Landing Page Screenshot - Feed + Story	Sail Restaurant Lead Magnet - Lead Restaurant	$61.76	2.3%	$1.93	0	—
PAUSE	[01] Video Gradient - STAR report	Sail Lead Magnet	$170.91	1.4%	$0.59	4	$42.73

SCALE: the four Aug-21 refresh creatives (Live auction, Competitor ad previews, Fall shoulder priced, Rate shopping blind spot) all beat account CPL at $5–7. Recommend shifting budget toward them.
PAUSE: "[01] Video Gradient - STAR report" at $43 CPL (4.5× the hotel average) is the clear underperformer.

⚠ Restaurant Rank — lead capture is broken

Restaurant creatives pulled 5–8% CTR (excellent) on ~$1,900 of 28d spend, but every restaurant campaign reports 0 leads. High CTR + zero leads = clicks are arriving and not converting. Likely causes, in order: (1) the lead/submit event isn't firing to the Meta pixel, (2) the Restaurant Rank landing page form is broken or too heavy on mobile, (3) attribution window/event mapping. Recommend: live-verify the Restaurant Rank funnel end-to-end (load page → submit → confirm pixel + DB row) before another dollar goes to restaurant creatives. This is the single highest-ROI fix this week.

LinkedIn — full account 512779887

$2,021

Spend 28d ($461 · 7d)

0.59%

CTR 28d

$9.96

Avg CPC 28d

Site conversions 28d

Campaign	Spend 28d	Impr	Clicks	CTR	CPC	Conv
Images	$790.18	6,898	50	0.72%	$15.80	3
Sail - Hotel Marketing Comp (LI Mktg+DOSM US)	$521.44	7,948	46	0.58%	$11.34	0
Sail - Restaurant Rank (LI Owner/Partner/CXO US)	$237.83	7,493	36	0.48%	$6.61	5
Sail - Restaurant Rank VIDEO (LI Owner/Partner/CXO US)	$220.59	6,566	33	0.50%	$6.68	7
Videos	$157.39	4,749	10	0.21%	$15.74	1
Sail - Thought Leader (Shahar 20M post, LI Mktg+DOSM US)	$93.49	731	28	3.83%	$3.34	0

LinkedIn CPCs run $6–18 with almost no lead-form fills. "Sail - Hotel Marketing Comp" spent $521 (28d) for 0 conversions. The only efficient unit is the Thought Leader campaign (Shahar's 20M post): 3.83% CTR, $3.34 CPC. Recommend leaning LinkedIn toward thought-leadership/organic-boost formats and away from cold lead-gen, which Meta does 10× cheaper.

LinkedIn audience hygiene — exclusion candidates

Companies served Sail's LinkedIn ads (28d) that are clearly outside the independent / small-mid hotel ICP. Recommendation only — not applied this run. On your OK I'll add these as company exclusions (exclusions only; no budget/bid/status change).

Company	Why exclude	Impr 28d	Spend
The Walt Disney Company	Non-hospitality	296	$20.22
Aimbridge Hospitality	Large chain / outside ICP	146	$0.00
Seminole Hard Rock Support Services	Large chain / outside ICP	141	$0.00
Fontainebleau Las Vegas	Large chain / outside ICP	133	$0.00
Atrium Hospitality	Large chain / outside ICP	98	$0.00
Capital Vacations	Large chain / outside ICP	90	$0.00
BWH Hotels	Large chain / outside ICP	86	$0.00
Universal Orlando Resort	Large chain / outside ICP	84	$0.00
Montage International	Large chain / outside ICP	77	$0.00
Concord Hospitality Enterprises	Large chain / outside ICP	77	$0.00
Chick-fil-A Restaurants	Non-hospitality	74	$0.00
Hilton Garden Inn	Large chain / outside ICP	63	$0.00
Pyramid Global Hospitality	Large chain / outside ICP	60	$0.00
TPG Hotels and Resorts	Large chain / outside ICP	52	$0.00
Hyatt Vacation Ownership	Large chain / outside ICP	51	$0.00
Highgate	Large chain / outside ICP	49	$0.00
Dave Campbell's Texas Football	Non-hospitality	49	$0.00
The Daily Texan	Non-hospitality	45	$0.00
EMC Consultants	Non-hospitality	45	$0.00

Ambiguous names (management companies that also run independents, regional groups) were left in deliberately for your call.

Competitor watch

Cendyn launched Meta Hotel Ads (Mar 2026) — pushing real-time rates/availability with "AI-powered targeting" against "OTA 2.0."
Triptease leads with AI metasearch bidding — "defend your brand from OTAs that steal clicks." CPA option exists but sits beside license fees.
Angle implication: "AI targeting" is now table stakes and everyone says it. Sail's clean wedge stays "no stay, no pay" — billed only on a completed stay, which neither competitor offers without a retainer/license. Lead there.

New angles to test

1 · "Renting back your own regulars"

Primary

That guest at your front desk who booked on Booking.com? You just paid 18% to rent back someone who already wanted you. Sail intercepts that demand before the OTA does — and you only pay when they actually stay.

Headline

Stop paying commission on guests you already own.

2 · "No stay, no pay" (competitor wedge)

Primary

Agencies bill you for activity. OTAs bill you at booking — even the ones that cancel. Sail bills you for one thing: a guest who booked direct and actually stayed. No retainer. No upfront. No stay, no pay.

Headline

Purchase isn't the finish line. Stayed revenue is.

3 · "Do we even show up?" (metasearch dread)

Primary

Google your own hotel. See the OTA ad sitting on top of your name? That's your guest, being intercepted on your own brand search. Sail wins that bid back — Google Hotel Ads, metasearch, and AI search — so the booking comes to you.

Headline

Your next guest is Googling you right now. Who shows up first?

Site & lead-magnet recommendations

Restaurant Rank (highest priority): fix lead capture — see the flag above. High-intent clicks are being wasted.
pps_comparison lead magnet is the best-tracked path ($12 CPL, 52 leads/28d). Give it more of the top-of-funnel — it converts and it maps to the "no stay, no pay" wedge.
Copy on the hotel comparison should mirror the SCALE creatives ("Competitor ad previews," "Rate shopping blind spot") — those hooks are what's actually pulling clicks; align the landing headline to the winning ad.
Clarity review deferred — export quota (403) blocked recording pull this run; will re-check next run to confirm the Restaurant Rank funnel hypothesis with session recordings.

Needs-human / blocked

Restaurant Rank lead tracking — needs an owner to verify the funnel + pixel. Recommend routing to the tracking engineer.
LinkedIn exclusions — 19 non-ICP companies ready to exclude on your OK.
Clarity 403 — daily Data-Export quota; nothing to fix, will retry next run.
Meta Ad Library — app lacks archive permission; competitor pulls come from public web instead.
Note: LinkedIn API version updated to 202608 in this run (skill reference still says 202502 — worth updating).