Client Success Story (Accelerated Digital Media)

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Hear about the project, in a fun Q&A style, that a top Advertising agency Accelerated Digital Media (ADM) produced for a client.

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Could you give us a brief overview of a standout project recently completed?‍

In late winter/early spring of 2024, we worked with running apparel client Tracksmith to deploy location-specific YouTube Video Reach campaigns meant to offset slower sales that many athletic brands experience that time of year. The result was not only improved SEM performance in target markets following the test period, but also vastly improved organic results stemming from increased brand awareness.

What specific challenges did your client face that led them to seek your services?

We’d partnered with the client for more than a year prior to help them grow their business. But in this particular instance, we were tasked with offsetting seasonal downturns that outdoor and athletic brands often face in the wintertime, when sales begin to slow.

How did your agency's approach or methodology uniquely address these challenges?

Rather than trying to tackle the issue globally, our aim was to prove out Video Reach as a viable means to raise not just awareness but also sales in a narrow band of locations before expanding widely. Because Tracksmith is a brand specifically for running enthusiasts, we chose to target 6 major markets with large running communities and major marathon events.

Did your team implement any innovative strategies or technologies in this project? How did these contribute to the outcome?

Our unique strategy was to split asset groups in the campaigns between two audience types: In-Market and Custom Intent. The In-Market audiences were culled from GA4 and included individuals interested in running, health & fitness, sports, and outdoor activities. Our Custom Intent audience was derived from our top converting running-related keywords in our Non-Brand search campaigns. As the test progressed, we noticed stronger performance from the Custom Intent groups and funneled a larger share of the budget to them as a result.

Were there any significant obstacles or unexpected turns during the project, and how did your team overcome them?

The project ran smoothly overall, with no major hitches to address.

How did you collaborate with the client throughout the project? Were there any notable synergies or learning experiences?

Throughout the project and after, we collaborated closely with Tracksmith to determine the selected markets we would target (NYC, LA, Seattle, Washington DC, London, and Boston) and creative to be used (a set of high-quality video ads from the brand’s “Year of the Amateur” series). We also needed to coordinate with the client to understand how the Video Reach campaigns were impacting their organic results and other marketing channels outside of ADM’s purview.

What measurable results or tangible benefits did the client experience as a result of your work?

The results of this project were impressive for both the SEM side and organic outcomes. The awareness raised resulted in large upticks in both traffic and sales. We observed substantial performance improvements in Branded Search within Google Ads during pre-post testing across our six target markets:

- Clicks increased by 8.9% while click-through rate (CTR) rose by 12.5%

- Purchases in test markets increased by 37.9% -Cost per acquisition (CPA) decreased by 30.4%

- Conversion rate (CVR) improved by 26.7%

- Revenue increased by 12.5%, accompanied by a 17.2%* boost in return on ad spend (ROAS)

We also observed a verifiable difference in organic traffic and sales during the test period:

- Organic CVR increased by 35.9% in test markets (compared with a 9% increase in control markets)

How do you anticipate this project will impact the client's success going forward?

This initiative played an important role in helping Tracksmith offset typical seasonal trends that impact their business. As a result, we are currently working with the client to develop similar campaigns that will run in more markets this winter in hopes of repeating the same success on a wider scale.

How did the client respond to the completed project? Do you have any client testimonials you could share?

The client concurred with us that this test was a meaningful success. Tracksmith saw a large boost in both traffic and revenue as a result of this work, and the increase in brand awareness in six key market was viewed as a key strategic victory for the brand going forward. Though not given in response to this specific work, we do have a testimonial from Tracksmith’s Director of Marketing Performance, Eric Schneider: “ADM has done a great job of learning our business and figuring out how to take advantage of first mover opportunities, while working within our brand principles.”

Looking back, what aspects of the project are you most proud of, and why?

We’re proud of the way we were able to address a unique client problem with a highly-customized solution that substantially improved both its visibility and revenue. As a result of this work, we were also named a Finalist for Google’s Agency Excellence Awards in the Creative Coverage category alongside some significantly-larger agencies and brands.

What were the key learnings from this project? How has this experience enhanced your agency's capabilities?

The key learning for us in this project was that these awareness campaigns could have such a substantial impact on bottom-line revenue, both through Google Ads and through organic search. By isolating these key markets and comparing them to control markets, the results were more dramatic than even our seasoned agency could have predicted. The work also spoke to the key advantages of Custom Intent audiences compared to In-Market when targeting Video Reach campaigns in eCommerce verticals.

Based on your experience with this project, what advice would you give to other companies facing similar challenges?

Our enduring advice is: Never be afraid to test. Every company deals with seasonality to some extent, but if you and your marketing partners have a strong understanding of your business and your markets, there are endless possibilities you can test to offset those slow periods. What matters most is keeping everyone on the same page about your goals and capabilities and remaining realistic about the possible outcomes—which, in this case, were extremely positive.

Are there any upcoming projects or new directions your agency is excited about?

In this particular account, we’re excited about the opportunity to repeat this test in more markets to try to replicate or improve upon these impressive results. On the whole, we’re excited to continue growing our agency and helping more companies in our targeted verticals—healthcare and eCommerce—exceed their marketing goals quarter after quarter and year after year.

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