National Supplement Brand Drives Online Sales and Low eCPM
Overview
Shifting Linear TV Dollars to Streaming TV
As consumer viewing habits continue to evolve, the shift from traditional linear TV to streaming TV has become a significant trend in the advertising industry. According to Nielsen, streaming now accounts for 37.7% of total TV viewing in the U.S., surpassing cable (30.6%) and broadcast (20%) for the first time. Due to this shift, advertisers are transitioning a substantial portion of their advertising budget from linear TV to streaming TV, capitalizing on the precision targeting and data-driven insights offered by the digital landscape.
Recently, a large supplement brand was looking to expand its reach by targeting an active, aging population of individuals across the nation. The brand has partnered with CoreMedia, now Simpli.fi, for several years and has successfully utilized CoreDirect to help build media buys, manage creative, and evaluate the overall performance of its campaigns. Due to an increasingly fragmented media environment, the retailer decided to incorporate Simpli.fi’s ZTV solution into their marketing efforts to create a programmatic footprint in relevant areas across the U.S. Throughout the duration of the campaign, the advertiser wanted to expand their reach, achieve a low eCPM, and ultimately drive an increase in online sales.
Targeting Active, Aging Individuals Based on ZIP Code
The advertiser leveraged Simpli.fi’s ZTV solution, backed by a proprietary weighted ranking system, to identify relevant ZIP codes out of 33,000+ ZIPs across the U.S. The ranking system uses both ACR data and U.S. Census data to index ZIP codes based on age, gender, household income, and audience viewing habits. The advertiser supplied the following criteria to identify 67 ZIP codes across the nation:
- Age 65+
- Content-specific allowlist featuring yoga, westerns, classic TV shows, and activity-based content
The Simpli.fi team selected the ZIP codes based on how each indexed with the advertiser’s specific target audience as well as the viewers’ propensity to utilize ad-enabled streaming platforms. The advertiser deployed a variety of :15, :30, and :60 ZTV creatives to encourage viewers to buy online rather than using a typical direct-response method of calling to purchase.
Reaching Audiences Based on Online Behavior
The supplement brand was also focused on increasing brand awareness for a specific line of products, gaining traction in new markets, and driving online conversions. The advertiser blended their ZTV strategy with Simpli.fi’s Keyword Search Retargeting to reach users who indicated an interest in healthy living or supplements based on their online searches. Simpli.fi implemented 1,714 keywords including nutrition, supplements, protein, vitamins, and more to serve video and display ads to those actively looking for more information on their promoted product line.
The advertiser also deployed Site Retargeting to serve ads to users who had already expressed interest in the supplement brand’s products by visiting their website. By blending these tactics with ZTV, the advertiser was able to reduce the campaign’s overall CPM.
Optimizations to Drive Performance
Throughout the campaign, Simpli.fi’s machine learning and best-in-class Client Success team monitored results and made mid-flight optimizations to improve overall performance. Optimizations included:
- Creative Pacing: Reduced the number of :60-second spots being served to focus inventory on the top-performing :15 ads on various CTV and video tactics.
- Keyword Optimizations: Additionally, bids were increased on top-performing keywords and branded terms.
- Domain Optimizations: Blocklisted low-performing domains that were over the spend threshold with little to no conversions.
- Frequency: Increased frequency caps for all retargeting tactics, reduced frequency for all keyword tactics to maximize unique reach, and reduced frequency for premium allowlist CTV to maximize unique reach.
- Budget Shifts: Moved budget to top-performing tactic within the campaign.
- Location: Refined the ZIP code allowlist using premium ZTV only to target top-converting ZIP codes with a high CTV demo ranking.
Ultimately, these adjustments drove an increase in both ad clicks and online conversions, which helped maximize overall campaign efficiencies. In order to measure the campaign’s performance, the supplement brand placed a pixel on its website to track online actions, which included making a purchase after being served an ad via their programmatic campaign.
Simpli.fi Drives Down Impression Costs
The seven-month campaign drove a total of 8,473 direct sales, leading to a $113.18 Cost Per Sale (CPS). In addition, the advertiser was able to achieve a low eCPM of $7.48 for CTV, video, and display ads, which is significantly lower than traditional CTV advertising. The campaign also drove a total of 157,779 actions resulting in a $6.08 Cost Per Action (CPA). The supplement brand has continued utilizing Simpli.fi’s ZTV solution to drive sales, reduce CPM, and prospect new customers.