Looking for a native advertising case study?
Instead of just one, we´d like to show you 6 examples of companies that have succeeded on the open web. Some of these companies are spending billions a year on promotions.
“Well, Pedro, I´m not spending billions so this doesn´t apply to me!”
I´m with you. Let´s try not to reinvent the wheel though. You probably don´t want to go through the trial and error, someone else already did and you can learn from them.
Maybe you´ve just started running native ads and are not quite sure about it yet. Or maybe you´ve just come across native advertising and need some validation that this stuff works.
Good news: it does work. Let´s find out how it did for these companies.
6 Native Advertising Case Studies
In my early days as a media buyer, fear and anxiety dominated my thinking. Every time I launched a campaign it was almost as if my life depended on it.
It was only after spending a few thousand a month that I began to identify the cause of those negative emotions. Turned out it was a lack of knowledge, which then reflects in a lack of belief and ultimate lack of commitment.
Warren Buffett said that the way to reduce risk is to know what you´re doing.
These case studies are not just meant to show you that native advertising works but also to inspire and help you believe it can work for you.
Auto: Mercedes-Benz Mexico
You probably know Mercedes-Benz, one of the world´s largest car manufacturers. It´s actually the world´s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. This campaign specifically was for the Mexican market.
Overview
- surpassed the viewability benchmark in Mexico by 13.18%
- 130% above average CTR on video format
- 42% completion rate on a 60-sec video
- over 180,000 completed views
Platform: Taboola
Goal
They wanted to increase qualified traffic and generate curiosity for the upcoming launch of the A-Class Sedan model, which was completely built in Mexico.
Solution
A fully native 60-second video ad was used with the goal of having prospects complete the video and build enough desire for them to want more information.
Communications: Vodafone Turkey
Vodafone is another big player, not in the auto industry but in the communication sector. The main goal of this campaign was to increase sales.
Overview
- cost per sale decreased by 42%
- 11% of overall display channel sales
Platform: Taboola
Goal
Generate brand awareness and increase sales of mobile tariffs and home internet service.
Solution
Sponsored content on Taboola´s network of publishers.
Apparel: SmartCover
SmartCover is a direct-to-consumer brand and Europe´s best-selling reusable mask. It was one of the first face masks in the market with adjustable strings and 3-layered coverings. They were looking to add native advertising to the media mix.
Overview
- $3 million in sales, in one month
- 4.7x return on ad spend
- 20% more revenue than any other native platform
Platform: Outbrain
Goal
Expand campaigns worldwide and replicate the success the brand had in the UK and Germany.
Solution
A combination of Outbrain´s lookalike audience option and Target CPA to get the maximum conversions while hitting the brand´s ideal cost per acquisition.
SaaS: Matera
Matera is a french startup that pioneered the “self-managed” model for residential property management. They offer a suite of services as an alternative, in french, to the “syndics”, also known as managing agents or intermediaries.
Overview
- 2.7 million engaged users
- 35% lower cost per lead vs target
- 2.6 times higher conversion rate vs social
Platform: Outbrain
Goal
Diversify media mix, scale outside the “walled gardens”, social media, and paid search, and generate as many leads as possible on a daily basis while keeping the target in check.
Solution
To achieve these results, Matera used Outbrain´s Semi-automatic and Target CPA conversion bidding strategies with its CEO on the creative, generating the best conversion rate they had ever seen.
Cannabis: Tommy Chong’s CBD
Tommy Chong’s CBD is a company that offers soft gels, gummies, tinctures, and other cannabidiol products. Here´s a great example of how native works even for niche products and regulated industries.
Overview
- 533% profitability
- high-quality traffic at scale
Platform: Revcontent
Goal
According to the company´s CMO, Revcontent was the first platform tested. High-converting traffic and profitability were a top priority for the Tommy Chong team.
Solution
With initial testing proving successful, TCC started to experiment with other ad types, such as video. They also introduced Brax to the mix, a third-party optimizer, hitting profitability almost immediately and maintaining it at scale.
Media: Barstool Sports
Barstool Sports is one of the fastest-growing media publishers in the world. They cover the latest news on sports and pop culture. This is another example a bit outside of the typical ecommerce or lead generation.
Overview
- brand-safer content
- 68% faster ad placements
- higher margins compared to Outbrain
Platform: Revcontent
Goal
Since this company is a publisher, they serve ads on the website. So, the main concern was having lightweight widgets or ad placements that had more brand safety controls.
Solution
Through Revcontent´s lightweight technology and customizable brand-safety controls, Barstool Sports created a more seamless experience for users while increasing revenue from native advertisements.
The Next Native Advertising Success Story
Often advertisers that come from Facebook or Google have a hard time converting on native. This is because they tend to approach it differently, for example, by bidding as low as possible, in some cases down to pennies.
Remember that higher-quality audiences aka customers will cost more. You can apply the same principles you´re using to succeed on paid social or search, not just in terms of bidding but also creatives and copy.
Native platforms want you to succeed, hence giving you cutting-edge bidding technology and world-class targeting. You just have to use them properly and test what works best for you.
