case study

TAFT's BFCM Success: 435% growth from October-November

Industry
Shoes & Apparel
Company size
50
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
Year founded
2013
Services
Meta,Google,
TikTok,Email/Retention

Introduction

In collaboration with Pilothouse, TAFT, a luxury shoe company, set its sights on capitalizing on the Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) momentum during Q4. Drawing insights from the previous year, TAFT, with the support of Pilothouse, identified the strength of its owned audiences and organic following. The challenge became clear: to scale aggressively and sustainably while strategically leveraging high-intent sales.

Summary of Results

280%
Increase in
conversion rate
$250K
YoY increase in BFCM
Shopify Revenue
206%
Increase in conversions
on Meta
91%
Increase in TOF ROAS,
maintaining a 2.15 ROAS
333%
Increase in
YoY revenue
330%
Revenue generated on
YouTube at a 4.0 ROAS

The Kickoff

Songfinch approached us for support with their rebranding efforts. As part of the process, we conducted extensive contrast testing to determine the most effective creative styles for their brand. After analyzing customer reactions, it became clear that reaction videos featuring customers capturing their loved ones' reactions to their custom songs were the most impactful. To further enhance the authenticity of the videos, we added captions that provided context and relatability.

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Our initial focus was on Tier 1 countries (CAN, US, IRE, UK, NZ, AUS). The testing and refinement process continued until we found the winning creative formula, which we then rolled out globally. To reach even more customers, we added new variables such as music and general interest stackers and created performance-focused landing pages that allowed us to tap into new audiences.

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One of the major factors that contributed to our success was the feedback loop we established with customers. This loop encouraged them to capture genuine reactions and submit their video content, which allowed us to test and scale our approach quickly. As a result, we were able to achieve enormous success in just the first three weeks of our global rollout.

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The Strategy

1

Focus on Owned Audiences:

Pilothouse and TAFT, recognized the power of owned audiences and organic followings. Email campaigns, a core focus, were identified as strong revenue drivers during high-intent sales.

2

Aggressive Spending on Cold Audiences:

Our teams worked together to strategize and orchestrate an aggressive spending strategy on cold audiences in October. This aimed to fill TAFT's Return to Growth (RTG) pools and expand email lists, with rigorous testing providing valuable insights for Meta.

3

Extending Black Friday Sale:

To address the challenge of convincing customers to invest in a $250 product without hesitation, the teams jointly decided to extend the Black Friday sale by a week. This collaborative approach allowed potential customers more time for decision-making, mitigating the sense of urgency.

4

Gradual Ad Spend Increase:

In the lead-up to the sales period, we gradually increased ad spend to fully exploit the Black Friday sale. The immediate 6x increase in ad spend on Meta during the one-hour Black Friday sale launch targeted cold audiences, anticipating significant revenue from strong email and SMS campaigns.

The strategy

TikTok was the perfect platform for Songfinch to showcase its emotional custom songwriting service. The unique and genuine reaction videos resonated with the TikTok community, leading to a significant increase in revenue and conversions.

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In the first 30 days, Songfinch's revenue grew from $0 to $250,000 on the platform and they gained 3,500 conversions in the first three months.

The success on TikTok allowed us to quickly test and optimize for different audiences and matrixes.

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One of the goals was to increase the top-of-funnel revenue while maintaining the efficiency of the account. We split-tested ad copy, used high-intent keywords and segmented top-of-funnel search campaigns to maximize click-through rates. We also expanded our reach to English-speaking countries outside the US, including  Australia, the UK, and Canada, before eventually expanding across Europe.

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We pioneered new performance-based audience targeting strategies that brought in a mix of top and bottom-of-funnel traffic that was both cheaper and higher intent than the average. This was complemented by comprehensive YouTube retargeting that showcased tailored advertisements based on users' positions in the funnel.

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As a result of these efforts, Songfinch saw a 333% YoY increase in in-platform revenue, generating $6.9 million at a 4.82 return on ad spend.

Results

1

Strategic Growth:

The October focus on cold audiences and fundamental learnings for Meta, guided by Pilothouse, paved the way for a remarkable 435% growth from October to November.

2

Year-over-Year (YoY) Increase:

Pilothouse's collaborative efforts with TAFT resulted in a notable 22% YoY increase in revenues, showcasing the effectiveness of the extended Black Friday sale strategy.

3

Efficiency and Scale:

Despite the aggressive approach, Pilothouse and TAFT maintained efficiency, staying 1% below the Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) target. This highlights the success of the balanced strategy achieved through the partnership.

Conclusion:

The success of TAFT's BFCM strategy is a testament to the partnership between TAFT and Pilothouse. This collaborative effort, combining insights from past performance, aggressive audience targeting, and an extended sale period, resulted in substantial growth and increased revenues. The story underscores the importance of a well-balanced strategy in navigating the challenges of scaling during peak sales periods.

a pair of black and brown boots with a floral pattern

We thought we were hitting our biggest peaks, but every single month has been the best month ever! We've been able to hit $3M in a single month, which was a big goal for us.

Ashley Gonzalez
VP of Growth

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