Proving the link between online ads and offline sales is the holy grail of digital marketing. This case study shows how geo-marketing testing with Google, Mobile network EE was able to research its customers path to purchase and found that for every 1 online sale driven through search, it drove an additional 2.6 offline in-store sales.
• Mobile network wanted to quantify effect search ad spend had on purchases online and offline in-store
• Geo-marketing test comparing sales results against control group across 12 UK regions
• Test proved that for every £1 spent on search, EE got £2.32 back in sales online and in-store
The challenge
Before making a plunge into large investments in search ad spend, EE wanted to quantify the effect of online search advertising spend on purchases online and offline in-store.
Working with agency MEC, the mobile network also wanted to improve the effectiveness of media spend allocation and demonstrate true ROI to stakeholders across organisation.
The solution
The firm partnered with Google for geo-marketing testing - upweighting search spend in 12 regions and comparing sales results against control group of 12 "look-a-like" regions across UK.
The Results
The search ads delivered 2.6 sales off-line in-store for every 1 sale online. The ROI was proven - for every £1 spent on search ads got £2.32 in revenue for EE through in-store sales.
Oliver Folkard, Senior Digital Media Manager, EE, said: “For every one pound we spent on search we got £2.32 back. That is really important - especially when we are speaking to Finance.”
