The Story:
DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine, sought to increase brand awareness and app downloads in the UK market through television advertising. Looking to reduce the cost-per-install (CPI) vs previous campaigns proved challenging due to their commitment to user privacy, limiting the use of standard attribution tracking methods.
To address these challenges, we had to justify why TV would be a viable solution for them in the UK. Our proposal aimed to not only reintroduce DuckDuckGo to UK television but also to demonstrate the effectiveness of this channel in driving user acquisition, even within a competitive landscape and with limitations on traditional tracking methodologies.
The Strategy:
DuckDuckGo's 2023 Q4 TV campaign needed to achieve maximum reach and drive a huge number of app installs. Our strategy addressed this by meticulously balancing cost-effectiveness with high-quality airtime placement. Focussing on:
Cost-effective airtime:
Our team focussed on securing premium, peak programming on channels like ITV4 and ITV2 whilst constantly monitoring the cost-to-benefit ratio to prevent diminishing returns. We knew that schedule optimisation would be key to success, and so built out an extremely detailed dashboard to track every data point to the minutia, so that we could take advantage of trends that we were seeing from a time of day, day of week, programming or copy length point of view. Optimisations were made on a daily basis to ensure maximum efficiency off the back of this strategic decision.
Strategic dayparting
We aggressively negotiated not just on price, but also on dayparts, aiming to secure airtime when audiences are more likely to be dual-screening in a relaxed, lean back setting, increasing the potential for immediate app installs prompted by the advert. Also, by targeting airtime slots with high viewership potential, such as evenings and weekends, we was able to build on brand metrics such as trust.Individual spot impact measurement
We devised a data-driven approach to measure success in close collaboration with DDG’s data science team. For this we focussed on 2 key approaches.Monitoring at the install surges following specific ad placements.
Measuring the true aggregate and incremental campaign impact by using control countries that closely correlated with UK’s install baseline.
The Results:
Beyond exceeding performance targets, the campaign fostered a strong relationship with DuckDuckGo. The marketing lead and data science team at the company expressed immense trust in our expertise and the value delivered by the campaign. This solidified our partnership and paves the way for continued collaboration.
Overall, the DuckDuckGo Q4 2023 TV campaign was a resounding success. By exceeding benchmarks, gaining valuable insights, and building trust, the campaign laid the groundwork for future growth and cemented our position as a trusted partner for DuckDuckGo.
reduced cost per install for app downloads.
Increase in install lift in-app downloads.
Reduced exit cost-per-thousand impacts, when compared to previous campaigns.
“MAG showed solid media planning expertise and great flexibility to quickly drive data-driven optimizations into the campaign.
I am particularly pleased with how cooperative they were, and how open they were to adapt their approach to our very specific brief and privacy-focused ways of working.”
