CLIENT OVERVIEW

• Client Name: Fanatics Events
• Industry: Sports Collectibles, Memorabilia, and Entertainment
• Event Name: Fanatics Fest NYC 2024
• Event Date & Location: August 16th - 18th, 2024, Jacob Javits Convention Center, NYC
• Campaign Objective:
  • Drive ticket sales
  • Maximize conversions
  • Maintain efficient ad spend across Meta, Google Search, and YouTube

CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND AND CHALLENGE

Fanatics Events had initially launched a few rudimentary digital ad campaigns on Meta to promote Fanatics Fest NYC 2024.

Later, the work was assigned to me. After thinking and brainstorming, I chose Meta, Google Search, and YouTube as the advertising platforms and was entrusted with a $300k budget over 49 days (June 27th - August 15th). My key responsibilities included:

1. Strategic Budget Allocation and pacing across three major platforms.
2. Creative Ideation and Direction: I formulated the creative requirements—videos, images, logos, etc.—and presented them in a deck. Outside vendors executed the final production based on my specifications.
3. Performance Management: Continuously monitored and optimized campaigns to achieve strong ROAS, low CPA, and high conversion volumes.

Mid-campaign, two large agencies—VaynerMedia and Jump450—were brought in due to Michael Rubin’s personal connections. Their daily budgets often exceeded $50,000, but their spend-heavy approach rapidly drained funds with comparatively lower efficiency. My challenge was to demonstrate superior performance and cost-effectiveness despite other agencies significantly higher spends.

CAMPAIGN DETAILS

OVERALL DURATION

• April 10th - August 16th, 2024
  • My Google Ads: April 11th - July 29th
  • My Meta Ads: June 28th - July 8th
  • VaynerMedia (Meta): July 8th - July 26th
  • Jump450 (Meta): July 26th - August 17th
  • Other Agencies’  (VaynerMedia + Jump450) Google Ads: July 29th - August 17th

SUCCESS METRICS

• Clicks, CPC, Spend, ROAS, Conversions, CPA

KEY GOALS

1. Create impactful ads to maximize ticket sales
2. Drive conversions across all platforms
3. Continuously conversion rate optimize (CRO) ads to maintain high effectiveness
4. Achieve superior ROAS and efficient CPA

‍BONUS  

Outperform VaynerMedia and Jump450 in overall results and efficiency.

MY GOOGLE SEARCH & YOUTUBE CAMPAIGNS

Timeline: April 11th - July 29th, 2024

Ad Types:

• Search (2 campaigns)
• Video (YouTube) (3 campaigns)

Total Spend: $80,089.76

• Search: $51,854.72
• Video (YouTube): $28,235.04

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS (OVERALL)

• ROAS: 2.86
• Average CPC: $0.83
• CTR: 2.29%
• Conversions: 1,371.29
• Cost per Conversion: $58.40

SEARCH INSIGHTS

• Dates: April 11th - July 12th, 2024
• 2 campaigns, 2 ad sets, 2 ads
• ROAS: 4.23
• Conversions: 1,307.80
• Conversion Value: $219,601.45
• Cost per Conversion: $39.65
• Clicks: 87,937
• CTR: 27.60%
• Avg. CPC: $0.59
• Conversion Rate: 1.49%

KEY SEARCH STRATEGIES

1. A/B Testing:
   • With vs. Without Negative Keywords: Compared performance to see if filtering out irrelevant searches significantly improved ROAS.
   • Broad vs. Phrase Match Keywords: Measured impact on conversion rate, cost per conversion, and traffic volume.
2. Dynamic Radius Targeting: Gradually narrowed the targeting area around the Jacob Javits Convention Center to capture high-intent local audiences as the event approached.
3. Bidding Model: Used Maximize Conversion Value to auto-optimize bids for better results.
4. Ad Copy: Employed the same copy across test groups to isolate variables (keyword match and negative keywords).

FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

• Further copy testing to discover more engaging headlines and descriptions.
• Experiment with different bid strategies (e.g., Target ROAS).
• Enable “Optimize: Prefer best performing ads” in Google Ads settings.
• Maintain systematic and efficient spend to avoid drop in ROAS.

OTHER AGENCIES’ (VAYNERMEDIA + JUMP450) GOOGLE CAMPAIGNS

Timeline: July 29th - August 17th, 2024

Campaign Types: Search, Video (YouTube), Demand Gen

Total Spend: $466,365.44

• Search: $344,966.61
• Video (YouTube): $111,282.54
• Demand Gen: $10,116.29

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS (OVERALL)

• ROAS: 1.75
• Avg. CPC: $1.01
• CTR: 1.89%
• Conversions: 5,611.49
• Cost per Conversion: $83.11

SEARCH INSIGHTS

• 3 campaigns, 4 ad sets, 6 ads
• ROAS: 2.26
• Conversions: 5,183.73
• Conversion Value: $781,878.98
• Cost per Conversion: $66.55
• Clicks: 92,037
• CTR: 32.28%
• Avg. CPC: $3.75
• Conversion Rate: 5.63%

INEFFECTIVE PRACTICES

• Overly Broad Targeting: One campaign targeted all 50 states with no specific regional refinement.
• All Keywords in Broad Match: Minimal negative keyword usage led to irrelevant clicks.
• Massive Daily Spends: Some days saw up to $78,844.53 spent, causing a steep decline in ROAS. As shown in the below image.

• Budget Spikes: Spent $30,533.27 from July 12-31, then skyrocketed to $314,433.34 from August 1-17.

CONCLUSION

Large, unfocused budgets and insufficient keyword optimization significantly lowered overall efficiency.

MY META ADS

Timeline: June 28th - July 8th, 2024 (10 days)

Ad Type: Video only

Campaign Type: Sales (Advantage+ placements, no enhancements)

Breakdown: 2 campaigns, 4 ad sets, 4 ads

Total Spend: $10,691.16

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

• Avg. ROAS: 2.61
• Cost per Purchase: $64.79
• CTR: 1.53%
• Conversion Value: $27,903.92

STRATEGY & A/B TESTING

1. 30-Second vs. 15-Second Video Ads: Monitored retention, CTR, and conversions to find the optimal ad length.
2. Targeting: Focused on cities (NYC and others), along with relevant interest groups (sports enthusiasts, collectors, etc.).
3. Creative Direction: I led the high-level strategy (concepts, scripts, and brand messaging). A third-party creative agency executed the final videos according to my recommendations.

VAYNERMEDIA & JUMP450 ON META

VAYNERMEDIA (JULY 8TH - JULY 26TH)

• 10 campaigns, 19 ad sets, 102 ads
• Total Spend: $223,380.68
• Campaign Type: Sales (Image ads, manual placements, with enhancements)
• ROAS: 1.64
• Conversion Value: $366,344.31
• Avg. Cost/Purchase: $83.44
• CTR: 3.72%

OBSERVATIONS

• Better CTR than Jump450 due to more compelling imagery.
• Higher ROAS than Jump450 but lower than my Meta ads.
• Leveraged customer lists/data for improved targeting.

JUMP450 (JULY 26TH - AUGUST 17TH)

• 11 campaigns, 44 ad sets, 347 ads
• Total Spend: $663,114.09
• Campaign Type: Sales (Image ads, manual placements)
• ROAS: 1.10
• Conversion Value: $729,425.50
• Avg. Cost/Purchase: $62.84
• CTR: 1.38%

OBSERVATIONS

• Poor ROAS due to uncontrolled, large daily budgets (some ad sets had $15,000/day as shown in the above image).
• Excessive ads and ad sets (347 ads across 44 ad sets) made optimizing and tracking extremely difficult.
• Resulted in wasted spend, mistakes and confusion.

RESULTS & COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

1. Higher Efficiency with Smaller Budgets:
   • My Google Search campaigns achieved a 4.23 ROAS (April 11th - July 12th), significantly outperforming the agencies’ Google ROAS of 2.26.
   • My Meta ads recorded a 2.61 ROAS despite running for only 10 days with minimal daily budgets, compared to VaynerMedia’s 1.64 and Jump450’s 1.10.
2. Better Cost Per Conversion & Cost Per Purchase:
   • Google Search: My cost per conversion was $39.65, versus the agencies’ $66.55 on search.
   • Meta: My cost per purchase was $64.79, more controlled relative to VaynerMedia ( $83.44 ) and Jump450 ( $62.84 but with a drastically lower ROAS).
3. Precision Targeting & Budget Control:
   • Dynamic radius targeting, well-managed negative keyword lists, and systematic spend pacing minimized inefficient spending.
   • Contrastingly, agencies employed broad targeting and extremely high daily spends, driving down overall ROAS.
4. Creative Consistency & Thoughtful A/B Testing:
   • On Meta, I tested 30-second vs. 15-second video ads, gleaning insights into audience engagement and drop-off rates.
   • On Google, I tested negative keywords vs. none, and broad vs. phrase match, isolating the highest-converting setups.

CONCLUSION & KEY TAKEAWAYS

Despite facing giant agencies with massive daily budgets, a strategic, data-driven approach demonstrated higher ROAS and better overall results. By successfully managing Meta, Google Search, and YouTube:

1. Budget Efficiency Wins: Smaller yet smarter spending can outperform massive, unstructured spending.
2. A/B Testing is Critical: Fine-tuning audience targeting, ad lengths, and keyword strategies yields actionable insights.
3. Creative Direction Matters: Cohesive brand messaging and well-planned visuals (video, image) amplify engagement.
4. Ongoing Optimization: Regular adjustments to bidding, creative, and targeting keep ROAS high and CPA in check.

FINAL VERDICT

My campaigns delivered the best bang for the buck—outstripping both VaynerMedia and Jump450 in ROI, cost-efficiency, and strategic focus.

NEXT STEPS

• Expand A/B Testing: Continue refining ad copy, creative formats, and negative keyword strategies.
• Leverage Automation Thoughtfully: Explore Target ROAS or similar smart bidding to scale effectively without sacrificing efficiency.
• Maintain Creative & Media Alignment: Ensure brand consistency and frequent communication between creative teams and media buyers.

REFERENCE URLs

• Fanatics
• Fanatics Events

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