Performance, data
analytics and adtech

Tooling up
for
success

Cricut, a US-based brand of smart crafting machines and accessories with equally smart business goals, asked for our support in upping business growth within key European markets – starting with the UK. With a focus on performance, data analytics and adtech, we looked into ways to boost their Direct to Customer channel to help quickly expand their brand.

Top view of a spread t-shirt and Cricut machines on a desk

Flashforward to now, and Cricut leads activities across the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand and plans to expand into new regions. Here’s how together we made it happen.

Project

Hands-on:
planning,
plotting &
programming…

We first broke down their monthly revenue targets into product types. We translated revenue goals into qualified users considering each phase of customer acquisition – from awareness, engagement to conversion – to reach new users and drive conversions in the E-commerce storefront.

We designed data visualisation dashboards with easy to understand reporting of key metrics and performance. The structure followed our full funnel approach and combined results from different channels for a unified view. Relying on Data Studio, our data sources were connected from Campaign Manager, SA360 and DV360.

Portrait of a two boys holding paper cut masks

We onboarded the Cricut team onto the Google Marketing Platform to benefit from robust machine learning capabilities, audience targeting and the access to rich inventory within the programmatic environment.

Strategy

Hand-cut,
custom made
solution

Each stage of the purchase funnel had different goals, audiences and KPIs. Brand awareness through video and display ads at the upper stages, increasing qualified traffic through paid search and shopping to drive conversions and revenue at the lower stages.

Pink artificial woolen flower on the red background

Oh – oh wow! Listen to this Cricut ad

00:00

Audience data helped us build an effective targeting strategy for video, display and search campaigns. After integrating all GMP tools, we used Google Analytics 360 to ethically analyse data associated with user demographics, gender, age, interests, in-market and behaviour. We also implemented Campaign Manager Floodlights on the client's website through Google Tag Manager in collaboration with Cricut’s US partner, Jellyfish.

To see the best performing segments, we conducted ongoing analysis at the end of our campaign lifecycles. We were then able to optimise, optimise, optimise and hit our monthly goals. Our retargeting campaigns based on users’ past DTC interactions helped Cricut re-engage with an audience who were already warmed up to buy – and us to create new audience segments which we pushed to DV360 in order to activate our video and display campaigns.

Woman sitting at the desk, designing patterns

Upon the foundations we’d set, machine learning and automation could work its magic. Custom bidding with a custom Python code in the Demand Side Platform maximised the number of conversions at the lowest possible cost, increasing revenue and return on ad spend. The audience saw the most relevant messages at the right moment, leading to higher conversions.

Strategy

The right
tools were in the right hands

Great technology is nothing without great people, forming well-connected teams who are able to communicate smoothly and follow slick processes. In achieving precisely that, lies our real collaborative success with Cricut.

Two young women posing in t-thirts with their names printed on them

But things look good on paper too. Within the first year, we exceeded our key business impact metrics. In our pilot market, the UK, our Return on Ad Spend evolved to 335% instead of an expected 300%. We then moved on to the German market and reached 521% Return on Ad Spend in comparison to the expected 350%.

We now continue to work closely together to identify gaps and opportunities, continuously improve our services and achieve ambitious goals for all current and future campaigns.