2015 Gold Best Use of Search | DMA

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2015 Gold Best Use of Search

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MEC UK

HomeServe

How a Radiator Key unlocked a whole new market

The Team

Iain McPhee - Account Director, Emily Gane - Account Manager, Laura Stephens - Group Head of Sales, Vlad Cochintoiu - Ad Ops Executive, Julian Clarke - Senior Strategic Sales Manager, Rob Bassett - Sales Director, Jonny Burgess - Senior Account Manager

Contributors

Ad2One & eBay - eBay ad inventory management and partners in campaign optimisation and facilitation

Campaign Overview

Specialist home emergency insurance provider HomeServe wanted to grow market share in a highly competitive and mature market while retaining its direct response rigour.

Using customer data and behavioural insights, the team found specific searches on eBay within the Home and Garden category (such as heating, boilers and even radiator keys) that were often followed by purchases of emergency home cover.

By getting one step ahead in the consumer journey, HomeServe ensured it was able to have an influence as a first preference, even as a relatively unknown brand in a commoditised category.

Strategy

With all traditional channels optimised and little room to grow key digital channels, HomeServe needed to find a new approach to deliver sales.

The eBay audience is a consumer profile HomeServe have historically struggled to convert, so it looked for a new way to talk to them – and in an environment where this audience would actively engage with content.

It found a way to advertise one step ahead of its customer’s needs. Partnering with eBay, HomeServe listed branded radiator keys for sale to give itself pages in the eBay search results, which it used as a relevant space to promote its services.

Keyword and category-related search activity surrounded these listings, targeted at the most effective audiences.

The campaign took opportunities to dispel any perceived price barriers and encourage interaction with other HomeServe content.

Creativity

HomeServe produced its own branded radiator keys and sold them on eBay auction pages, with the item listing page linking through to the company’s content hub. This was designed to match the eBay user experience and on-site navigation to provide a seamless transition.

Campaign messaging, built in collaboration with eBay, ran alongside targeted searches and directed people to relevant content placed within auction pages. Boiler insurance messaging sat alongside relevant searches such as ‘gas boiler’ or ‘thermostat’, while plumbing and drainage messaging matched their related searches.

Homepage takeovers, eBay Doodles and retargeting elements supported this activity to deliver efficient results at scale and help customers understand HomeServe’s offer in the market.

Results

The immediacy of conversions and a 12.5% post-click conversion rate throughout the campaign (compared with a typical industry rate below 3%) proved that the solution was relevant to its audience and delivered interested prospects.

An unprecedented 5% growth in annual customer sales smashed HomeServe’s targets, and from a campaign that cost very little.

Total conversions enabled HomeServe to demonstrate the benefits of a more creative approach, with the activity becoming part of the brand’s ongoing strategy and continuing to deliver growth in market share through a second phase and beyond.

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