PURINA’s omnichannel strategy reaches customers at 33% lower cost

Business objective

Evaluating the impact of adopting an omnichannel approach

As a global leader in pet nutrition, Nestlé PURINA PetCare Deutschland GmbH is known for using a scientific approach to formulate pet food that aims to support the health and well-being of dogs and cats. However, the brand’s commitment to innovation extends beyond its products. It is also continuously seeking ways to enhance sustainable efficiency and improve the effectiveness of its campaigns at reaching its consumers. 

Having previously run ad campaigns using a single-channel strategy, PURINA in Germany wanted to test whether an omnichannel approach would help it improve reach and performance metrics for its GOURMET brand. Specifically, it wanted to see if an omnichannel approach improved brand lift, conversions, and reach among its target audience — cat owners. 

OpenMind, PURINA’s media agency, worked with the brand and The Trade Desk to develop a solution that put robust measurement and profitability at the forefront. The team devised a strategy designed to directly compare a single-channel scenario with an equivalent omnichannel approach and evaluate the results. 

Solution 

Boosting unique reach more efficiently with an omnichannel strategy 

PURINA ran a campaign for its cat food range through our platform using A/B testing to evaluate these approaches. This ensured no overlap between the two test campaigns’ targeted audiences. 

In “version A” of the campaign, consumers saw only online video (OLV) ads, while “version B” consumers viewed an OLV or connected TV (CTV) ad and were then retargeted via a display ad to ensure they were exposed on at least two different channels. Some consumers were also exposed to the ads on all three channels. 

The company used various targeting strategies to reach its ideal audience. These included, for example, site retargeting using our universal pixel and creating lookalike audiences of previous purchasers of its cat food. 

To ensure a comparable frequency between the single-channel and omnichannel campaigns, PURINA set an overarching frequency cap as well as a frequency cap across multiple devices for the omnichannel approach. This led to a 33% lower cost per net reach for the omnichannel campaign specifically, and the frequency savings were reinvested to help drive 71% of the overall campaign reach. 

The company also ran separate brand lift studies with our partner Happydemics to evaluate brand engagement metrics. This showed a 47% higher uplift in brand image when consumers were exposed to two or more channels compared to just one. 

To compare the results of its A/B test, PURINA used several measurement tools. One was our universal pixel, combined with our household graph, to attribute website conversions across all channels. This showed a 40% higher conversion rate and a 29% lower cost per action when consumers were exposed to two or more channels compared to just one. 

Overall, PURINA’s test showed that an omnichannel approach can help brands expand their reach and advertising impact with cost-efficiency. The company plans to use this approach as a blueprint for future campaigns across its various brands.

Want to learn how you can shift to an omnichannel approach to help improve reach and conversions? Contact us or reach out to your account manager at The Trade Desk today.