Halo Top uses retail data to exceed ROAS benchmarks

November 21, 20222 minute read

As consumer shopping behaviors evolve and the customer journey gets more complex, it’s more important than ever for brands to understand how their media spend affects sales outcomes and to hold every dollar accountable. This is especially true for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, which often have minimal first-party data, causing them to rely on signals from other sources to reach the right audience and measure the impact of their marketing campaigns.

CONNECTING IN-STORE SALES TO THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Wells Foodservice, the world’s largest family-owned ice cream and frozen-treat maker, was looking for ways to use their digital marketing dollars to drive sales for their ice cream brand Halo Top. They wanted to reach customers at different stages on their paths to purchase with an efficient and effective media plan. And since most of their sales happen in stores (no one likes melted ice cream), they needed to understand how their media investment was contributing to those sales to drive the highest return on ad spend (ROAS).

USING KROGER’S RETAIL PARTNERSHIP TO REACH ICE CREAM BUYERS AND MEASURE IN-STORE SALES

Wells turned to their agency, GALE, to activate an omnichannel campaign for Halo Top across display, mobile, online video, audio, digital out-of-home, and Connected TV (CTV). They decided to test The Trade Desk’s retail data solutions for audience targeting and sales measurement from Kroger.

GALE set up a campaign in The Trade Desk’s platform and activated Kroger’s category audiences, including current ice cream buyers, lapsed ice cream buyers, and buyers who had purchased ice cream from competitive brands.

The agency employed an omnichannel media buy — including display, mobile, video, CTV, and audio on The Trade Desk — to reach these audiences. Using holistic frequency management tools to reduce oversaturation, increase efficiency, and deliver a more optimal customer experience, Wells Foodservice succeeded in their marketing push.

REACHING THE AUDIENCE EFFICIENTLY AND EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS FOR RETURN ON AD SPEND

The Halo Top campaign delivered results that exceeded Wells Foodservice’s expectations:

  • Generated 470 percent ROAS for their omnichannel campaign that targeted Kroger audiences on The Trade Desks’s platform.
  • Drove efficient reach using our frequency management tools, leading to 117 percent media savings, which, when reinvested, drove an additional 4 to 6 times frequency.

By deploying an omnichannel strategy and applying Kroger audience data, GALE and Wells Foodservice exceeded their benchmarks, made more informed buying decisions, and spent their advertising dollars more efficiently.