SMARTY calls on omnichannel strategy to drive campaign success, increases conversions by 67%

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE 

Linking brand media investment to measurable lower-funnel outcomes

SMARTY, a U.K.-based mobile phone network provider, is on a mission to challenge hidden fees, long contracts, and confusing small print — and instead give mobile phone users the freedom to choose simple, fairly priced phone plans. SMARTY set out to scale that promise — reaching the right audiences with simple, transparent messaging that drives action.

With a fixed budget and ambitious growth targets, SMARTY chose to outthink its competitors — not outspend them.

That meant gaining a clearer understanding of how its brand activity across connected TV (CTV), online video (OLV), display, and audio influenced consumer intent — and ultimately drove sales. 

SOLUTION 

Activating an omnichannel campaign through a single platform

SMARTY and its agency, Zenith U.K., ran a connected, omnichannel campaign on The Trade Desk platform. The team wanted to make its media work harder — and gain clear visibility into how each channel contributes to conversions, such as website visits and phone-plan sales.

A unified approach, coupled with The Trade Desk’s Identity Alliance, allowed the team to identify high-potential audiences, gain a holistic view of performance, improve efficiency, and manage ad frequency more effectively. The team retargeted audiences with sequenced, relevant messaging — guiding consumers from awareness to action.

To measure the campaign’s true impact, the team ran a conversion lift study across media channels. In it, one audience was not shown any ads (but conversions were still measured), while the rest were exposed to the campaign. To do this at scale, the team needed access to high-quality, addressable inventory.

Using our Sellers and Publishers 500+ marketplace, the team was able to combine premium inventory with broad reach across the open internet, achieving the scale required for robust measurement. 

RESULTS

Omnichannel driving faster, stronger conversions

Despite running the campaign at the same time as the launch of a popular mobile phone, SMARTY’s full-funnel omnichannel strategy proved a success — demonstrating that brand investment can drive lower-funnel results.

The campaign didn’t just increase conversions — it revealed how and why they happened, including the speed of conversion and the role each media channel played in driving website visits and sales. The connected approach, made possible by Identity Alliance, led to a 67% uplift in checkout conversions compared to the control group. 

Incorporating CTV and OLV drove a 21x increase in website visits. And when CTV was included, 48% fewer impressions were needed. The campaign strategy revealed that people exposed to four channels converted faster than those exposed to just one — highlighting how a coordinated, omnichannel approach accelerates results.

Thanks to frequency controls and cross-device targeting, the media buying team was able to reinvest 9% of its budget savings into reaching net-new audiences.

With clear proof that omnichannel brand investment can drive lower-funnel performance, SMARTY plans to build omnichannel strategy and conversion lift measurement into future campaigns. 

If you’d like to develop a connected, audience-first brand strategy to deliver stronger outcomes for your business, contact us or reach out to your account manager at The Trade Desk today.