Challenge
RMNs are often cautious about enabling conquesting, but brands see its potential to drive new to brand growth
Conquesting helps brands acquire new customers who can become loyal over time. With a top delivery platform unlocking new conquesting opportunities, Flywheel spotted the perfect chance to drive new-to-brand growth and show its impact. It was a win-win—demonstrating value to both the retailer and the brand partner.
Although conquesting is available to all advertisers on the delivery platform, Flywheel gained an edge with early access to Criteo’s holistic new to brand reporting. These advanced insights allowed for a more tactical and strategic approach. As identifying, targeting, and maintaining new to brand shoppers becomes increasingly critical, Criteo’s release of first-time buyer metrics metrics represents a significant step forward.
Solution
Identifying the right brand, building a case for investment, and launching a conquesting campaign powered by holistic new to brand insights
First, Flywheel collaborated with Criteo to identify the ideal brand to test. Early access to holistic new to brand reporting allowed Flywheel to identify an alcoholic beverage brand that was over-indexing on its “brand steal” metric—referring to shoppers who had previously only purchased from competitors (prior to conquesting becoming an available targeting tactic). Flywheel knew that it could help this brand drive efficiencies on their new conquesting journey and wouldn’t have been able to make this strategic decision without early access to those enhanced new to brand insights, which are now fully available within Criteo’s Commerce Max platform.
Flywheel secured additional funding to sustain existing campaigns and launch a conquesting strategy.
Armed with Criteo’s insights, the Flywheel team developed a data-driven conquesting plan, targeting a leading competitor with keywords uncovered with Flywheel’s proprietary technology.
Results
Strong CPC efficiencies, high returns, and a boost in new to brand sales
Flywheel’s early adoption delivered strong Q4 efficiencies, with conquesting CPCs below category benchmarks. By testing the strategy as soon as it launched, Flywheel helped the brand capture new to brand shoppers ahead of competitors. While CPCs are expected to normalize as more brands invest in conquesting, the increased investment is justified with its ability to capture new to brand shoppers. It’s also important to note that competitor brands may take notice of conquesting activities over time and reciprocate by targeting branded terms, which could raise branded CPCs.
The alcoholic beverage brand saw performance improvements across key metrics during the test:
- 29% lower conquesting CPCs vs. category benchmarks, demonstrating cost efficiency
- 93% higher conquesting ROAS vs. non-branded category ROAS, proving higher returns
- +5pp increase in brand steal MoM, showing stronger competitor conquesting
This study showcases the value of enabling conquesting within a retail media platform, investing in conquesting as a brand, the competitive advantage of early adoption, and the power of Criteo’s enhanced insights in driving smarter investments.
