In 2023, Cristal, a Belgian beer brand, sought to increase positive brand association and awareness by highlighting the local ingredients and green energy they use in their production. The purpose of this campaign was to appeal to younger consumers and minimizing ad waste.
To achieve this, Dentsu and Ads & Data partnered with Cristal to design a data-optimized media strategy, integrating TV and online channels to maximize reach and reduce the cost per impact. Leveraging Dentsu’s Consumer Connection Tool, this approach enabled Cristal to adapt its strategy, and effectively double its audience reach.
The plan, the strategy and the execution
To reach their target audience, the campaign rolled out in two waves. The first used linear TV, Smart Ad, and BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) to reach viewers aged 25-44. The second targeted those missed in the initial wave. Data-optimized targeting, using first-party data and cross-platform integration, maximized reach while reducing ad waste and boosting brand awareness among younger consumers. This combined approach achieved Belgium’s first-ever total video reach measurement across linear TV, Smart AD, and BVOD, maximizing reach and reducing ad waste.
Campaign video available here.
Team work makes the dream work
Cristal, Dentsu, and Ads & Data teams worked closely together, with support from VLM (a creative agency) for TV spots. They also partnered with Telenet, Proximus, and InfoSum for privacy-compliant audience targeting. Ads & Data’s analysts ensured consistency across platforms, consolidating campaign data into a single deduplicated reach metric.
The campaign’s innovative targeting delivered notable results:
- 23.4% net reach on 25-44 year-olds through linear TV.
- 58% deduplicated net reach with the combination of linear TV, Smart AD, and online video.
- 67% ad recall in the target demographic, with 65% attributing recall to TV.
- High Brand Awareness: 95% among 25-44 year-olds, with a 58% purchase intent among exposed viewers.
Recognition and Industry Impact
The campaign won the CommPass AMMA award for ‘Best Use of Data’ and IAB Mixx award for Effective Use of Data. By relying on local first-party data, the campaign also strengthened the local advertising ecosystem, demonstrating the potential of data-optimized strategies to achieve extensive reach among younger audiences.
Source: egtaknowledgehub.com
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