The Power of Programmatic Advertising in Driving Growth

Craig Group partners with Goodway Group to maximize ad buys in real-time

CHALLENGE

When Craig Group needed to launch a multi-million dollar, omni-channel media campaign – involving more than 30 markets – for a healthcare client, they leaned-in to an audience first strategy built around patients’ healthcare needs. To execute this strategy, Craig Group knew that a real-time, data driven programmatic strategy was the most efficient and relevant way to go to market.

Statista.com reports that programmatic ad-buying surpassed 90 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Although the process is somewhat automated, programmatic advertising still requires an expert know-how of the digital landscape as well as the expertise of a digital marketer to purchase the right media for the right audience.

Craig Group employs managed service programmatic experts but needed to scale up quickly for the needs of the client.

“We needed a partner with access to world-class DSPs that could scale with us, virtually overnight,” said Summer Craig, President of Craig Group.

Enter the Goodway Group.

SOLUTION

Craig Group partnered with the programmatic advertising pioneers at the Goodway Group which employs a team of 400 strategists, traders, researchers, and account managers. Goodway offered Craig Group technical assistance in programmatic strategy for all media channels, including display, video, audio and video advertising.

Craig Group was able to bid on custom audiences to deliver the client’s targeted messaging, whether that be middle-aged males most at risk for a heart attack or young women in need of an OBGYN.

Using a customized, real-time reporting dashboard, Craig Group integrated the results of the ad buys to quickly determine how to further refine future spending, maximizing a message’s effectiveness.

RESULTS

Craig Group was able to launch 85 different campaigns for 32 different hospitals in radio, streaming audio, outdoor, search, social, print, and display.

Using a combination of targeted digital and reach-driving traditional channels allowed for a diversified and cost-effective way to communicate the client’s message.

Nearly 3 million people in the targeted audiences saw or heard the ads for the client. Twelve percent of people who saw a paid search ad clicked through for more information, which is much better than the standard click-through rate of 1 to 2 percent.

The health care network received more than 2,000 calls in response to the paid search advertising.

Craig Group’s campaigns generated more than 169 million impressions and 258K total engagements. The engagements included 9.5K in total actions, form fills and click-to-call actions across all campaigns.

The ability to scale up quickly and reach the right audience through programmatic advertising was key.

“The client’s various hospitals had individual needs that drive their business and some very specific geographic considerations,” said Tricia Eaton, Vice President of Media at Craig Group. “Their wide-spread footprint also meant there were regional nuances that would affect what an audience would look like. A soon-to-be mom looking for an OBGYN in Salt Lake City is different than in Boston. Through programmatic, we were able to get in front of those specific audiences quickly and efficiently maximize their campaign performance.”

The blueprint of the successful programmatic strategy for this campaign is one that Craig Group can tailor for other clients with diverse audiences in the future.