Display Advertising Success Stories

4 min

Inside One Local Pizzeria’s Quest to Build Up Its Online Ordering Business

Whether it’s your advertising strategy or your day-to-day operations, local business leaders are always on the lookout for new ways to push performance higher. The same is true for your digital advertising partners: any new insight or ad strategy can be harnessed to elevate the performance of our clients’ campaigns, creating a competitive advantage over your competition.

When it comes to seeking out inspiration, there’s no better source than the success stories of other brands. Even as a local advertiser, the success stories of brands both big and small can offer a blueprint for building and optimizing your own campaigns for better performance and ROI. But not all display ad strategies are created equal—which is why we’re highlighting three standout campaigns that could help your own campaigns meet and exceed your campaign goals:

Food delivery was a big industry even before the COVID-19 pandemic—especially for pizza restaurants. So when one local restaurant, Toni’s Pizzeria, realized it was struggling to grow its online ordering and delivery volume against the competition of larger chain pizzerias, it decided to invest in digital advertising that would grow its local brand presence, increase online ordering, and grow its loyal customer base.

Display advertising was central to this strategy, with two crucial campaign elements. First, ads were only delivered to consumers within their delivery service area of its two locations, ensuring that none of the company’s ad budget was wasted on people who couldn’t order delivery.

The restaurant also restricted its ad delivery to within its hours of operation, increasing the likelihood that ads would directly refer online users to place an order.

The results of this campaign were a huge success: the local pizzeria grew its online ordering business so quickly that, three years later, online orders were responsible for 70 percent of its total revenues. For every inbound phone call the business received, four online orders were placed through its website.

Overall, display advertising helped the business drive a 1,388 percent return on its ad spending for that calendar year.

Takeaways for Local Businesses

  • Use geotargeted ad strategies to control advertising costs and increase ad relevance;
  • Don’t run middle and bottom-funnel ad campaigns when your business isn’t open for phone calls, walk-ins and/or online orders;
  • Set up monitor campaign analytics to make sure you’re getting value out of your spending.

>0%

of all digital ad spending in the US is spent on display ads

https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/us-display-ad-spending-2022

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of all revenue at Toni's Pizzeria attributed to online orders following display ad efforts

https://ads.google.com/intl/en_uk/home/success-stories/tonis-pizzeria/

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return on ad spending for Toni's Pizzeria that calendar year

The Display Ad Strategy That Drove 8X In-Store ROI for Home Depot

Home Depot positions its brand not only as a home improvement retailer, but also as a retail destination where consumers can speak directly with expert sales associates. To promote and reinforce the quality of this brick-and-mortar brand experience, the company wanted to run a display ad campaign that increased store visits and subsequent purchases.

Mobile display ads were targeted to consumers whose online behavior reflected an interest in home and garden retail, as well as a high intent to take on DIY projects. Those ads then encouraged the consumers to visit local Home Depot stores based on their location. Mobile location extensions were used with these display ad campaigns, making it possible for the ads to use the consumer’s location to push the brick-and-mortar visit.

The display ad campaign was a resounding success for Home Depot, delivering 8X ROI when comparing in-store revenue generation to the display ad’s spending. Even better, 93 percent of the total sales driven by the mobile ads were completed in-store, rather than online.

After a smaller pilot of this campaign, Home Depot expanded this mobile display ad program to serve nearly all of their stores.

Takeaways for Local Businesses

  • Leverage your brick-and-mortar location when advertising to your local audience;
  • Use mobile extensions and mobile display strategies to connect with consumers while they’re located close to your business location.

geico example

How Geico Promoted New Insurance Products Across Strategic Geographic Locations

Long known for its car insurance product, national insurance brand Geico needed a digital ad strategy that would promote its new insurance products, as well as the bundling options available to consumers who placed multiple policies with the business.

Display advertising played a central role in building consumer awareness of these insurance offerings, particularly through two key types of messaging. The first, “More Than Car Insurance,” was targeted to consumers who were familiar with the Geico brand but not the full spectrum of its insurance offerings.

The second, “Bundle & Save,” attempted to appeal to consumers who were interested in more cost-effective options for their various insurance policies.

In addition to its diversified display ad creative—in terms of both the messaging and the color/graphic elements—Geico also targeted its digital ads to high-density metro areas across the United States, with a particular emphasis on the Northeastern United States.

The success of this strategy has likely helped Geico achieve rising insurance revenues that have outpaced the growth of the overall market.

Takeaways for Local Businesses

  • Mix up your display ad messaging to resonate with different consumers and pain points;
  • Geotarget ads to locations and cities that are a top priority for your brand’s growth goals.

You now know what other businesses are doing to drive ROI through their display ad campaigns. The next step is using these insights to improve your own digital advertising. A digital marketing strategy consultant can help you incorporate these tips and best practices into your own display ad campaigns while making sure your ad strategy is aligned with your business goals.

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