Turning $280 into $49K: A High-ROI Gift Card Campaign
Overview
A long-time client of August Ash in the retail industry sought to maximize holiday gift card sales through targeted digital advertising. With a limited timeframe and a specific budget, the goal was to drive efficient, high-ROI purchases while ensuring the campaign reached the right customers.
By using precise audience targeting and a streamlined ad approach, August Ash delivered a campaign that significantly outperformed expectations, achieving an exceptional 175.75x return on ad spend (ROAS).
The Challenge
A Short Window to Drive Impact
Gift cards are a key revenue driver during the holiday season, but with only 15 days to run the campaign, the strategy had to be highly efficient and effective.
To ensure success, August Ash had to:
- Reach high-intent shoppers with a data-driven audience strategy.
- Maximize a limited budget to drive the most possible sales.
- Optimize ad placements to ensure the highest possible return on investment.
With these constraints in mind, the team developed a highly focused campaign strategy to ensure that every advertising dollar worked as effectively as possible.
The Strategy
Leveraging Targeted Audience Segments
Instead of broad-based advertising, August Ash built a refined targeting strategy to maximize engagement and drive direct conversions.
- Custom audiences were developed using historical shopping and purchase data.
- With strict guidelines, we leveraged Meta’s Advantage+ Audience tool to help reach new, high-potential customers.
- Ad placements were optimized for Facebook and Instagram, where past campaigns had shown the strongest performance.
Google Ad
The campaign’s creative was intentionally simple—a single static image ad featuring a stack of gift cards arranged like a Christmas tree.
• Holiday-themed design aligned with seasonal purchasing behavior.
• No distractions—the focus remained entirely on the product.
• Clear call-to-action (CTA) that encouraged immediate purchases.
$280.90
Total ad spend
433
Total ad clicks
$49,368
Total revenue attributed to ads
271
Website purchases directly attributed to ads
175.75x
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
The campaign played a key role in the client’s overall holiday sales strategy.
2023 Holiday Gift Card Sales: 566 purchases, $14,150 in revenue.
2024 Holiday Gift Card Sales: 537 purchases, $79,746 in revenue.
While total purchase volume was slightly lower than the previous year, revenue saw a significant increase, proving that the campaign helped attract higher-value transactions.
Precision Targeting Drives Results
The campaign’s success was not about flashy creative—it was about reaching the right audience at the right time, leading to exceptional conversion rates.
Small Budgets Can Deliver Big Returns
With just $280.90 in ad spend, August Ash helped generate over $49,000 in gross revenue, demonstrating that strategy matters more than budget size.
Social Media as a Key Conversion Driver
Facebook and Instagram outperformed all other channels, reinforcing their effectiveness as key drivers of direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales.
Looking Ahead
Following the campaign’s success, August Ash is working with the client to further refine and expand future seasonal promotions. Additional testing on ad creative variations, audience segmentation, and bid strategies will be conducted to further optimize return on investment.
August Ash specializes in data-driven digital marketing strategies that help businesses maximize their advertising efforts. If you’re looking for a partner to help drive higher returns, let’s start a conversation.