Overview
A fast‑growing online escape‑room brand had strong word‑of‑mouth but hit a ceiling. ~80% of Google Ads spend went to brand search and retargeting, which recycled the same audience. They needed a cold‑traffic engine to bring in first‑time buyers without blowing up CPA.

Challenges

• Over‑reliance on brand/retargeting; limited scale

• Fragmented account structure; mixed signals to Smart Bidding

• Cold campaigns either paused or never tested beyond broad, untracked experiments

Strategy
Rebuild around cold customer acquisition while protecting profitable brand/retargeting.

• Stand up Performance Max with strong audience hints (puzzle/board‑game fans, mystery/thriller viewers, family activities)

• Launch Discovery & YouTube In‑Stream for reach and assisted conversions

• Expand non‑brand search (“online escape room”, “play with friends remotely”, “virtual team activity”) with tighter SKAG/intent clusters

• Fix measurement: GA4 + Enhanced Conversions, clear first‑purchase vs. repeat logic, weekly cohort tracking

Execution Highlights

• Creative angles: “Movie‑night alternative”, “Team night from home”, “Solve it together”

• Rapid A/B of thumbnails, hooks, and 15s video cuts to improve VTR and CVR

• Bid strategy migration to tCPA/tROAS by campaign → stabilize, then push budgets on winners

Results (90 days)

• +40–50% new customer volume from Google Ads (cold campaigns)

• ‑20–30% CPA vs. previous cold attempts

• +25–35% non‑brand revenue contribution at target ROAS