CLIENT  Protection Plan and Consumer Service Contract Provider

SERVICES

Direct Response TV & Radio Advertising

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Digital Marketing

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Design & Development

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Media Buying

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Analytics & Reporting

THE RESULTS?

This $18M media campaign served as a growth engine, helping the client go from virtually zero calls to almost half a million. And for the client, a nine-figure business valuation within a few short years.

THE CLIENT

This fast-growing protection plan and consumer service contract provider began as a startup with only four employees, zero direct-to-consumer revenue, but with a bold idea for a unique product and position in the marketplace. Fast forward a few years, they are now an industry leader and a household name in their category, offer multiple levels of protection plans, and provide their customers with total peace of mind by eliminating expensive, unexpected repair bills.

Lead Handling Challenges

Limited Marketing Reach

Underperforming Keywords

A Brand at a Crossroads

The client, with a 30-year history in the protection plan industry, was looking for a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy that was highly scalable. They initially wanted an integrated approach to TV, radio, and digital as their exposure to advertising and lead generation was minimal.

Their prior campaigns included small paid search and digital advertising tests, but they weren’t getting the results they wanted. What they needed was a keyword mix that aligned closely with buyer intent. When combined with a strategy that was set up to turn clicks into qualified leads, this would help them make better use of their budget, increase engagement, and gain traction.

The client was also investigating long-form TV (30-minute infomercials) which presented some challenges from a call arrival and call handling perspective.

At the same time, they were also considering a fully “self-serve” model. Their vision emphasized e-commerce functionality and app development, encouraging customers to shop for coverage plans entirely online. This would be challenging because their product is complex and consultative by nature—consumers generally aren’t informed enough to purchase plans on their own.

They knew they needed a partner who could streamline the process to think and execute against a sound direct-to-consumer strategy.

Focus on Driving Inbound Calls

New Direct-to-Consumer Strategy

Optimized Digital Campaigns

A Combined DRTV and Digital Strategy

A direct-to-consumer strategy was implemented that developed and executed both digital and offline (TV and radio) campaigns, but with the primary focus on short-form DRTV. This complete direct-to-consumer strategy laid the foundation for long-term success.

Recognizing that the client needed more than just media placements, a plan was made to strengthen the company’s marketing infrastructure. Before a single ad hit the airwaves, the stage was set for scale. From backend systems to customer touchpoints, everything needed to align around one core objective: generating and responding to high-quality inbound calls.

The strategy included:

A DRTV Campaign Backed by Smart Infrastructure & Rate Efficiency

Collaborating closely with the client’s production agency, a series of 60-second short-form DRTV spots that could be A/B tested against each other was created. Each spot was tagged with a unique toll-free number by network, giving precise performance tracking on which messages and placements drove results.

Based on the client needing aggressive CPA targets, the media strategy was focused primarily on remnant media where aggressive rates and CPMs could be achieved.

Website Rework and Call Center Alignment

Elements of the client’s website were reworked to focus on driving inbound calls to a well-staffed call center, rather than attempting to drive e-commerce sales. This shift contributed to the strength of a more consultative sales process, ensuring that every lead was treated with care.

Marketing Content Creation

A versatile Product Guide was also developed to support marketing and sales across multiple touchpoints. It served as a secondary conversion path on the website, a gated value-add in paid digital campaigns, and a thoughtful follow-up for callers who didn’t convert immediately. This not only extended the life of each lead but helped capture email addresses for future nurturing.

Insights Before Action

Deep competitive research was conducted to make sure the client didn’t enter the market blind. Using third-party data, the team analyzed where top competitors were buying airtime, which dayparts they leaned into, and how they structured their messaging, offers, and CTAs. These insights helped position the campaign strategically, avoiding wasted spend and zeroing in on proven opportunities.

Custom Reporting & Analytics

To provide visibility into insights at all levels of the campaign, we worked collaboratively with the client to build a custom reporting suite that merged detailed airings data with detailed call and order data. This allowed for the tracking of media, creative, daypart, and call-center performance, while making real-time optimization moves based on data.

THE RESULTS

During the first week of the campaign, one of the partners at the company stated, “At first, we didn’t even know if the phone was going to ring at all.” In the end, the campaign:

• Launched and scaled their TV and Radio budgets from $0 to $8M per year
• Consistently delivered CPA 44% lower than industry benchmarks
• Generated over 455,000 calls and leads through TV, radio, and digital in the first 4 years