Case Studies: ebookers
ebookers expands with Efficient Frontier
Meeting the moving goal posts
The online travel sector lends itself to complex SEM campaigns. The very nature of the number of destinations and keyword variables creates a complexity that tops other sectors. Efficient Frontier was first tasked with building a campaign of fifty-five thousand hotel names, generating fourteen keywords per location. This was turned around with ad copy in a matter of days.
By using mathematical models to determine both cost per click and conversion rate, Efficient Frontier proposed to leverage optimisation systems to create a bidding strategy to reflect ebookers business goals – from maximising revenues within a fixed budget, to minimising costs to a fixed revenue target.
Ciaran Lally, managing director of ebookers UK, explains, "We change our business goal posts according to the time of year and we always found it difficult to move swiftly from optimising on one metric to another metric without detrimental lag to our search campaigns."
CPO targets
Forward visability using accurate simulations
The first objective for the Irish campaign when ebookers.com began work with Efficient Frontier in November was to hit specific cost per order (CPO) targets based on average revenue per order plus a specific profit margin. Lally continues, "Efficient Frontier were able to give us visibility using simulations and then accurately set the spend levels."
Traffic targets
Volume was hitting the roof
SEM objectives, which were influenced by the wider marketing plan moved to focus on branding in late January. Volume and high visibility across the search engines were critical during this important time of year for travel. The aim was to reach a top 3 position on Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft for all keywords and this was achieved.
Lally says, "January is an important time of year to communicate to travellers and push our brand. We changed our SEM objective to increase volume and traffic to our website for this period and almost immediately following the decision Efficient Frontier implemented the change. After allowing a couple of days for the campaigns to adjust to the change in strategy volume was hitting the roof."
Dual strategy
Controlling spend at the flick of a switch
When late February arrived, search strategy changed again to accommodate a profit neutral objective for all non branded keywords. The ebookers.com model places importance on repeat visitors. During this time, Efficient Frontier was able to put in place a dual strategy. One created maximum profit from cost effective branded keywords and another kept all other keywords at ROI neutral. The shift to ROI neutral was a staggered approach moving through portfolios of keywords one by one starting with flights, then hotels, then finally to car hire. "Controlling spend levels across each portfolio of keywords used to be an impossible task and now it's almost as if it happens at the flick of a switch." Lally affirms.
Campaign Expansion
Seasonal decision making made easy
Due to the overwhelming success of the ebookers.com Ireland campaign, ebookers.com is now set to roll out across the UK with Efficient Frontier, using their client services team and their unique portfolio optimization technology. Lally concludes, "Efficient Frontier provides us with great forward visibility into campaign performance. Their technology enables us to make key seasonal decisions about the value of increasing spend to meet moving goal posts. Their client services team are incredible and their speed of reaction to accommodate our changing objectives is hugely advantageous."
