CASE STUDY: STATE BAGS
YoY Growth With Seasonal Creative Strategy
Using Primer to Build and Test More Ad Creative
WHO IS STATE BAGS?
STATE Bags is an accessories brand with a big mission — with every purchase, they support American children and families in need. In November 2022, STATE Bags came to Primer to help them grow their business by expanding acquisition beyond their core backpack and outside of their seasonal peak buying times.
THE CHALLENGE
Evergreen Efficiency
Primer partnered with STATE Bags just after the height of their busy back-to-school season, with a hefty goal of doubling ROAS. While the brand did well during the summer and early fall, it struggled to maintain efficiency throughout the year. A solid evergreen strategy was needed to stay profitable and consistently acquire new customers outside of peak times.
STATE Bags, like so many other boutique consumer brands at the time, was faced with inventory limitations. Individual products would meet the ROAS goal but once those sold out and the related ads were turned off, the results dropped. Finding a diverse product mix of top ads that could deliver results was key to the brand’s success.
THE GOAL
STATE Bags faced the challenge of expanding beyond their traditional peak seasons and improving the efficiency of its advertising efforts year-round. Through strategic adjustments in spend allocation, methodical creative testing, and seasonal campaign planning, STATE Bags achieved significant year-over-year growth and performance efficiency improvements.
THE STRATEGY
Expanding to a full-funnel strategy
Running upper, middle, and lower funnel tactics allowed a more effective approach to tackling consumers at different stages of the purchase consideration. Primer was able to help identify strengths and weaknesses at every stage of the funnel which allowed for faster testing and scaling while improving efficiency along the way.
Testing creatives & messaging
We prioritized conducting extensive creative testing to optimize ad performance and gain insights into consumer preferences. This allowed us to hone in on the BDQs for STATE Bags’ custom personas based on specific products, such as diaper bags and adult totes, to drive conversion. We also focused messaging on key purchase-driven events such as spring break, summer adventures, back to school, and gifting.
Segmenting campaigns
Another part of the strategy was to divide campaigns into high and low AOV segments to optimize budget allocation and allow for specific, product-based messaging. This segmentation allowed for increased efficiency with ad spend and product promotion based on company initiatives.
Seasonal campaign planning
To ensure extended seasonality, we worked closely with the brand to repurpose evergreen offers and special promotions during challenging times to improve performance outside of sale periods. We separated evergreen products from seasonal ones to tailor messaging and promotions accordingly to maintain relevance and consumer engagement, and positioned higher price point items such as luggage as year-round essentials to maintain a solid AOV.
Here’s a closer look at the results.
THE RESULTS
STATE Bags succeeded and was able to scale yearly ad spend +56% YoY, while improving metrics across the board including an increase in ROAS, decreased CPA and a 14% improvement in CVR year over year. (Results based on 2023 performance over 2022)
THE WINS
Strategic planning around seasonality is key for Fashion + Apparel brands. For STATE Bags, that meant going big for Summer travel and back to school while leveraging seasonal messaging and evergreen offers to maintain performance during off seasons. This required a constant flow of creative that pushed seasonal messaging in the summer months, transitioned to gifting, then using the early part of the year to build hype for the coming season. Pair all of this with copy and headlines geared toward evergreen sales in the winter months and you have a recipe for consistent performance.
May → Summer Travel
In this video win, we immediately call out the target demographic, mentioning a relatable pain point (packing for travel), and offer an immediate solution. It features the aspirational scenario of a travel lifestyle and showcases the product in-use making it easier for potential customers to imagine themselves using it. The video goes beyond the functional benefits of the product to mention something for every personality and additional colors that can be a powerful purchasing influence.
The voiceover tactfully answers key BDQs throughout the video (i.e. room for essentials, additional compartments for gadgets, etc.) while continuing to highlight the benefits and ends with an emotional CTA to let the adventures begin!
August → Back to School
Back-to-school season is prime time for families and students to purchase new products, making it a critical period for targeted advertising. This video immediately taps into the excitement and emotion of finding the perfect solution for the school year and showcases zoomed-in product shots to highlight the details that can sometimes be missed when purchasing products online.
It goes on to methodically showcase the key features of the product, including storage capacity, ergonomic design, functional packing options, and bonus features for travel like the luggage slip sleeve. Near the end of the ad, there’s a key mention that the product sells out each year enticing consumers to act quickly for fear of missing out, and underscores practicality and necessity making it appealing for parents and kids alike.
November → Gifting
Opening with a strong POV statement, this hook draws viewers with the emotional appeal of giving the gift of adventure. This combined with quick cuts of loved ones enjoying the luggage as a gift appeals to both the giver’s desire to find the perfect gift and the receiver’s happiness which can create a deeper connection with viewers, making them more likely to impulse buy.
We again address multiple BDQs throughout the video underscored with visuals of of the product in action helping to reinforce that this is the best gift for several reasons. This video also pulls in social proof in a subtle way by showcasing multiple examples of satisfied customers, reassuring potential buyers about the purchase.
February → Building Hype
Building hype is a powerful marketing strategy and leading with a back-in-stock hook instantly draws in consumers to learn more about this hot product that keeps selling out. We reveal just enough to pique interest and create a sense of curiosity and anticipation among viewers.
The video also leans into showcasing unique features and calls out multiple use cases that set the product apart and further enhance its appeal. By highlighting how the product will positively impact the user’s life or experience, we create a compelling narrative that resonates with the intended target audience and makes the product even more relatable and desirable.
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