Car Check Paid Ads Case Study
A vehicle history checks provider wanted to grow revenue from paid ads in a crowded market. We took over account governance, strengthened tracking and reporting, improved campaign structure across Google and Meta, and built a clearer optimisation roadmap to increase efficiency and unlock scalable growth.
Client
Industry: Automotive / Vehicle history checks (web + app)
Client Type: Consumer services company (B2C) with an app acquisition focus
Market: UK
- Services Provided:
- Paid media management
- Creative development
- Tracking & analytics validation
- Performance reporting, ongoing optimisation
* Channels: Google Ads, Meta Ads, Google Display Network
Timeline 3-6 months
The Challenge
- Competition was increasing in a crowded marketplace, creating pressure to drive more revenue through paid channels.
- Paid activity needed tighter governance, better segmentation, and stronger efficiency to reduce reliance on a single approach
- App acquisition lacked post-install visibility, making true performance (e.g., ROAS) hard to measure.
Objectives
- Take over and optimise paid media activity to drive revenue.
- Improve efficiency to enable smarter budget use and future channel diversification.
- Strengthen tracking, analytics, and reporting to support better decisions.
Strategy & Approach
Our approach was straightforward: tighten the campaigns, improve the ads, and make sure the numbers are accurate. Once the foundations were in place, we could spot what was working, fix what wasn’t, and focus spend on what drives sales.
Campaign planning
Journey mapping, media budgeting, clearer KPIs
What we did
Mapped the customer journey, simplified the campaign structure, and set budgets and KPIs by stage (new customers vs returning visitors).
Why it matters
Prevents wasted spend and keeps budgets focused on the campaigns that actually drive sales.
Output
A clear campaign roadmap, budget split, and performance benchmarks to measure success.
Creative development
A repeatable concept system for prospecting + retargeting
What we did
Built a repeatable creative system with different messaging for prospecting and retargeting, plus multiple variations to test and refresh.
Why it matters
Better messaging improves click-through and conversion rates, and creative variety reduces performance drop-off over time.
Output
A structured set of ad concepts and variations that can scale without constant reinvention.
Optimisation & measurement
GA4/Ads validation, conversion setup + dashboards
What we did
Validated GA4 and ad-platform tracking, improved conversion setup, and created dashboards for ongoing reporting and decision-making.
Why it matters
If the numbers aren’t accurate, optimisation becomes guesswork, reliable tracking makes improvements faster and more profitable.
Output
Clean measurement, conversion visibility, and a reporting view that highlights quick wins and wasted spend.
Creatives That Drove Results
What We Implemented
Web campaigns (B2C)
What we did
- Took over governance of existing activity and expanded targeting around different vehicle needs/types.
- Ran awareness + remarketing across GDN and Meta to keep non-converters warm.
Key improvements identified
- Needed stronger audience definitions and segmentation to improve efficiency and performance.
- Needed efficiency gains to support budget reduction/diversification over time.
App download campaigns
What we did
- Activated Google and Meta campaigns to drive app downloads, with a promotional push and messaging updates.
Key limitation addressed
- Limited visibility into post-install behaviour and in-app actions reduced ability to measure “true success” (e.g., Return on Ad Spend).
Creative system
What we did
- Built messaging and creative that highlights “hidden vehicle history” using a split-image concept that works well in display placements.
- Developed variations for prospecting vs retargeting to reduce wearout and improve relevance.
Tracking & reporting
What we did
- Verified GA4 implementation and Google Ads accuracy.
- Set up Meta conversion, revenue, audience tracking and created live dashboards (including creative performance tracking).
- Identified next measurement step: implement “soft conversions” and unlock first-party data for smarter targeting.
RESULTS
- 25% Increase in Checkouts
- 85,640 first opens tracked
- £1.40 cost per install
Better measurement and segmentation unlocked stronger attribution and scalable growth.
Want to see more real-world Paid Media results?
Explore how we’ve helped businesses in other industries grow through paid social and PPC. Using creative testing, smart targeting, and conversion-focused optimisation.
- Campaign strategy built around real goals (leads, sales, ROAS)
- Creative testing that improves performance (hooks, formats, offers)
- Ongoing optimisation to reduce wasted spend (targeting, budgets, landing pages)
