Case study Migros

After their application for a Cumulus Mastercard – which is issued by Cembra in collaboration with the Federation of Migros Cooperatives – has been reviewed successfully, new customers will benefit from 3,000 Cumulus points. Migros is using this special offer to promote the credit card across a range of both online and offline channels. It has enlisted the help of Webrepublic to ensure the most efficient possible playout on YouTube.

To achieve both goals mentioned (awareness and conversions), two different formats or bidding strategies were selected on YouTube:

• TrueView in-stream optimized through manual bidding on views
• TrueView for action optimized through automated bidding on conversions

As A/B testing has been possible on YouTube since mid-2019, both formats could be easily compared. Users who were played the ads were divided into two groups. One group was played the in-stream ads, while the other group was played the TrueView for action ads. They both saw the same video but the sole difference was in the bidding strategy – optimal requirements for comparing the performance of both variations.

• TrueView in-stream: 219% more views than TrueView for action with the same budget
• TrueView for action: 177% more conversions than TrueView in-stream with the same budget

A/B testing allowed for the functionality of both formats to be scrutinized: TrueView for action achieved significantly more conversions than TrueView in-stream, whereas TrueView in-stream recorded significantly more views. This shows that the formats live up to their promises and illustrates that the decision over which option to use depends greatly on what a campaign seeks to achieve.

It’s also important to note that TrueView for action requires a higher budget and a duration of at least four to six weeks to ensure the algorithm is fed enough data in order to effectively optimize for conversions through automated bidding.

With YouTube ads, you can reach 4.2 million individual users across Switzerland from all age groups each month (status in January 2020). Advertisers can reach the relevant target group visually and auditorily based on numerous targeting options such as interests and currently-viewed content. The platform offers high visibility for ads and a wide selection of advertising formats that can be used to achieve various goals and that are suitable for almost all industries.

For the Cumulus Mastercard video campaign, Webrepublic worked with both TrueView in-stream ads, which aim to gain as many views as possible, and the TrueView for action campaigns format for its focus on conversions, which equate to printed applications in this case.