Disruptive Advertising

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Since partnering with Disruptive Advertising, our return on ad spend has consistently been in between 2.5–3x return. Our conversion rate is between 2-3%, which is higher than the industry average. Additionally, our website revenue has grown 24% month over month. 

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Disruptive Advertising leaves the agenda up to the needs of the client. They format and structure meetings however we desire. Each week, we have a one-hour meeting and they allocate time for each of the platform experts to speak to their relevant metrics. Not only do they deep dive into the specific metrics but they also cover aggregate metrics. 

We interface with the different members of the Disruptive Advertising team to talk about new strategies or ads or new target audiences and demographics that we want to focus on. Their team is very responsive. They’re a very efficient and effective agency. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by their organizational structure. Disruptive Advertising has designed and built their company for success. Their corporate culture is performance-driven, and that’s a very noticeable aspect of their company. They are very process-oriented, but not so rigorous that it impacts their ability to innovate. 

They’re also very skilled at recognizing talent. Disruptive Advertising has a very keen eye for experts in the industry. They attract, hire, and retain very knowledgable individuals. Their team adjusts to our needs. When we started working with them, they did not focus on Amazon advertising. When we told them we wanted a comprehensive program, they ended up hiring someone who was an Amazon expert to fill that gap.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They are the only organization I’ve ever worked with that I could say that about. Everything about them is solid. I’ve had no hesitations or reservations about continuing the relationship. They’ve been a fantastic team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be engaged, even as a client. Even though Disruptive Advertising is a phenomenal company and they have a lot of great capabilities, they’re ultimately better served from knowing and understanding your industry. This is best achieved by the client staying engaged over time. Think of it as bringing on a new employee and getting them up to speed through an indoctrination process and getting them familiar with the company. 

It also helps to be patient. As with any marketing goals or objectives, nothing happens overnight. As a customer, invest your time in the process. Help your marketing agency understand your goals and vision for products and services, and they will best be able to deliver.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We run a few Google Ads campaigns because we want to make sure we track a multitude of topics that other properties may not be looking out for. When I first started in 2018, we weren’t putting a lot of money into what I would call a “competitor campaign." We describe that as a set of keywords and search terms intended to mooch business from competing properties in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As I started getting a better understanding of how our digital placement was functioning, we were able to put some more money behind the competitor campaign. That campaign helped us be a bit more visible when people happen to be searching for one of our competitors. We hope that they would instead click on one of our ads and ultimately decide to book a hotel room with us instead of our competition.

We’ve seen some good results with that strategy, but our most significant result has come recently. For the longest time, we were running a campaign called “Enhanced Cost Per Click,” or ECPC. That method allowed our rep to monitor our account and manually adjust bids to make sure we were getting in front of as many people as possible at profitable times.

So far this year, we have increased hotel bookings and conversions by 1,000% month-over-month, and we’re not even done with July. Disruptive Advertising’s recommendations have gotten us more quality impressions, which means a higher level of clicks, which then translates into a better reputation with Google. We are appearing higher on search pages and spending less money to get there.  

How did Disruptive Advertising perform from a project management standpoint?

Our first account manager was everything we could have asked for in terms of being professional, responsive, and proactive. Our second rep was not nearly as ambitious, however. We’ve found our stride again with our current representative, who coincidentally trained our original manager. He works nonstop in the same ways as his mentee, so we’ve been very successful since he took over. We have weekly calls, and our rep is always eager to hear our ideas and challenge us to try new strategies. We are knocking metrics out of the park based on his recommendations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our account manager has a knack for customer service at a level that is higher than most other industries. Our rep always makes it a point to keep us in the loop and apologize when we don’t hear from him for day or two.

 Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Our rep makes working together very easy. He gives us great updates and tells us what’s working or not working.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should let them drive the engagement. It’s a humbling experience to go into something thinking we know everything only to find out we don’t. I’m not the best as far as digital marketing and advertising go. I was able to learn a lot by letting Disruptive Advertising do their thing and utilize best practices.