Background
Wunderkarten is a leading web-to-print shop for fashionable photo cards in Europe. Their offerings include more than 31,000 beautifully customizable invitations, birth announcements, and much more. Since their founding in 2009, they’ve sold over 31 million cards across Europe. Their exclusive designs and innovative quality control ensure that celebrators get just the right card to make a special message stand out. In addition to markets in Germany, Wunderkarten also has a presence in Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, and the UK.
With the assistance of Marin Software, the deployment of Broad Audiences for Dynamic Ads notably increased our audience reach. Layering the budget allocation algorithm on top was an effective way of distributing our ad spend dollars across multiple markets and campaigns where they were generating the best results day to day. Marin’s Search Intent technology gave us the ability to leverage data from our search campaigns and also gave us an additional catalogue of audiences to use. The real bonus was that it saved us time, too!
The Challenge
The Wunderkarten team launched paid ads on Facebook to drive new customer acquisition. They started finding new customers by targeting lookalike audiences based on seed audiences created from website analytics and internal CRM files.
These audiences expanded their reach, but the team found it difficult to define enough high-performing lookalike audiences to meet their ambitious acquisition goals. When they found a lookalike that did very well, it tended to fatigue very quickly, and audience performance would quickly drop off.
The challenge was two-fold:
- They needed a better way to create higher-intent audiences. The lookalike audiences didn’t have the same level of intent, resulting in a higher cost per conversion.
- They needed an always-on, evergreen approach to broader prospecting that wouldn’t require the team to continuously, manually pause-insert new creative-reactivate to prevent from exhausting those audiences.
Solution
Marin Search Intent improved on initial lookalike strategies by segmenting the seed audiences based on the user’s search query. This created multiple seed audiences with demonstrated intent for specific product categories.
Wunderkarten could then use Marin to target high-intent audiences with the matching creative and text relevant to that segment. This technique was especially effective for aligning the peak season for wedding invitations with the right audiences.
In terms of the evergreen/wider approach, Broad Audiences allotted the team a larger pool to prospect against, and the tethered Dynamic Ads ensured that people were seeing the most relevant, highest-performing products particular to their audience constituency. The products shown would be personalized for each user, and also continuously updated to elude ad fatigue.
Marin’s nimble and intuitive workflow to create and manage Broad Audiences for Dynamic Ads solved the wider reach challenge and the need for consistent, fresh prospect messaging. At the start, Marin worked with the Wunderkarten team to prepare their product feed and build the Broad Audience campaigns—providing granular analysis to understand the high value, top-performing targeting, geographic, and demographic segments.
Once it got to the point of budget allocation, Wunderkarten was able to deploy Marin’s Budget Allocation Algorithm to much success (hands-off, real-time, automated success, at that). This tool shifted budget across ad sets in real-time, leading to impressive efficiency gains and time savings.
Results
The Broad Audiences for Dynamic Ads campaigns crushed the lookalike audiences they used previously. Revenue was up 244% and conversion increased by 183. Since deploying Broad Audience for Dynamic Ads, the Wunderkarten team have saved significant amounts of time on optimization, campaign management, and budgeting decisions by executing this new strategy on Marin Social.
We know that AI is everywhere, but it’s still worth taking a moment to think about what the year ahead has in store for us. We present our thoughts on the most meaningful forces driving changes for performance marketers in 2024.
1. AI Transforms Supply
Artificial intelligence is redefining how we find and access information information, which means the surfaces for advertising will continue to evolve. AI-driven Search, like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Perplexity, and even Google Gemini, is better than a page full of links.
These AI systems are shifting user behavior, with more consumers preferring AI-powered search to deliver contextual answers. For advertisers, this means evolving ad formats integrated into conversational AI interfaces. OpenAI is “weighing” whether to offer ads. Imagine AI-guided shopping assistants recommending products based on real-time queries, with ads seamlessly embedded into these interactions. The challenge will be adapting inventory and placements to fit this new AI ecosystem.
2. AI Transforms Creative
Generative AI is revolutionizing ad creative, enabling brands to produce personalized, immersive content at scale. Instead of static messaging, brands can deploy dynamic campaigns that adapt to audience sentiment and trends in real time.
Even Coke has released an AI-generated commercial. The Ad Platforms are rushing to expand generative AI capabilities. As these tools mature, the "right message to the right audience" paradigm will feel outdated, replaced by hyper-responsive creative that shifts with cultural "vibes." This ability to quickly iterate creative will empower marketers to stay relevant and resonant.
3. AI Transforms Workflows
AI is moving beyond answering questions—it’s starting to do the work for us. We have long automated routine tasks like budget allocation and campaign creation, but this year, AI agents can get s#@t done for you with a simple prompt. This evolution is helping marketers focus on strategy and insights rather than execution.
Reactive Agents are great and will have a significant impact on daily tasks. Still, proactive AI continuously scouring your account for opportunities and inefficiency will lead to even better performance, driving efficiency and scalability like never before.
4. Shoppable Everything
The boundary between content and commerce is blurring. Social platforms, streaming services, and even podcasts are integrating shoppable ads to meet consumer demand for instant gratification. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have already launched robust shopping integrations, but the trend is expanding.
In 2025, expect "shoppable everything" to gain traction, from QR codes on live streams to in-app shopping experiences on emerging platforms like BeReal. Have you bought something from your TV yet? Next year, you probably will. According to eMarketer, social commerce sales are projected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025, with brands investing heavily in seamless, purchase-ready experiences.
5. Ads Everywhere
Subscription fatigue is real, and platforms are responding by increasing ad-supported models. From Netflix to Disney+, previously ad-free platforms are introducing tiered subscriptions with ads, creating new inventory for marketers.
Retail media networks are also booming, expected to command 25% of media spend by 2028, according to eMarketer. Anyone who has a captive audience is building a media network (see Western Union). This diversification offers brands more options to reach their targets, but it also requires careful strategy and tooling to manage campaigns across these expanding networks.
6. Evolving Privacy Laws
Consumer privacy continues to be a focal point, with eight new U.S. state privacy laws going into effect in 2025. These are similar to California's CCPA but add complexity for marketers, who must navigate an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape.
Compliance will require robust systems to manage consent and protect consumer data. Additionally, marketers must focus on privacy-compliant targeting strategies, such as first-party data and contextual advertising, to stay competitive in a cookieless future.
7. The New Measurement Imperative
Accurate measurement is increasingly challenging as data collection becomes more challenging, especially if you rely on last-click attribution. Marketing mix modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing are emerging as key tools to evaluate campaign performance. Meta offers Robyn, Google has Meridian, and independent solutions address this measurement challenge.
But a better understanding of how your investment is performing and shifting dollars to the highest-performing opportunity can significantly improve your performance…what would you do with a 5x increase in conversions?
8. Google DOJ Ruling: Uncertainty, but No Immediate Action
The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google creates uncertainty in the ad tech space. The DoJ has thoughts, however, with a new administration likely to take office in 2025, material changes to Google’s business model are unlikely in the short term.
However, given this continued uncertainty and the broad range of other platforms, marketers are wise to lessen their dependence on the Google marketing stack. Staying nimble and monitoring regulatory developments will be crucial to navigating potential disruptions.
9. The Shift to Contextual Targeting
As third-party data diminishes, contextual targeting is making a comeback. This strategy focuses on placing ads within relevant content rather than relying on individual user data, creating opportunities for brands to align with consumer interests in a privacy-friendly way.
The Burger King ‘Whopper Detour’ campaign is a prime example of successful geo-targeted contextual advertising. Innovatively leveraging location-based marketing, the campaign strategically targeted those within 600 feet of a McDonald’s location. By setting up a geo-fence around competing restaurants, Burger King could identify and connect with potential customers who were nearby. The ad was triggered by the customer’s proximity to McDonald’s and offered contextually relevant content, appealing to individuals who were likely already considering fast food purchases.
10. Cross-Channel Alignment
With more platforms and channels than ever, cross-channel alignment is essential. Consumers expect seamless experiences across devices and touchpoints, and marketers must deliver cohesive campaigns to stay competitive.
Managing and optimizing your programs in a unified platform is the cheat code for 2025. This type of integration streamlines workflows and ensures consistent messaging and performance measurement across all channels. In 2025 breaking down internal silos is a must-do.
Conclusion
Performance marketing in 2025 will be defined by the continuation of many of the themes we have been living through, but that doesn’t make them any less impactful. Staying ahead means embracing AI, preparing for regulatory changes, and adopting strategies prioritizing privacy and cross-channel integration. By aligning with these trends, marketers can position themselves for success in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape. Need help keeping up?
