Kodiak Boots partnered with DEG to use paid media marketing to target customers thoughtfully and increase budget efficiency during the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

Since its invention, boots have protected feet in the great outdoors, on factory floors and construction worksites, above buildings, and in below-zero temperatures. For one brand, real boots are built for hard work, as well as an on-the-move lifestyle it knew could continue even as a global pandemic shuttered people inside.

The challenge

No one knows boots like Kodiak. That’s why Kodiak Boots has been Canada’s bootmaker since 1910. After refreshing its brand with a Built for What Matters identity and reintroducing itself to the United States, Kodiak sought to increase sales for both its safety and lifestyle boots in the country.

Kodiak Boots partnered with DEG to leverage its paid media marketing expertise to target customers thoughtfully and increase budget efficiency when many brands experienced challenges and uncertainty with the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

The strategy

Traditionally, Kodiak Boots has experienced slower sales starting in March as winter transitions to spring. To combat this, DEG tested audience segments and creative variations and built lead-generation campaigns to increase ad performance and grow the brand’s email subscriber list.

Kodiak Boots and DEG boosted the brand’s Facebook and Google search advertising conversions by 31%, return on ad spend by 481%, and average order value by 116%.

The solution

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, DEG’s media team researched the retail impact and shared recommendations with Kodiak Boots to provide up-to-date information on relevant trends and reporting. Together, Kodiak and DEG developed several campaigns for lifestyle and safety work boots.

DEG provided Kodiak with ideas on the creative variations to test with different audiences and performed these tests throughout the campaign period.

The agency built a reporting dashboard with Google Data Studio, giving Kodiak decision-makers and marketers the ability to interact and create reports for an improved understanding of how the Facebook ad campaigns were performing in real time.

After optimizing Facebook ads to increase sales, Kodiak asked DEG to take on its paid search advertising. Using the same strategy, the agency tested Google display network and discovery ads, and variations of messaging, headlines, calls to action, and audience targeting.

The outcome

Kodiak Boots and DEG boosted the brand’s Facebook and Google search advertising conversions by 31%, return on ad spend by 481%, and average order value by 116% by implementing thoughtful and detailed targeting parameters, optimizing ad creative, and increasing budget efficiency.

While many retailers encountered challenges throughout 2020, Kodiak Boots leaned into the hard work of reaching new customers where they are online.