The Client
The Creek & The Cave
Challenge
- Increase ticket sales immediately
- Building long-term brand loyalty
- Lowering the marketing cost per ticket sale
Solution
- Develop a consistent visual library and overall voice
- Create a series of niche, hyper-targeted audiences
- Build automated drip emails as part of a regular newsletter
Results
- Increased ROAS from 2.85 up to 5.31 over three months
- Consistently increased ticket sales with ads on Facebook and Instagram
- Established the Creek as a reliable good time
- Increased their email list to lower advertising costs via retargeting and ongoing email marketing
The Background
Tragedy + 8AM = Comedy Gold
This case study has appeared in MarketingSherpa’s Content-Driven Success Stories.
It’s safe to say we all could have used a few more laughs these past few years. Owners of The Creek & the Cave were no exception: Opening a comedy club in downtown Austin in the middle of a pandemic is a high-stress proposition. After a slow first year, they came to us to boost ticket sales and make them stand out in a city of copious live entertainment.
In the short term, we consistently increased ticket sales with ads on Facebook and Instagram.
For the long run, we established the Creek as a reliable good time and increased their email list so we can lower advertising costs.
The Brief
Prologue: Leaving the Apathy Agency
In early 2021, The Creek & the Cave had an agency. They ran ads on Facebook and Instagram’s network. What were those ads? A single static poster. No targeting. No testing. No results.
The Creek owners determined it was time to find a new agency. After reaching out to us, we determined we needed to figure out how to…
- Increase sales immediately with digital ads.
- Build long-term brand loyalty.
- Lower the cost per ticket sale over time by expanding the email list.
"We have worked with 2 different companies prior to 8AM and there really is no comparison. They have helped our business grow and sustain. They’re results oriented, very responsive, and they have a great team my staff enjoys working with."
— A Creek & The Cave Co-Owner
The Solution
Branding The Experience
Before you spend a penny on ads, you need to be sure your brand is going to resonate with the right people. The Creek had a brand, but was not properly expressing a distinct vibe. A lot of comedy clubs have the ambience of a laser tag lobby. The Creek is chill, with two bars, a backyard area, and food truck.
So the first step was developing a visual library and overall voice. This gives the impression that this is a happening place worth visiting any night of the week, no matter who’s on stage.
Digital Ads
There are only so many people who want to go to comedy shows. But they’re all different kinds of people. That means we needed to create a series of niche, hyper-targeted audiences. For different types of comedians, we created different target groups based on politics, interests, profession, or age.
The Email Long Game
Every time we captured a lead or got a ticket purchase, we expanded the email list. The automated drip emails we built and their regular newsletter continue to garner purchases every week, amplifying the lifetime value of our digital ads.
"Comedy is acting out optimism."
— Robin Williams
The Impact
Laughing to the Bank
Serving these highly selective groups with our fine-tuned ad creative, we got results. Over the last three months (August-Oct, 2022) the return on ads has gone from 2.85 up to 5.31. This is huge, especially considering some of the tickets go for as little as $10.
Strategy that’s sharp. Budgets that go further. And a client who’s now getting incredible ROAS. The odds were stacked, but we love a good underdog story.
