Strong Marketing Strategies Go the Distance

AdRoll keeps pace with Los Angeles Marathon’s goal to reach new runners, re-engage past runners, and grow the race by up to 10% year over year.

Getting in the running and picking up the pace

Digital advertising wasn’t a priority for Los Angeles Marathon, past initiatives had provided minimal returns. Yet, while exploring more sophisticated registration solutions, it became clear that digital advertising deserved another go. They came to AdRoll with the weighty challenge of increasing the number of registrants—and selling out sooner.

AdRoll helped design effective ads that spoke to the brand’s athletic spirit. “We took a different approach with creative,” says Ryan Cavinder, marketing manager at Los Angeles Marathon, “and tried to focus on emotional aspects of the marathon-running experience.” To reach the entire sales funnel, they began retargeting across all inventory, including Facebook, Instagram, and the web.

Celebrating a picture-perfect finish

AdRoll’s Instagram ads have been a creative, valuable tool for brand awareness. “The biggest benefit of advertising on Instagram is that it isn’t as saturated as social sites like Facebook,” Cavinder explains. “Fewer events are on Instagram, which makes it a much easier medium to engage with customers and promote the Los Angeles Marathon brand.”

Los Angeles Marathon’s retargeting campaigns broke all the records: they drove thousands of conversions and earned over half a million dollars in attributed revenue. Not surprisingly, the marketing team is keeping Instagram in their ongoing promotional strategy for a growing lineup of events. “For 2016, we’ll be focusing on Instagram-specific content,” Cavinder confirms.

About Los Angeles Marathon

One of the largest marathons in the US, Los Angeles Marathon’s annual “Stadium to the Sea” attracts runners from all 50 states and over 55 countries.

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