Case study · Portrait · GWI
Selling data to people who read data all day
GWI’s buyers analyze data for a living, so generic messaging fell flat. One message per role, a list of brands and agencies, and 2.5 times the pipeline influenced.
Consumer audience research across more than 50 markets · London
Where it started
Buyers who spot an empty message in a second
GWI sells data to people whose job is reading data. Generic messaging did not get through.
GWI’s customers are the marketing, insights, media and data teams of large brands and agencies. Each role asks different questions, and a single contract often involves several of them.
MyDigipal ran GWI’s advertising on LinkedIn, Google Ads and Meta, across the UK, Ireland and the US, with a team check-in every week.
The account-based approach
A list of brands and agencies, one message per role
Ads reached the accounts on the list only. Each role got its own message: strategy for marketing leaders, methodology and sample sizes for insights teams, data access for data teams.
Marketing, insights, media, data: each saw an ad and a piece of content written for its own questions.
Campaigns to drive downloads of GWI reports, with keywords specific to each landing page.
Google Ads counted some leads twice, so every week we steered on HubSpot leads and SQLs.
Google Ads
Competitors, never named
Ahead of the holiday season, two campaigns went after searches for two competitors, each with its own comparison page. The ads never used their names, to stay clear of trademark disputes: they said what GWI does better, such as harmonized data across 53 markets.
A script split the monthly budget week by week: heavier before Christmas, lighter over the holidays.
Overly long queries removed, new keywords reviewed by GWI before they went into campaigns.
When budget went up 15% in mid-December, clicks jumped 55% within the week.
What you can take home
Three rules for selling to experts
A CMO and an insights manager do not buy for the same reasons. Write to them separately.
Platform conversions sometimes count twice. CRM leads and SQLs tell the truth.
Against a competitor, say what you do better. Their name in your ad exposes you and does nothing for you.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask us
Can you target searches for a competitor?
Yes, with a comparison page and ads about your strengths, without the competitor’s name in the copy. That is what we did for GWI.
Why steer on HubSpot rather than Google Ads?
Because Google Ads counted some leads twice. HubSpot leads and SQLs gave the real number, the one sales reads.
What would it look like for your dealerships?
The calculator prices your campaigns in two minutes. Or write to us: we reply within 24 hours.