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Case study

Building a DTC Acquisition Engine That Scales Beyond Legacy Channels

Several record-setting new-business months, on a broader and better-forecast acquisition engine.

Client
Specialty insurance, DTC acquisition
RECORD MONTHSNEW BUSINESS, MONTH BY MONTHPREVIOUS BESTClient results

The challenge

A direct-to-consumer business with real brand awareness, over-dependent on paid search and aggregator traffic.

Two channels under a bigger ambition

A specialty insurance provider had a direct-to-consumer business with meaningful brand awareness and real market opportunity, and a growth engine that was not performing to its potential. Acquisition leaned heavily on a narrow set of channels, particularly paid search and aggregator traffic. Those channels still mattered, but they could not carry the company’s long-term growth ambition.

WHAT ACQUISITION LEANED ONLONG-TERM GROWTH AMBITIONPAID SEARCHAGGREGATOR TRAFFICStill mattered, and could not carry it alone
WHAT ACQUISITION LEANED ONLONG-TERMGROWTH AMBITIONPAIDSEARCHAGGREGATORTRAFFICStill mattered, could not carry it

From campaigns to a growth model

The business needed to move from reactive campaign execution to a disciplined, performance-based growth model.

  • Better forecasting
  • Stronger media execution
  • Expanded audience targeting
  • A scalable approach to acquisition beyond the legacy mix

The approach

We stepped in as an embedded growth leadership partner, helping operate the business, not just advise it.

Six moves, alongside the team

We worked alongside the internal marketing, analytics, and technology teams and the agency, and reframed the DTC business around performance, forecasting, and optimization rather than campaign activity.

SIX MOVES, ONE OPERATING MODELPerformance, not campaignsForecasting and optimization overcampaign activityA tighter paid media cadenceClearer reviews, disciplined budgets,faster decisionsBeyond search and aggregatorsInto more targeted mediaAn external performance partnerOnboarded for programmatic, paid socialand market expansionSharper segmentationHigher-value customer groups, found andactivatedOne team across functionsMarketing, analytics, UX and technology,aligned on conversion and speed to marketA DISCIPLINED, PERFORMANCE-BASED GROWTH MODEL
SIX MOVES,ONE OPERATING MODELPerformance, not campaignsForecasting and optimization overcampaign activityA tighter paid media cadenceClearer reviews, disciplined budgets,faster decisionsBeyond search and aggregatorsInto more targeted mediaAn external performance partnerOnboarded for programmatic, paid socialand market expansionSharper segmentationHigher-value customer groups, found andactivatedOne team across functionsMarketing, analytics, UX and technology,aligned on conversion and speed tomarketA DISCIPLINED, PERFORMANCE-BASED GROWTH MODEL
THE CHANNEL MIXBEFOREPAID SEARCHAGGREGATORSAFTERPAID SEARCHAGGREGATORSTARGETED MEDIAPROGRAMMATICPAID SOCIAL

Past paid search and aggregators

Acquisition expanded beyond paid search and aggregators into more targeted media, with an external performance partner accelerating programmatic, paid social, and market expansion.

AUDIENCE SEGMENTATIONHIGHER-VALUEGROUPS

Higher-value customer groups

More advanced audience segmentation found and activated higher-value customer groups.

THE PAID MEDIA CADENCEREVIEWALLOCATEDECIDEFASTERDECISIONS

A faster operating cadence

A tighter paid media operating cadence brought clearer performance reviews, more disciplined budget allocation, and faster decisions.

The results

The DTC trajectory strengthened into several record-setting new-business months.

Record months, and what sits under them

More durable than the months themselves is the foundation underneath them: broader channel reach, improved targeting, real forecasting discipline, and a clear-eyed understanding of where growth would come from.

NEW BUSINESS, MONTH BY MONTHPREVIOUS BESTRECORD MONTHSClient resultsTHE FOUNDATION UNDER THEMBroader channel reachImproved targetingReal forecasting disciplineA clear view of where growth comes from
NEW BUSINESS, MONTH BY MONTHPREVIOUS BESTRECORDClient resultsTHE FOUNDATION UNDER THEMBroader channel reachImproved targetingReal forecasting disciplineA clear view of where growthcomes from

Off the narrow reliance on bottom-funnel media

The business moved off its narrow reliance on bottom-funnel media and started building the capability set a sophisticated, scalable growth model requires.

THE CAPABILITY SET IT STARTED BUILDINGFORECASTPERFORMANCEEVALUATETRADEOFFSACTIVATE NEWAUDIENCE SEGMENTSPAID MEDIA INMARKET EXPANSIONA SOPHISTICATED, SCALABLE GROWTH MODEL
THE CAPABILITY SETIT STARTED BUILDINGFORECASTPERFORMANCEEVALUATETRADEOFFSACTIVATE NEWAUDIENCE SEGMENTSPAID MEDIA INMARKET EXPANSIONA SOPHISTICATED,SCALABLE GROWTH MODEL

Why it matters

Many companies have strong brands and underdeveloped growth engines.

Awareness alone does not create efficient acquisition

The work here turned existing brand equity and customer data into a disciplined, performance-driven growth model capable of scaling past the channels that built it.

WHAT THE WORK TURNED INTO A GROWTH MODELEXISTINGBRAND EQUITYCUSTOMERDATAA PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN GROWTH MODEL THAT SCALES PAST ITS CHANNELS
WHAT THE WORK TURNEDINTO A GROWTH MODELEXISTINGBRAND EQUITYCUSTOMERDATAA PERFORMANCE-DRIVENGROWTH MODEL THAT SCALESPAST ITS CHANNELS

RelatedDemand generationFractional CMOFinancial services & insurance

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