Diageo test generates sales by investing in Facebook Ads
Facebook Premium Ads helped Diageo step up sales collectively across five of its brands participating in a Nielsen test.
With iconic brands like Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal and Jose Cuervo in its mix, Diageo is well “liked” around the world. In fact, before Diageo launched its official Baileys Facebook Page, the liqueur brand already had thousands of Facebook fans on fan-created Pages. But would a Facebook presence help this spirited company sell drinks?
Diageo was curious. So the brand worked with Nielsen in 2010 to develop a test to determine whether a campaign seeking to gain fans across five of its brands would lift sales. Diageo encouraged people to “Get onboard” with Premium Ads for Captain Morgan. For Smirnoff, Premium Ads invited people to connect with the brand’s Page to get early access to key product information and sip-worthy recipes.
With Facebook, Diageo targeted its ads to customers of legal drinking age. In this controlled test environment, the company saw something it could toast to: a 19 percent increase in total sales among those exposed to Diageo’s Premium Ads, versus those not exposed, within the test parameters. The lift was seen collectively across the five brands participating in the test.