In launching the "Get to Know Kestra" campaign, we aimed to establish our brand as a thought leader and preferred partner in the wealth management industry while generating leads. We first identified our Total Addressable Market (TAM) and adopted a precision targeting approach. This allowed us to direct our advertising efforts more efficiently to the most relevant audience with our message about Kestra’s comprehensive support system, including technology, compliance, marketing, and operational support offerings. Our content strategy was pivotal in building our brand. We effectively communicated our expertise and unique value proposition by producing high-intent digital content and achieving significant media placements, bolstered by leveraging LinkedIn for targeted advertising, which guided potential recruits through a funnel from awareness to consideration and ultimately conversion. Developing and implementing our proprietary Lead Scoring and Ranking tool was crucial. This tool dynamically scores leads based on engagement, enabling our marketing and sales teams to focus on the most promising prospects. This approach increased our efficiency in converting leads and significantly furthered our goal of building Kestra Financial's brand and accelerating its market growth.

In the highly competitive luxury e-commerce landscape, WatchWarehouse.com, established in the late 1990s, encountered pivotal challenges amidst evolving digital market dynamics. In response, Lightdrop was engaged in 2023 to elevate the brand's digital presence and performance to unprecedented levels. Central to our strategy was a series of ambitious goals designed to significantly boost online visibility, enhance customer experience from discovery through post-purchase, and unlock explosive revenue growth. Our multifaceted approach included a comprehensive audit and overhaul of the brand's digital assets, and leveraged deep consumer insights to refine the purchasing journey. Noteworthy was our focus on overhauling product pages, optimizing site performance for speed and mobile use, and integrating direct consumer feedback to eliminate purchase hesitations. Additionally, dynamic sales events and cutting-edge ad, email and text marketing strategies were employed to boost conversion rates. The impact of our initiatives was profound, driving a year-over-year revenue increase of 90% and marking 2023 an outstanding year in performance. Our success was underscored by key performance indicators: SEO enhancements led to a significant jump in top 3 search results from 403 in January to 1,919 in December, and a total SEO results growth from 21,812 to 34,994. In addition, the Average Order Value (AOV) climbed by 30%, coupled with a 46% increase in the number of orders placed compared to the previous year. Collectively, these achievements generated a revenue surge of millions of dollars over previous years, marking 2023 as the highest grossing year for Watch Warehouse since its inception.

Brands have long depended on so-called vanity metrics such as pageviews, click-through rate, and viewability for ad campaigns — and perhaps for good reason, as these metrics have become standard thanks to delays in campaign performance reporting, which can often take as long as six months. Innovations in identity and measurement are introducing more efficient methods for campaign measurement and execution. Breaking from industry norms, the client reduced the feedback time for its recent campaign, aimed at increasing gift card purchases, to just days — and not months. For the client, this meant gaining the ability to make campaign optimizations mid-flight, helping the coffee maker to deliver a phenomenal return on ad spend (ROAS) of $17.51 for every dollar invested over a 7-day attribution window. Meanwhile, mid-campaign reporting, coupled with visibility of real-time conversion rate (CVR) and ROAS, allowed the client to perform in-flight optimization — regardless if purchases were made in-store or online, allowing adjustments based on the most effective audience segments, domains, and ad creatives. This strategy by the client signals a broader industry trend, where brands are increasingly pursuing immediate campaign results to optimize their campaigns more efficiently. Its strong campaign performance was thanks to its partnership with Attain and Yahoo DSP, as both brought enhanced measuring and identity capabilities to the table, allowing the client to adapt its campaign based on real-time data, while also gaining a deeper understanding of its best-performance audiences and ad creatives across cookieless environments.

How do you improve a B2B e-newsletter to drive over twice the engagement across the same subscribers? Audience segmentation, newsletter design changes, and new technology partners proved to be the key for Bulwark® FR, a provider of flame-resistant clothing to energy workers. After a year of declining engagement in their email newsletter, it was time for an overhaul. That’s where the KOSE team got to work segmenting their email database list into Bulwark’s three primary audiences and one general audience. In order to personalize the customer experience, Friends & Neighbors (the creative agency) designed and built industry-specific emails that included relevant visuals, language, and content to better relate with each of their audiences. The results were better than could have ever been imagined. Open rates improved by a whopping 42% and click rates were 2.6x higher than the results from the year prior.

Bud Light is known for easy drinking and easy enjoyment. With reference to the backyard as the physical embodiment of easy, we created a new experiential-led platform called “Bud Light Backyard”, the symbol of easy enjoyment and good times. We then took the Backyard on tour across the country. Our goal was to energize the on-premises experience throughout the summer while connecting with both our core consumers and new audiences. The Bud Light Backyard Tour stopped in dozens of cities throughout the summer, anchored by several headline artists including One Republic, Bush, Dashboard Confessional, Train, and Midland, drawing in thousands of ticketed consumers and sweepstakes winners. Building on the success of the summer tour, we launched the Bud Light Backyard College Tour. Our tour caravan stopped in college markets across the US every weekend during key College Football rivalry games, hosted a party at a popular college bar the night before the big game, and activated a tailgate during gameday. Bud Light has continued building upon the success of the Backyard in 2024.

Vice President of Marketing Caroline Mulloy demonstrated the qualities of a future leader throughout her pivotal role in Syniverse's significant 2023 transformation. For background, Mulloy led all communications surrounding a landmark $750 million investment Syniverse received in May 2022. With new support infused into the company, the stage was set for a rebranding that was future-focused and reconnected customers and employees to Syniverse’s greater purpose: accelerating the promise of the intelligently connected world. With messaging that leaned into its support of innovation, 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT), Mulloy spearheaded the April 2023 rebranding that created clarity for customers and connected employees to how their work betters lives worldwide. With the rebranding complete, Syniverse looked inward to a reorganization that consolidated its business units, unifying its organization for improved customer-centricity and reduced complexity. Mulloy crafted this messaging, accentuating how removing silos between departments would increase business opportunities, enhance customer experience, and foster a unified culture. Throughout these changes, Mulloy prioritized aligning Syniverse's external branding with its internal values. One of her company values — "debate, decide, do" — emphasizes decisiveness and innovation: qualities needed to achieve the company's purpose. Mulloy also implemented virtual celebrations and programs that keep remote workers engaged. Through more than a decade at Syniverse, including an earlier role in strategy, Mulloy has successfully leveraged her understanding of the company's goals to shape compelling narratives that resonate. Her ability to bridge high-level strategy with clear communication and employee engagement has been vital to Syniverse's continued growth and success.