PPC Case Study: 17K+ Verified Leads via Ads and Influencer Marketing

scandiweb’s PPC, Analytics, and CRO teams were tasked to collect 15,000 email addresses and phone numbers with one campaign. This is the story of how we made it happen. 

About

Ploom stands out in the tobacco industry with devices that utilize advanced technology to heat tobacco without combustion, providing a modern alternative for adult smokers. Marketed by Japan Tobacco Inc. (JTI), a leading international tobacco company, Ploom leverages JTI’s extensive marketing prowess and global reach to connect with a broad audience. 

The challenge for the PPC strategy we developed from scratch was to engage potential Ploom product users and build a substantial database for future marketing initiatives via Meta Ads, Google Ads, and Telegram Ads.

Objectives and expectations

The primary goal of the PPC campaign for Ploom was to support the launch of their new website and product in a new market. 

Our main objective was to collect 15,000 emails for future email marketing campaigns, which would allow Ploom to communicate directly with interested consumers, share updates, and promote products. While no specific target was set for phone number collection, we aimed to gather as many as possible to enhance direct and personalized marketing efforts. 

Our approach

Surveya.net development

To effectively gather email addresses and phone numbers for Ploom’s marketing database, we developed a dedicated survey website, Surveya.net. The site was built from scratch using Webflow based on our need for flexibility in design and functionality. 

scandiweb’s Analytics team then created a custom Looker studio report to track the full acquisition funnel and monitored it daily, while the CRO team optimized the survey based on the collected data. The site was continuously adjusted based on KPI performance to optimize user engagement and data collection.

Surveya.net served as our primary landing page for collecting emails and directing all PPC traffic.

The survey was made available in three languages—Latvian, English, and Russian—to better target Latvia’s multilingual population. This ensured the survey was accessible to a broader audience and maximized the participation rate across different demographic groups.

The survey consisted of three straightforward questions about the public’s perception of new smoking regulations. We encouraged the participants to consider how these changes might impact smokers and their concerns about regulation implementation.

To comply with legal standards and ensure the quality of the data collected, participants were required to confirm their consent to receive marketing communications from Ploom before submitting their responses. They also had to acknowledge their acceptance of the Terms and Conditions associated with the survey. Furthermore, we implemented an email verification step to enhance data integrity and reduce the risk of invalid entries. Participants had to verify their email addresses to complete their submissions and enter a giveaway, ensuring that only verified data was captured and used for further marketing activities.

Survey promotion

Our main promotional tactic to incentivize participation in the survey was a giveaway offering attractive prizes—gift cards from Akropole Riga and Ryanair. It encouraged a higher volume of submissions and ensured the quality of data collection, as each email was verified to exclude fake entries.

Given social media’s visual and interactive nature, we focused on social ads to capture the audience’s attention and drive traffic to Surveya.net. In addition, we collaborated with local influencers and promoted them in our PPC strategy.

The scope of our multi-channel advertising campaign:

• Setting up new Facebook pages and Meta Business Managers
• Pixels setup to track user interactions
• Affiliate and third-party collaborations
• Audience research and monitoring

Campaign execution:

• Creating the survey and preparing creatives
• Paid ads campaign setup
• Google Ads account and display campaign creation
• Campaign optimization and testing

We launched the campaign in 3 paid ad channels: Meta Ads (main channel), Telegram Ads, and Google Ads.

Meta Ads

As our main advertising channel, Meta Ads were crucial in reaching a broad audience across Facebook and Instagram.

During the project, we created and set up:

• 2 Meta Business Managers and 4 Meta Ads accounts for managing resources and insights
• 2 Facebook pages to engage with specific audience segments
• 30+ ad campaigns and 50+ ad sets for 10+ audiences, structured to cover a wide range of objectives and target groups
• 300+ ad variations, extensively testing different ad formats and messaging to optimize engagement.

Tested for creatives:

• 20+ static banners with different prizes and colors
• 20+ headlines and descriptions
• 7 videos featuring influencers
• 10+ audiences, including lookalike campaigns.

Telegram Ads & referrals

We selected this channel for its potential to reach a highly engaged audience through direct messaging.

Setup and execution:

• Surveya Telegram channel for direct communication and engagement
• Targeting strategy, collaborating with 20+ popular Telegram channels
• Post creation within our channel and 3 separate ad campaign launches featuring 3 tailored ads to optimize exposure and interaction.

Google Ads

Google Ads were an addition to our digital strategy, increasing visibility beyond social media platforms through search and display ads.

Google Ads setup included:

• Google Ads account setup with a new email address 
• Display campaign launch
• 29 website selection for ad placements.

Influencer marketing

Our campaign also incorporated influencer marketing to drive engagement and participation in Ploom’s survey and giveaway. We partnered with six influencers, each with a unique follower base ranging from 11.1K to 69.1K. The overall reach extended from 70K to as high as 422K, effectively covering various segments.

Media campaign 

To further enhance the reach and credibility of our campaign, we collaborated with Delfi. lv, one of Latvia’s largest media outlets. We replicated the same survey from Surveya.net and promoted it internally on Delfi.lv through strategic banner placements.

The collaboration was successful, with Delfi reporting that every third visitor to the survey page initiated the survey process.

Delfi also facilitated the selection of five winners for the gift card giveaway. Similar to the requirements on Surveya.net, all participants from the Delfi platform were required to be over 18 and residents of Latvia to ensure compliance with local regulations and campaign targets.

Winner selection

An integral component of the Surveya.net campaign was the incentive structure, designed to motivate participation through a giveaway. We utilized a combination of tools and methods to ensure a random and unbiased selection process.

We also conducted a thorough verification process to confirm the eligibility and validity of the winners—they were required to complete forms sent via email to verify information and claim their prizes:

• 40 winners were awarded €200 each from the email and phone number entries
• 10 winners received €1,000 each, selected from social media engagements
• 5 winners received €200 each, courtesy of the collaboration with Delfi.

Results

Our PPC campaign for Ploom achieved significant milestones over a 4-month period:

• Successfully created and launched the Surveya.net website
• Campaign testing and launch across Telegram, Google Ads, and Meta Ads
• A total of 19,800 emails collected through the campaign, with 17,561 of these emails verified 
• The campaign also gathered 11,851 phone numbers.

Looking to achieve specific marketing objectives through similar strategies? Our digital growth teams specialize in customized campaigns that resonate with target audiences and deliver measurable results. Contact us and set up a free consultation! 

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