This case study shows how rapid optimization, creative testing, and strategic execution can deliver record-breaking results in a compressed timeframe.
When we started managing this non-alcoholic beverage brand in early November, they were struggling. ACOS was at 71%, TACOS over 22%, and weekly sales barely reached $1,800. With the critical holiday shopping season ahead, we had just two months to turn the account around and capitalize on Q4 demand.
We immediately implemented a comprehensive strategy: eliminated wasted spend, launched video campaigns, tested multiple creatives, implemented competitor targeting, and pushed hard on product rankings. Within two months, we'd transformed the account—weekly sales grew from $1,800 to over $12,000, ACOS dropped to 28%, and we delivered their biggest Q4 ever.
The Outcome:
November Performance:
✅ Average ACOS: 28.3% (down from 71% pre-takeover—a 42 percentage point improvement)
✅ Sales grew from $2,298/week to $7,087/week (208% increase)
✅ TACOS dropped to 5-10% range
✅ Organic sales consistently 64-79% of total—strong brand momentum building
December Performance:
✅ Average ACOS: 28.2% (maintained efficiency while scaling)
✅ Best week ever: Dec 15-21 with $12,077 in sales at just 17.94% ACOS
✅ Multiple weeks above $6,000 in sales
✅ December hit 200% YoY growth compared to previous year
Overall Impact (2 Months):
✅ Weekly sales grew from $1,800 to a peak of $12,077—a 571% increase
✅ ACOS dropped from 71% to averaging 28%—a 43 percentage point improvement
✅ TACOS improved from 22% to 5-10% during strong weeks
✅ Organic percentage stayed consistently high (60-79%), showing PPC was lifting overall brand visibility
✅ Delivered their biggest Q4 ever with December reaching 200% YoY growth
What Changed?
We started managing this account in early November with two goals: fix the broken efficiency immediately and ramp up aggressively to make Q4 their biggest sales period ever. The account had serious profitability issues—ACOS over 71% meant they were losing money on every sale. We needed to fix that fast, then scale strategically into the holiday demand surge.
Here's how we executed:
Understanding the Product and Market
Before making any changes, we invested time in analysis:
• Studied the product deeply to understand its positioning in the competitive non-alcoholic beverage category
• Conducted market research to assess market share and identify growth opportunities
• Analyzed the competitive landscape to understand where this brand could win
• Used these insights to forecast demand and plan our Q4 scaling strategy
This foundation helped us understand exactly where to focus for maximum impact during the critical holiday weeks.
Immediate Efficiency Fixes
In week one, we stopped the bleeding:
• Discovered 50+ inactive or low-spend campaigns spending just a few dollars each without generating sales—collectively wasting significant budget
• Conducted aggressive search term audits to find non-converting keywords
• Added negative targeting across auto, broad, and phrase campaigns to stop waste
• Paused underperforming campaigns and reallocated budget to proven winners
The result was immediate: ACOS dropped from 71% to 33% in the first week. Every dollar saved became a dollar we could use to scale winners.
Creative Testing and Video Campaigns
To stand out during the competitive holiday period, we focused on creative:
• Launched video ad campaigns to showcase the product visually and improve conversion rates
• Tested multiple creative variations to identify what resonated best with shoppers
• Video ads helped communicate product benefits more effectively than static images alone
• Better creatives meant higher click-through rates and better conversion, improving overall ACOS
In a crowded category, compelling visuals made the difference between scrolling past and clicking.
Ranking Push for Holiday Visibility
We knew better rankings would unlock organic sales during high-traffic holiday weeks:
• Identified key category keywords where improved ranking would drive maximum visibility
• Allocated aggressive budgets to ranking campaigns with high bids on primary keywords
• Used exact match campaigns to consistently capture top-of-search placements
• Monitored ranking changes weekly and adjusted spend to maintain momentum
Better rankings during November and December meant more organic sales when traffic peaked—organic stayed 60-79% of total sales throughout Q4.
Competitor Targeting
We didn't just optimize our own keywords—we went after competitor traffic:
• Identified top competitors in the non-alcoholic beverage category
• Implemented product targeting campaigns on high-traffic competitor ASINs
• Focused budget on competitors where we had advantages in reviews, pricing, or product features
• Captured shoppers already browsing similar products and converted them to our brand
This expanded reach beyond branded and category searches into high-intent competitor traffic.
Campaign Structure Optimization
We rebuilt the foundation for efficient scaling:
• Segmented campaigns by match type to prevent broad from eating exact match budgets
• Separated high-performers into dedicated campaigns with larger budgets
• Kept keyword density low (under 20-30 targets per campaign) for maximum exposure
• This structure gave us precise control over where every dollar went
Smart Budget Allocation for Q4
We scaled strategically into holiday demand:
• Used budget rules to capture demand spikes during Black Friday and Cyber Monday without going out of budget
• Monitored budget pacing daily to ensure we never ran out during high-traffic hours
• Allocated larger budgets to proven performers as demand increased through December
• Scaled back on underperformers to keep overall efficiency high
This allowed us to ride the holiday wave without overspending.
Placement Optimization
We focused spend on placements that converted:
• Analyzed placement reports to identify where top-of-search and product page placements were delivering best ROAS
• Increased placement modifiers aggressively for winning placements
• This ensured we captured more impression share in the spots that mattered most during peak shopping periods
Continuous Weekly Optimization
Throughout November and December, we optimized relentlessly:
• Updated bids every 3-7 days based on performance and competitive pressure
• Ran weekly search term audits to add negatives and harvest new keywords
• Adjusted budgets weekly as demand patterns shifted through the holiday season
• This ongoing work kept performance improving week after week
The transformation happened in just two months. We took weekly sales from $1,800 to over $12,000, dropped ACOS from 71% to 28%, and TACOS from 22% to single digits during the best weeks. December became their biggest sales month ever with 200% YoY growth. By starting in November and executing rapidly, we positioned the brand to dominate Q4.
Key Takeaway: Rapid transformation is possible with immediate efficiency fixes, creative differentiation, ranking focus, and aggressive scaling—turning two months into record-breaking performance.