The Economist: Facebook Video Ads for More Subscriptions

July 11, 2017

The Economist wanted to increase subscriptions to its newspaper across 24 countries, including the UK and the US. It also needed to keep the average subscription cost below a certain amount.

Using Marin Social, The Economist gained 66% more new subscriptions with video ad campaigns, and lowered CPC
by 72%
.

Video Ads for the Win


In a year rich with events of global significance such as Brexit and the American elections, The Economist recognized the social demand for authoritative insights and opinions on international affairs. To drive subscriptions in a cost-efficient way, the team applied a range of retargeting strategies on Facebook.

Performance over time revealed that video ads had a positive effect on engagement rates, with a CTR of 1.24% compared to a CTR of 0.51% on link posts.

More Subscriptions, Lower Costs


Between September and December 2016, The Economist's Facebook video ad campaigns delivered strong results:

  • 66% rise in new subscriptions
  • 12% lower cost per subscription than the static image format
  • 72% lower CPC for video ad format than static image


To learn more about how The Economist raised the bar on its ad campaigns, read the full case study.

Maria Breaux

Marin Software
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