Lessons from Igloo Coolers’ Creative Breakthroughs

Welcome to the second episode of "Outliers," a journey through remarkable ecommerce brands and the outlier ads that propelled them to success.

In every episode of this series, we dive into the history of a brand's creative performance to understand just how exceptional some creative is. Then we're going to break it apart and try and understand what we can learn from that individual ad, as well as what It teaches us about how we should think about our creative strategy.

Today, we delve into Common Thread Collective’s long-time partner, Igloo Coolers.

Igloo Coolers

We initially helped Igloo launch their DTC business, and we have partnered with them through their sale to Dometic in the last year. Igloo has grown as an ecommerce business out of a legacy traditional retailer, and of course, Meta has powered much of their growth in the past four years.

We've launched over 10,000 ads on behalf of Igloo Coolers, and outliers in their account are rare even across that many different creatives. Across these ads, the average spend per ad is $2,810, and rather than a single standout ad, we have a few different ads that come close to taking the mantle as “the greatest ad ever.”

Looking at our “greatest ad of all-time” for Igloo Coolers, you might not find the creativity behind the visuals themselves particularly amazing; however, this ad generated 95x the spend of our average ad at around $263,565 in spend.

Understanding the Outlier: Our Dynamic Product Feed

At the heart of Igloo's success lies a hidden gem: the dynamic product feed.

Often overlooked, this campaign has been a consistent driver of growth since the brand's launch of its ecommerce business.

For many brands, this is the answer.

By harnessing the power of its product catalog, Igloo has cultivated sustainable growth, both in remarketing efforts and prospecting for new customers.

If you’re an early-on starting brand, let this be a signal of where to begin as a foundation for a great ad account. Your product feed is always going to provide sustainable growth, both in acquisition and remarketing.

Often, brands begin with a remarketing DPA (dynamic product ad) connecting their catalog, advertising to visitors based on what products they viewed on your website.

Nowadays, it's more common also to see Dynamic Ads for Broad Audiences (DABA) prospecting for new customers using just your product feed.

In many cases for Common Thread Collective, we'll cut up product feeds into different categories such as …

• Bestsellers
• New Arrivals
• Products for Spring
• Accessories for your core product
• Products for a specific event (like barbeques, boat trips, or tailgating)

These are different ways that you can use your product feed to build very simple but effective advertising mechanisms.

As we mentioned above, this isn’t the only outlier we’re going to cover for Igloo Coolers. For the sake of something a little more interesting, let’s take a look at another standout creative example for this brand …

Understanding the Outlier: A Retro Static Image Ad

Our second-greatest ad here is only about $10,000 behind our greatest ad (the DPA ads) in our newsfeed.

Amidst the sea of creatives, a static image ad captivated audiences like no other. Featuring Igloo's best-selling product, the Cool Tunes Cooler, our second ad encapsulated the brand's essence of fun and nostalgia.

With retro colors and a playful vibe, it struck a chord with consumers, earning widespread engagement and admiration.

Behind the success of this ad lies a strategic foundation rooted in brand positioning. Igloo's commitment to authenticity and understanding their audience paved the way for creative endeavors that resonated deeply. From product development to photography, every aspect of their strategy was meticulously crafted to reinforce their brand identity.

When your product is novel, an image can do a lot of the work of driving intrigue and self-selecting its audience.

Don’t forget the importance of intentional branding and strategic creativity.

Outlier ads don't emerge by chance; they are the result of a cohesive strategy grounded in a deep understanding of the brand's identity and audience.

Join us on this journey through the world of outlier ads as we continue to uncover the stories behind some of the most iconic brands. From strategic insights to creative inspiration, there's much to learn from the outliers that have shaped the advertising landscape.

Stay tuned for more episodes of "Outliers" as we explore the untold stories behind your favorite brands.