Ancestry.com.au uses Adobe Media Optimizer to manage its digital marketing campaigns across channels like search, display, and social media more efficiently. This allows marketers to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time optimizing campaigns and testing new strategies. Using features like automated bid optimization and reporting, Ancestry.com.au has seen increased conversion rates. It plans to further develop marketing tactics and test new opportunities using the efficiencies gained from Adobe Marketing Cloud.

1. Ancestry.com.au uses Adobe Media Optimizer to maximize
digital marketing campaign performance across channels
Ancestry.com.au, Australia and New Zealand’s leading family history website, offers
members access to the global Ancestry.com network with more than 11 billion
searchable family history records. Launched in 2006, Ancestry.com.au includes
more than two billion searchable Australian, New Zealand, and U.K. family history
records that document the countries’ immigrant heritage. From convict papers and
vital records to electoral rolls and passenger lists, Ancestry.com.au offers detailed
global records dating back to the 1500s that help millions of members discover,
preserve, and share their family history.
Through intensive multichannel marketing campaigns, including television, online display advertising,
paid search, and social media Ancestry.com.au has seen significant subscriber growth in Australia
and New Zealand. A predominantly direct response advertiser, Ancestry.com.au has also achieved
strong brand recognition at over 70% of its target market. Due to the time difference between Sydney
and the organization’s headquarters in the United States and Ireland, local agency services and
technology are vital and become an important extension of the local team.
“For external marketing, we tend to operate independently and largely depend on local providers
and services,” says Kelly Godfrey, Director of Marketing at Ancestry.com.au. “We naturally wanted
to find the best agency partner and technology platform to manage campaigns and drive the
maximum return on our investment.”
Smart, effective campaign management
With its strong brand awareness in the region, Ancestry.com.au was ready to take its marketing
initiatives to the next level by better optimizing digital campaigns and pinpointing audiences to
effectively target new subscribers and retain existing ones. The company selected Adobe Digital
as its agency, using the Adobe Media Optimizer solution within Adobe Marketing Cloud for its ease
of use, comprehensive capabilities supporting search, display, and social activities, multichannel
campaign management, and streamlined integration with other Adobe Marketing Cloud solutions.
Before adopting Adobe Media Optimizer for Search, Media Optimizer for Social, and Media
Optimizer for Display, Ancestry.com.au was using different tools to manage multichannel
marketing campaigns. Deduplication of data and combined reporting were difficult, and
features such as advanced automation and intelligent bidding were unavailable.
Using Adobe Media Optimizer supported by Adobe Digital in Australia, Ancestry.com.au is
greatly streamlining paid search campaign management and other activities with automated
features that include bid optimization, scheduled bulk edits, and sophisticated reporting that
reduce the time marketers spend on administrative tasks. “Adobe Media Optimizer gives us
more time to concentrate on optimizing campaigns and analysis, as well as testing new tactics
to further broaden our reach and response,” says Godfrey.
Ancestry.com.au first implemented Adobe Media Optimizer for Search. Unlike other types of
websites, Ancestry.com.au deals with a relatively stable collection of keywords for SEM campaigns,
allowing marketers to maintain focus on core campaigns, while building keywords as new content
is added. Using proprietary algorithms, Adobe Media Optimizer continuously refines bids based on
recent performance and portfolio theory.
Ancestry.com.au
Tracing the family tree
Adobe® Marketing Cloud Success Story
Ancestry.com.au
Sydney, Australia
www.ancestry.com.au
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Adobe Digital works closely with Ancestry.com.au to help ensure the company’s goals are met
every step of the way. “As we continue to grow our subscriber base, we are always striving for
efficiency and maximizing return on our investment,” says Godfrey.
Expanding audience engagement across channels
After seeing success with Adobe Media Optimizer for Search, Ancestry.com.au started using Adobe
Media Optimizer for Display and Social advertisements. The use of Adobe Media Optimizer was
particularly effective for managing Facebook campaigns due to its granular targeting feature,
deduplication with other channels and sophisticated bidding. With a large audience and high
levels of engagement, Facebook offers a solid source of new subscribers for Ancestry.com.au.
“By targeting specific Facebook user groups and custom audiences, we can be smart about
who sees our ads and how we invest in campaigns,” says Godfrey. “Adobe Media Optimizer
dynamically determines the best ad placements for the right groups to drive the optimum
response.” With a unified platform handling all digital marketing channels, Ancestry.com.au
gains consistent marketing advantage in understanding the way that advertisements drive
conversion across channels.
Using advanced analytics for better returns
As part of Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adobe Media Optimizer works smoothly with Adobe Analytics
to pass site engagement data back at the keyword level, where it is used to optimize bids. Using
real-time data analysis capabilities supported by the exchange of information between Adobe
Analytics and Adobe Media Optimizer, Ancestry.com.au gains insight into user behaviors, including
how users reach the site, how they engage once they are on the site, and what types of actions
lead to conversions.
By enriching both sets of information, the tools can greatly enhance campaign performance.
“With the integrated Adobe solutions, we’ve seen a lift in conversion for the long tail in our main
product portfolio,” says Godfrey. “Other portfolios have seen even greater conversion lifts, for
terms with previously limited or no conversion data.” In addition, using testing capabilities in
Adobe Target, Ancestry.com.au tests and optimizes campaigns and landing pages to further
boost conversion.
Ancestry.com.au is currently working with Adobe Digital to analyze the lifetime value of a
customer beyond the initial conversion to obtain a clearer view of the long-term benefits from
digital campaigns. The company is also planning to further develop marketing tactics, including
dynamic landing pages, interactive display banner ads, and gift campaigns for the holiday season.
“With the efficiencies gained from Adobe Marketing Cloud, we can continue to invest in testing
new digital advertising opportunities. We are confident we can further grow the business and
achieve the best returns,” says Godfrey.
“Adobe Media Optimizer gives
us more time to concentrate
on optimizing campaigns and
analysis, as well as testing new
tactics to further broaden our
reach and response.”
Kelly Godfrey, Director of Marketing,
Ancestry.com.au
Using Adobe Media Optimizer for Search, Display, and Social, Ancestry.com.au
automates essential digital marketing activities including ad bidding, freeing
marketers to concentrate on new campaigns and optimization.
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