Case study: everlane
This is going to be a bit of a different kind of case study because this is a brand I LOVE (Everlane), but I will be analysing the mistakes they have made with their recent Autumn Facebook Ads campaign. So consider this almost a lesson in what NOT to do with your digital marketing campaigns.
✅ visuals
Let’s start with what they got RIGHT. Well fist off, their product is beautiful and very much on trend. They’ve also shot and edited these products into an ad that looks great and suits their target customer base. So this must be a successful campaign then? Wrong!
Unfortunately, that’s where the good stuff ends. Even though Everlane have beautiful creative, great copy and they have targeted the right customers, this campaign didn’t work!
❌ SEAsonality
Can you spot the biggest glaring error with this FB Ad Campaign? It’s promoting fall wardrobes to Australians in their summer!
Perhaps someone at Everlane HQ isn’t familiar with how different hemispheres work but this is a massive fail.
Side note: the word ‘fall’ is also an Americanism. It doesn’t suit the target audience.
The lesson learned from this is to always carefully adjust your ad creatives to the target audience; thinking about things like seasonality, language and cultural differences you may need to tweak.
There is no reason Everlane couldn’t have taken these exact products and tweaked the messaging to be around “wardrobe staples'“ rather than “fall staples”.
❌ USER JOURNEY
The reason I am personally so annoyed by this ad is that I have been searching for the perfect pair of jeans and thought these slouchy 90s jeans could be the answer! I was so excited to buy them - and maybe add a few new wardrobe basics too. My bank balance was in for a hit.
But when I clicked on the ad, it took me to a generic shopping category and these jeans were nowhere to be seen. I scrolled and scrolled for pages before giving up.
It’s completely pointless to have a great ad, spend money on it and then make it difficult to buy! Always think about your user journey and make it as effortless as possible for your customers.
Humans are very risk averse. We’re always looking for a reason to back out of a decision (it comes down to our caveman ancestors looking out for threats at all turns).
So give your customers ZERO reason to back out. Take them to a clear product page or shopping category, give them free shipping and offer multiple payment options (Apple Pay, AferPay, PayPal etc).
❌ NO COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
I admit, I found it a little amusing to leave a comment expressing my thwarted attempt at purchasing these jeans. And I wasn’t the only one. There were multiple negative comments on this ad coming from loyal customers, yet the brand hasn’t pulled the ad or offered sufficient customer service to these people. This is such a wasted opportunity for them to turn a negative experience into a positive. If they DMd me the link to these jeans, I’d probably still buy them!
conclusion
Everlane are a hugely popular and successful retailer. This one mistep on their ads probably won’t make a dent in their profitability. But just because they can get away with mistakes like these, it doesn’t mean your business can.
For a small brand on a small budget, mistakes like these have the power to completely tank a campaign and your Return on Ad Spend. You simply cannot afford them.
If you’re interested in hiring an expert to run your FB Ads, feel free to contact me on hello@natalielasance.net. OR if you’re keen to DIY your ads, check out my 6 week mastermind, The Meaningful Ads Club.