Reviving Bookings and Retargeting in the Experiential Events Industry: How We Achieved 6.1x ROAS on Google and 8.3x on Meta with a Strategic Funnel Reset

Industry: Experiential Events / Mixology Classes

Platforms: Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram), Google Ads
Duration: January – March 2025

The Challenge

A fast-growing experiential events business specializing in mixology classes was facing a steep decline in marketing performance. Despite clear product-market fit and strong customer reviews, their campaigns had plateaued. Over-reliance on outdated creatives and lack of structured funnel segmentation led to high ad fatigue, declining conversion rates, and inefficient budget usage.

The primary objectives were:

• Reignite bookings and drive scale

• Build a full-funnel retargeting system

• Refresh creative strategy for both acquisition and reactivation

Results Overview

Notably: Google’s Performance Max campaigns alone crossed 10x ROAS during peak weeks.

Meta Ads: Funnel Rebuild + Creative Refresh to Break Through Fatigue

Initial audits showed that campaign performance on Meta had stalled due to:

• Repetitive creatives causing high ad fatigue

• Over-simplified funnel segmentation

• No post-purchase or reactivation strategy

Key Interventions

• Sequential Retargeting Built by Recency:
  Audiences segmented by time since site visit (2–3 days, 4–5 days, 6–7 days), each served with tailored messaging. This improved conversion depth at the bottom of the funnel.

• Creative Strategy Overhaul Using a 3x3 Matrix:

  Format	Message Type
  UGC	Event Detail, Offer, Breakdown
  Host-led	Event Detail, Offer, Breakdown
  Poster	Event Detail, Offer, Breakdown

  • UGC and host-led videos emerged as top performers.

  • Static event posters supported retargeting sequences.

• Funnel Depth Improvements:

  • Introduced recommendations for post-purchase retargeting and inactive user reactivation, as previous strategy was entirely focused on new customer acquisition.

Key Wins

• Bottom-of-Funnel retargeting campaigns delivered ROAS of 8.34.

• Audience segmentation by visit recency allowed better creative personalization and prevented overexposure.

Challenges Addressed

• High Ad Fatigue: Solved with planned creative rotations and content theme planning.

• Drop-Offs in Checkout: Identified JavaScript errors and UX blockers using Microsoft Clarity. Flagged and resolved critical issues with the client’s tech team.

Google Ads: Branded Search + Performance Max Powering Bookings

Google quickly emerged as the dominant revenue driver.

Search Strategy

• Focused entirely on branded search and event-specific queries.

• Used Target Impression Share bidding to capture maximum real estate on SERPs.

Performance Max (PMax) Strategy

• Launched in January 2025 with warm audience signals and strict brand term exclusions.

• Delivered:

  • ROAS > 10

  • Conversion rate > 4%

• Targeted users at the bottom of the funnel, including those previously engaged via Meta.

What Didn’t Work (and What We Avoided)

• Generic search terms (e.g., “cocktail classes”) delivered low intent and poor ROI.

• Budget was redirected entirely to branded and remarketing efforts.

Media Planning Insight

• Campaigns were synced with event calendar peaks to maximize bookings during high-demand weeks.

Strategic Takeaways

1. Funnel-Stage Creative Mapping Drives Results

Matching creative types and messaging to the user’s funnel stage led to higher CTRs and stronger conversions—especially when using video and UGC for retargeting.

2. Retargeting Isn't One-Size-Fits-All

Segmenting retargeting audiences based on recency dramatically improved performance. A one-week visitor and a one-hour visitor don’t need the same message.

3. UX Glitches Can Quietly Kill Performance

Microsoft Clarity revealed JavaScript issues that were actively blocking conversions. Technical audits are not optional—they’re essential.

4. Brand Search is Underrated in Events

In experience-led businesses, branded search traffic is high-intent gold. Pairing it with Performance Max unlocked precision and scale.

Recommendations for the Next Phase

• Develop a modular creative asset library for recurring event formats (date night, team events, birthday specials).

• Expand retargeting via Display and YouTube to strengthen omnichannel presence through PMax.

• Extend BoF learnings to owned channels, integrating into email and SMS remarketing sequences to boost LTV.

Conclusion

This engagement was a full-funnel reset—from ad fatigue and poor retargeting to a lean, high-conversion acquisition engine.

By aligning creative, timing, and platform strategy to real user behavior, this experiential events business not only stabilized bookings—it scaled them. The result? Stronger ROAS across both Meta and Google, with a funnel ready to convert every new visitor, not just impress them.