Case Study

Califia Farms and Tambo stir up sales in U.K. with Veganuary campaign

A man

Goals

  • Build brand visibility
  • Reach new audiences
  • Accelerate their sales velocity and maintain their growth trajectory

Approach

  • Partnered with Tambo on an ambitious strategic campaign
  • Phased 50% of Califia Farms’ Q1 2023 budget into January campaigns, allocating 72% of ad spend
  • Upscaled Califia Farms’ Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Brands video campaigns by 30%

Results

  • Total year-over-year (YoY) sales increased by 259% for Q1 20231
  • A 104% increase in return on ad spend2
  • A 160% growth in HAQM Ads sales YoY3
  • An 81% boost in YoY Subscribe & Save revenue4

Every January, thousands of Britons pledge to better their health, reduce their carbon footprint, and promote ethical consumption to kick off the year by going vegan. This challenge, known as Veganuary, marks a pivotal opportunity for plant-based brands to connect with U.K. consumers.

Califia Farms, a leader in the U.S. plant-based drink industry, recognized that Veganuary could provide them an opportunity to build their brand visibility on the HAQM store in the U.K. and reach new audiences. This vision led them to partner with Tambo Marketplaces Ltd (Tambo) on an ambitious strategic campaign.

Planting seeds on the HAQM store in the U.K.

Since 2010, Califia Farms has sold a wide variety of plant-based, dairy-free products—including coffee creamers, oat milk, and almond milk—in a range of flavors. After gaining popularity in the U.S., they decided to expand to the U.K. in late 2021. But they faced stiff competition from well-funded, established competitors.

As 2023 approached, Califia Farms set an ambitious goal: to become the No. 1 best-selling brand in their category during the month of January, in conjunction with the annual Veganuary campaign. This meant they needed to accelerate their sales velocity and maintain their growth trajectory as they moved into the new year.

Harvesting January’s vegan-related search trends

Based on their analysis of different search trends, Tambo found that generic searches for oat milk spiked during January. So, they recommended phasing 50% of Califia Farms’ Q1 2023 budget into January campaigns, allocating 72% of ad spend on the term oat milk and associated words. Tambo also upscaled Califia Farms’ Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Brands video campaigns by 30%, implementing a mix of lifestyle and product images and video assets.

After analyzing category share insights, Tambo allocated 33% of the Q1 budget to actively focus on core competitors. Their strategy included using Sponsored Display to place ads directly on competitors’ product display pages—a move that helped them win the attention of consumers who might be considering other brands’ plant-based products, boosting awareness among their core audience. They also implemented Sponsored Products ads to promote individual product listings.

Using HAQM DSP insights, Tambo noticed a high potential for conversion among women and environmentally conscious audiences. So, in the next phase of the campaign, they decided to remarket to those groups. They then ran a competitive promotion on their core products during January, boosting their visibility using Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Brands video, and Sponsored Display.

Reaping rewards from a strategic campaign

Tambo’s strategic efforts paid off: Not only did Califia Farms achieve the No. 1 best-seller rank during Veganuary, but they saw their total year-over-year (YoY) sales increase by 259% for Q1 2023.5 The brand also saw a 104% increase in their return on ad spend and a 160% growth in their HAQM Ads sales YoY6, with their Subscribe & Save revenue growing by 81% YoY—amounting to more than 50% of their monthly revenue.7

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Our partnership with Tambo has facilitated our exponential growth on HAQM over 2022 and 2023. The expertise of our Tambo team has been instrumental in the successes so far, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to get Califia Farms’ delicious drinks into more HAQM shoppers’ baskets.

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— Luci Frost, senior national account manager, Califia Farms

Learn more about display ads

Display ads from HAQM Ads include Sponsored Display and HAQM DSP, used by Califia Farms for their growth in this campaign. These offerings help engage audiences where they are, whether that’s shopping or streaming or elsewhere. They can help connect with customers across HAQM properties like Twitch and Freevee, as well as devices like Fire TV and Echo Show, in addition to premium third-party content. Additionally, there are also device ads, which incorporate both display and video creatives on HAQM devices and services.

Learn more about HAQM DSP

HAQM DSP can help reach relevant customers across the largest supply of premium, ad-supported content wherever they are spending their time across HAQM exclusive properties like Prime Video, or across third-party supply through direct integrations with publishers and leading supply-side platforms (SSP)s. Maximize ROI with our AI-powered solution by leveraging first- and third-party insights to automate tasks and target relevant audiences on HAQM and across third-party apps, sites, and devices.

1-7 Califia Farms, UK, 2023

Case study

Califia Farms and Tambo stir up sales in U.K. with Veganuary campaign

The HAQM Ads Partner Awards recognize innovation, creativity, and effectiveness in digital advertising. Recognitions include the Challenger Award, which honors partners who deliver impactful strategies that exceed business objectives on a lean budget. This year’s Challenger Award finalists include Tambo Marketplaces Ltd., which helped Califia Farms achieve the No. 1 best-seller rank in conjunction with the Veganuary campaign in the U.K.

Every January, thousands of Britons pledge to better their health, reduce their carbon footprint, and promote ethical consumption to kick off the year by going vegan. This challenge, known as Veganuary, marks a pivotal opportunity for plant-based brands to connect with U.K. consumers.

Califia Farms, a leader in the U.S. plant-based drink industry, recognized that Veganuary could provide them an opportunity to build their brand visibility on the HAQM store in the U.K. and reach new audiences. This vision led them to partner with Tambo Marketplaces Ltd (Tambo) on an ambitious strategic campaign.

Planting seeds on the HAQM store in the U.K.

Since 2010, Califia Farms has sold a wide variety of plant-based, dairy-free products—including coffee creamers, oat milk, and almond milk—in a range of flavors. After gaining popularity in the U.S., they decided to expand to the U.K. in late 2021. But they faced stiff competition from well-funded, established competitors.

As 2023 approached, Califia Farms set an ambitious goal: to become the No. 1 best-selling brand in their category during the month of January, in conjunction with the annual Veganuary campaign. This meant they needed to accelerate their sales velocity and maintain their growth trajectory as they moved into the new year.

Harvesting January’s vegan-related search trends

Based on their analysis of different search trends, Tambo found that generic searches for oat milk spiked during January. So, they recommended phasing 50% of Califia Farms’ Q1 2023 budget into January campaigns, allocating 72% of ad spend on the term oat milk and associated words. Tambo also upscaled Califia Farms’ Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Brands video campaigns by 30%, implementing a mix of lifestyle and product images and video assets.

After analyzing category share insights, Tambo allocated 33% of the Q1 budget to actively focus on core competitors. Their strategy included using Sponsored Display to place ads directly on competitors’ product display pages—a move that helped them win the attention of consumers who might be considering other brands’ plant-based products, boosting awareness among their core audience. They also implemented Sponsored Products ads to promote individual product listings.

Using HAQM DSP insights, Tambo noticed a high potential for conversion among women and environmentally conscious audiences. So, in the next phase of the campaign, they decided to remarket to those groups. They then ran a competitive promotion on their core products during January, boosting their visibility using Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Brands video, and Sponsored Display.

Reaping rewards from a strategic campaign

Tambo’s strategic efforts paid off: Not only did Califia Farms achieve the No. 1 best-seller rank during Veganuary, but they saw their total year-over-year (YoY) sales increase by 259% for Q1 2023.1 The brand also saw a 104% increase in their return on ad spend and a 160% growth in their HAQM Ads sales YoY2, with their Subscribe & Save revenue growing by 81% YoY—amounting to more than 50% of their monthly revenue.3

Quote icon

Our partnership with Tambo has facilitated our exponential growth on HAQM over 2022 and 2023. The expertise of our Tambo team has been instrumental in the successes so far, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to get Califia Farms’ delicious drinks into more HAQM shoppers’ baskets.

Quote icon

— Luci Frost, senior national account manager, Califia Farms

1-3 Califia Farms, UK, 2023