TUI Belgium Sees Incremental Results with Facebook Stories

Testing the Incrementality of Facebook Stories While Scaling Creative Volume

BIG SMILE WEEKS is a seasonal campaign that TUI Belgium runs multiple times a year with up to 50% in discounts. Previously, they used two videos with two language versions to run the promotion on Instagram Stories – a placement similar to Facebook Stories. They were looking to test the effectiveness of Facebook Stories while scaling their creative volume.

From 2 to 200 Ads with Smartly.io

To see definitive results between Facebook Stories and other placements, Smartly.io helped TUI Belgium set up a split test that divided creatives into two cells:

Cell A: Instagram Feed, Facebook Feed, Instagram Stories

Cell B: Instagram Feed, Facebook Feed, Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories

To help TUI Belgium increase their creative volume and customization, the Smartly.io Creative Studio designed ads using our newest solution, Video Templates. The video ads pulled dynamic content from TUI Belgium's destination catalog and combined it with brand elements to ensure creative quality and consistency – even when running a high volume of unique offers. 

Creative Studio based all designs on creative insights proven by previous campaign work for Smartly.io customers:

1. Suggest the action you're driving in the creative. The red BG worked as curtains that slid up to show new destinations. The animation of the red BG prompted the user to take action and swipe up while revealing dynamic content from their feed. The final video scene also incorporated swipe up cues with animated arrows and elements sliding up.

2. Make your value proposition clear. Another travel brand working with Smartly.io saw a clear lift in performance with designs that incorporated a clear value proposition (such as destinations and prices) with plenty of negative space. The TUI Belgium ads were designed similarly, leaving a lot of room for the red background.

Through the creative split test, TUI Belgium was able to see the incremental effect of adding Facebook Stories to the mix: -12% CPA and +14% CTR with Cell B that included Facebook Stories. 

Smartly.io video Templates allowed them to scale their creative volume from two to 200 ads automatically. Moreover, the solution helped them scale their creative quickly to fit a variety of placements.

“With the Smartly.io Creative Studio, we were able to increase our creative volume by 100x while running beautifully designed ads that drove a clear lift in sales. It’s great to work with a technology partner who understands creative through the eyes of data insights.”

 Julie Messiaen, Digital Marketeer, TUI Belgium