Up app icon

Up

Aussies find a mobile-first bank.
Up finds a better way to grow.

Up ad on the App Store
With an entirely app-based approach to banking, Up is redefining how Australians manage their money on mobile. To drive awareness and customer growth, the industry-disrupting app invested in Apple Search Ads and boosted conversions while lowering
acquisition costs.

The Results

#1 performing channel for driving app installs with new customers.
58% conversion rate for Apple Search Ads.
37% lower than average cost-per-install than all paid channels.

The Challenge

Focused on becoming the top bank for a new generation, the team at Up needed to increase visibility with Australians looking beyond traditional institutions to take control of their finances. As a new app challenging well-established financial brands, it was also critical to maximize performance and deliver high-quality acquisition.

As a key acquisition channel, Apple Search Ads helped Up reach a quarter of a million customers in
less than two years.

The Solution

Build brand awareness at the top of App Store search results.

With Apple Search Ads, the team at Up and their agency, Beyond Media Global, increased customer reach by optimizing their keyword strategies based on performance. Discovery campaigns helped uncover new, relevant search terms and drive reach. Brand campaigns improved conversions from prospective customers showing strong intent on the App Store. To drive awareness with people interested in similar apps, the team created competitive campaigns with separate ad groups for traditional banks, digital banks, and Fintech.

 

“It was particularly insightful to monitor the tap-through rates at the keyword level,” says Up Marketing’s Seb Neylan. “This helped inform our bidding strategy for Apple Search Ads as well as optimize our App Store page to drive incremental scale.”

Introduce key features with relevant creative.

Based on Apple Search Ads insights, the Up team redesigned screenshots to better introduce the brand and app features to potential customers. They aligned messaging in their creative with top-performing keyword themes like budgeting. To better capture the attention of prospects, the team also updated their App Store product page with an engaging app preview video as well as bold branding messages featured across multiple panels.

Use consumer insights to maximize efficiency.

The Up team also gleaned valuable business insights from Apple Search Ads. By monitoring campaign performance at the keyword level, they were able to understand that certain features like Apple Pay were key conversion drivers for their customers. The team incorporated these insights into their marketing efforts and creative strategy.

 

“Apple Search Ads helped us better understand our customers and what they were actively seeking out on the App Store. This influenced how we optimized our ad creative as well as our App Store product page to drive better engagement and improve results,” says Neylan.

Company Snapshot

  • Up
  • Finance category
  • Launched in 2018
  • Based in Melbourne, Australia
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