A target for every part of the business
Each part of the house got campaigns of its own with its own targets for what a booking or a purchase could cost.
The budget could move between them as the season or the situation changed.
Case · Culture and experiences
FotografiskaFrom posters and exhibitions to brunch and events.
Fotografiska at Stadsgården in Stockholm is one of the world's largest museums of photography. We built Google Ads from scratch in January 2018 on behalf of the agency Spotlight and ran the advertising until October 2022.
- Engagement
- 2018 to 2022, through the agency Spotlight
- Channels
- Search, Shopping, display, Discovery and Microsoft Ads
- Audience
- Stockholmers and tourists
About the client
Fotografiska opened in 2010 in the old customs house at Stadsgården in Stockholm and shows photographic art all year round, with four major exhibitions a year and always several running at the same time. The house also holds a restaurant with brunch and a Chambre Separée, a café, photography courses, a shop with posters and gift cards, and rooms for meetings and events.
Tickets, courses and posters are sold online. The museum has since opened in several cities outside Sweden.
Why we worked together
The engagement came to us through Spotlight and the agency's founder and CEO Tommy Perlhamre. Tommy was one of the first to back DigitalMassa and trusted us with the advertising for the agency's clients.
Spotlight held the whole relationship with Fotografiska and we held Google Ads. For almost five years we worked closely with Spotlight's project managers and were there whenever the conditions changed.
We are grateful to have been part of Fotografiska's journey from 2018 to 2022, through good years and a pandemic.
The assignment
The task was to bring more guests, participants and buyers to every part of the house. Each part got its own target for what a booking, a purchase or a course sign-up could cost, so the budget could go where it did the most good.
Over the years more channels were added, along with an English account for tourists planning their visit to Stockholm.
The collaboration over time
2018
The advertising built from scratch
In January 2018 the first campaigns went live for the restaurant, the brunch and the photography courses.
Posters on sale in Google Shopping
In July 2018 the posters went on sale through Google Shopping, with image and price right in the search results.
Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier at Fotografiska in 2018 Museum visits measured with Store Visits
In October 2018 the account began counting how many people saw an ad and then visited the museum. Together with Google we made the measurement work for a single building.
Remarketing for posters
From November 2018 people who had looked at posters but not bought saw the products again in ads on other websites.
The PhotoMarket fair
Ahead of the PhotoMarket fair in November 2018 the fair got search and display ads of its own, aimed at photography enthusiasts and earlier visitors to fotografiska.com.
2019
Also for people who search in Bing
The search campaigns were imported into Microsoft Ads so that Fotografiska also appeared for people who search in Bing.
The same value for half the cost
In autumn 2019 the advertising cost 55% less than in autumn 2018 and still delivered 8% more conversion value.
Erik Johansson at Fotografiska in 2019 Fotografiska's strongest year
2019 became Fotografiska's strongest year so far, with the highest revenue in the company's history up to then. It was our second year running the advertising.
2020
The account organised by business area
In March 2020 the account was rebuilt so that each business area got its own budget per channel and its own report.
The museum closed
In March 2020 Fotografiska closed and all display advertising was paused. Within a few weeks the restaurant was selling food to take away, and the advertising was switched to that. Fotografiska kept selling even with its doors closed.
Open Air Exhibition in Stockholm in 2020 The museum reopened
In May 2020 the museum reopened, the same month Fotografiska turned ten. Right after the announcement the ads were rewritten with opening hours and booking of visiting times.
Tourists back in the ads
In June 2020 the campaigns for tourists started again.
The posters returned 484%
In September 2020 Google Shopping for the posters returned 484% of the ad spend, and ahead of the autumn the shop got the largest share of the budget.
2021
The Facebook ad account was shut down
When Fotografiska's ad account at Facebook was shut down in January 2021, Google Ads had to carry the sales, with extra budget for the posters and the digital photography course.
A fresh start for spring
In February 2021 Fotografiska wanted to pick up the pace. Spotlight drew up a new budget per business area, and three days later every campaign had new copy and meetings, the restaurant and the exhibitions were running again.
As always, I bow deeply to your fantastic work.
Maria Wimnell
Former Project Manager at Spotlight
The whole shop in Shopping
In March 2021 the whole shop appeared in Google Shopping, not just the posters.
The Pet Show at Fotografiska in 2021 The shop moved to Shopify
When Fotografiska launched its new website in September 2021 the shop moved to Shopify, and the products kept appearing in Google Shopping without a break.
2022
Meetings, weddings and events
In March 2022 the meeting rooms got ads of their own for meetings, conferences, weddings and events.
Somewhere Ethereal at Fotografiska in 2022 The engagement ended
In October 2022 the engagement ended after almost five years.
Results
−70%
Advertising cost for restaurant bookings
+20%
Booking value
3 450%
ROAS for restaurant bookings, up from 870%
In spring 2019 restaurant bookings through the search ads cost 70% less than in spring 2018, while the booking value was 20% higher. ROAS for restaurant bookings rose from 870% to 3 450%.
The lift came after the account was rebuilt in autumn 2018, when the restaurant could be steered towards bookings instead of clicks.
How we worked
A target for every part of the business
Each part of the house got campaigns of its own with its own targets for what a booking or a purchase could cost.
The budget could move between them as the season or the situation changed.
Posters sold through Google Shopping
From summer 2018 Fotografiska sold its posters through Google Shopping, with image and price right in the search results. With remarketing, people who had looked at a poster but not yet bought it saw that very poster in ads on other websites.
In September 2020 Shopping returned 484% of the ad spend.
Museum visits measured with Store Visits
From October 2018 the account counted how many people saw an ad and then visited Fotografiska in person. The effect of the advertising became visible beyond the website.
The measurement normally requires several stores, but together with Google we made it work for a single building.
It is great that Store Visits works for you even though Fotografiska has only one place to visit. Normally several stores are needed for the measurement to work at all.
Andreas Trägårdh
Former Associate Account Strategist at Google
Tourists planning their Stockholm visit
Tourists got accounts of their own per language, with search ads for things to do, brunch and photography museums in Stockholm. Display ads in English reached travellers in the UK and Japan, the countries Store Visits showed the visitors came from.
More channels as the results came in
In summer 2019 the search campaigns were imported into Microsoft Ads so that Fotografiska also appeared for people who search in Bing. In 2020 Discovery and local campaigns followed.
Each channel kept its budget for as long as it delivered bookings or purchases.
The collaboration in practice
An answer to what each part delivered
We received a brief and a budget per business area and channel from Spotlight and reported back on what the advertising delivered.
Spotlight could therefore tell Fotografiska what each part of the business got for its money.
Short lead times
When something had to be solved quickly, we stepped in. Ahead of the PhotoMarket fair in autumn 2018 the ad material was missing, and we took over the dialogue with Fotografiska's creative agency so the ads went out on time.
In spring 2020 Fotografiska's offer sometimes changed several times in the same week, and the ads were rewritten straight away.
Fantastic work from you, many thanks! And thank you for stepping in and handling the dialogue with the creative agency about the ad material. You are brilliant.
Daniel Ekbladh
Former CEO of Spotlight Digital Performance
On site at the museum
In May 2019 we went through the first sixteen months together with Spotlight and Fotografiska's marketing department at the museum.
The review became the basis for the budget going forward.
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