LOOP EARPLUGS

case study:

THE BRIEF

Loop had built a strong DTC business through performance marketing—but to grow in the US and UK, the brand needed to move beyond demand capture and invest in demand creation. Loop needed a partner who could design a multi-channel brand campaign from scratch and prove the business impact of awareness spending in hard numbers.

NoLie partnered with PDA to bring together strategic media and creative excellence under one campaign. NoLie developed the upper-funnel investment plan and multi-channel media strategy; PDA developed the creative vision—video and visual assets tailored for specific audiences and channels.

Together, the teams delivered a 299-million-impression campaign across five channels that exceeded Cyber Week revenue forecasts by 122%, with growth continuing well after the campaign ended.

The Brand

Loop is a lifestyle hearing protection brand on a mission to let people live life at their own volume. Known for sleek, reusable earplugs designed for concerts, focus, sleep, and noise sensitivity, Loop has built a loyal following by making hearing protection feel like a personal accessory rather than a medical device.

The brand had established a strong DTC foundation but recognized that sustainable growth required a shift—from capturing existing demand to creating new demand through brand awareness and top-of-funnel investment.

THE STRATEGY

Flipping the Funnel to Drive Long-Term Growth

We developed a top-down awareness strategy—a deliberate shift from Loop’s historically performance-focused budget toward brand-building. The theory: you can’t convert demand that doesn’t exist.

The campaign was built across five channels, each serving a distinct role in the awareness ecosystem:

  • Meta — Reach-optimized campaigns targeting in-market and competitive audiences

  • YouTube — Multi-format video with broad and interest-based targeting

  • CTV — Premium content placements with precision targeting

  • Digital OOH — NYC and London subways, urban panels, and gym placements

  • Wild Postings — Street-level visibility in Brooklyn neighborhoods

The Result: 299M  Total impressions across 5 channels

The media strategy prioritized reach and impressions over low-funnel performance metrics—a deliberate choice that the results would go on to validate.

CREATIVE STRATEGY

Creative That Performed as Hard as the Media Strategy

This campaign was built on a tight creative-meets-strategy partnership. PDA developed the creative vision—scene-specific video and imagery tailored for distinct audiences, use cases, and channels—from CTV spots to social content to wild postings. NoLie’s media strategy ensured the right creative reached the right audiences at the right moments.

The creative approach drove CPMs down significantly, unlocking 164 million additional impressions within the same budget. Longer 30-second spots outperformed 15-second cuts on both engagement and conversion—proving the creative’s ability to educate and convert, not just interrupt.

the impact

The Awareness Effect in Action

The campaign’s impact was almost immediate and sustained. Brand interest surged during the campaign window and—critically— sales continued to grow post-promotion, unlike the prior year’s sharp decline following Cyber Week.

Translating Awareness Into Business Growth

The campaign didn’t just drive top-of-funnel metrics—it moved the entire business. Owned channels grew across the board during the campaign period, and the retargeting pool expanded continuously while cost-per-purchase declined, proving the quality of the audience attracted by the awareness investment.

Audience & Reach Expansion

  • +33%  US branded search growth

  • 19,501  New Instagram followers

  • 34M  Incremental reach

  • 6.7M  Retargeting pool growth

key takeaways

Why This Campaign Worked

  1. Creative that earned its media spend. PDA's scene-specific assets didn't just look good — they drove CPMs down and unlocked 164M additional impressions within the same budget. Longer-form 30s spots outperformed shorter cuts across both engagement and conversion.

  2. Upper-funnel investment that paid off downstream. Broad awareness channels built retargeting pools that converted at increasingly efficient rates. By Cyber Week, cost-per-purchase had dropped and revenue cleared projections by a wide margin.

  3. A feedback loop built into the partnership. Audience performance data shaped creative decisions and vice versa — music enthusiasts indexed highest on CTV, travelers on Meta. That kind of signal only sharpens with time.