Goals

Millions of people seek solutions to relieve dry, sensitive skin. Curél, a Japanese skin care brand and Kao company, was launched in the U.K. in 2022 and introduced a range of ceramide-rich products to address these skin care needs. By early 2023, the brand had established a presence in the premium skin care category on Amazon in the U.K., with opportunities for growth.

Looking to grow brand awareness and sales ahead of Q4, Curél collaborated with Tambo in 2023 to develop an advertising strategy that would optimize their limited budget. Amazon Ads partner Tambo specializes in accelerating brand growth through advertising, analytics, consultancy, content, and managed services.

Approach

Tambo’s analysis of Curél’s performance showed initial growth for the brand following their U.K. launch. But then, their brand search volume plateaued, and year-over-year (YoY) sales growth also revealed some stagnation.

Tambo’s analysis revealed an opportunity: 89% of Curél’s products were receiving reviews of four stars or above, outperforming the category average of 78%.¹ Tambo crafted a full-funnel strategy that used product reviews to boost Curél’s sales and brand visibility. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) insights showed that Curél’s advertising reached audiences aged 26–45, with 77% identifying as women and 57% reporting household incomes over £40,000.²

At the top of the funnel, Tambo leveraged Fire tablet with Special Offers to reach relevant audiences. This campaign featured custom creative on the device’s home screen, prominently displaying Curél’s positive customer reviews. Tambo expanded this reach through Amazon Publisher Direct (APD), placing ads in beauty and lifestyle publications like Marie Claire, Elle, and Cosmopolitan. They also used Amazon DSP to engage audiences showing interest in skin care products.

In the middle of the funnel, Tambo focused on nonbrand browse terms with a high potential to drive conversions. They employed a mix of Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands ads to engage this search traffic and showcase Curél’s product range. At the bottom of the funnel, Tambo used brand search and Amazon DSP remarketing. Amazon DSP was used to engage audiences who had shown interest in Curél products but hadn’t yet made a purchase. Tambo created tailored messaging for audiences who had previously viewed Curél products.

Throughout the campaign, Tambo used AMC to create custom audiences, such as those exposed to the Fire tablet campaign but not other display campaigns and those who had seen the Fire tablet campaign but hadn’t made a purchase. Using these insights, the partner continually optimized the campaign strategy across all funnel stages.

Results

Tambo’s campaign generated 15 million impressions overall; the Fire tablet campaign alone drove 1.3 million unique impressions and 48,000 detail page views, with a click-through rate of 1.04%.³ These efforts translated into tangible business outcomes, and Curél achieved 52% YoY sales growth during the campaign, which ran from October to December 2023.⁴

In October, Curél achieved a 101% YoY sales increase during Prime Day.⁵ Curél also witnessed a 190% increase in searches for core brand terms.⁶ This indicates a boost in brand awareness and interest among U.K. customers, which will help support the company’s long-term growth.

By harnessing the power of customer reviews and strategically deploying Amazon Ads solutions, Tambo helped Curél establish themselves in the premium skin care category. In recognition of their work and the measurable impact achieved, Tambo received the 2024 Challenger Award for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region at the Amazon Ads Partner Awards.

Sources

^1–6 Tambo, UK, 2023.