Casa del Libro opens a new chapter in performance

The main marketing objective for Spain’s leading bookseller is a simple one: Sell more books. The launch of the Microsoft Audience Network in Spain gave Paid Media Manager Irene Martin Tamayo the chance to rewrite how marketing can do so, opening up native advertising’s potential as a performance channel.

“My main goal is achieving our monthly goals of revenue and purchases with the highest return on ad spend (ROAS) possible and the lowest possible cost per acquisition (CPA). I’m always open to testing new products to see how well they work and how it can help us to fulfill our objectives,” she says. “As soon as we heard that the Microsoft Audience Network was available in Spain, I immediately set about creating a campaign to use it.”

Irene’s campaign for the network combined remarketing with intent-based targeting that picked up on signals of interest in education or entertainment. It was a combination that quickly delivered both relevant volume and strong performance, with a growth marketing strategy that put books in front of existing customers at the same time as acquiring new ones.

“Right from the start, it worked really, really well,” says Irene. “Our strategy doesn’t differentiate between acquiring new customers or getting more purchases from existing ones. As long as we’re achieving the overall goal at the right cost, that’s good with me. The main thing we were looking for was a big increase in the volume of our transactions—and we got that straight away with the Microsoft Audience Network. It delivered the transactions we needed at a very strong CPA and a very good ROAS.”

Casa del Libro’s ads show what makes the Microsoft Audience Network such a bestseller when it comes to performance. The team was able to combine the powerful intent data of search with recognizable visuals that drive additional impact and action. Seeing the covers of “must-read” books in their feeds didn’t just prompt potential readers to click and buy, it also helped to launch impressions with new publishers for Casa del Libro. This offered the possibility to reach new qualified audiences and served not only for performance purposes but also as a consideration campaign.

“We get more exposure and more impressions for our bestselling titles—and that plays an important role in helping to attract new customers,” says Irene. “The primary objective is to drive transactions, but the campaign is also really good at delivering against our brand objectives. We’re increasing salience at the same time as getting great performance because we’re appearing on new significant sites with relevant ads."

Between December 2021 and March 2022, the Microsoft Audience Network increased Casa del Libro’s total conversions by 33%, accounting for 25% of the overall conversions during that period. Those conversions, on average, were three times cheaper than the average cost per click the company was receiving from its search campaigns, achieving an astonishing ROAS of 1880%.

Selling books is always the goal—but if you can do so while helping people remember your brand for the next time they purchase, then all the better. Casa del Libro’s pioneering use of the Microsoft Audience Network in Spain proves that boosting transaction volume and cutting CPA doesn’t have to mean compromising in the longer term. Bestselling performance is a gift that keeps giving.