Ice Travel creates campaigns that move travelers and metrics

UK-based Ice Travel Group helps holidaymakers swap grey skies for warm beaches on its vacation comparison and travel deals site, icelolly.com. But even with a strong brand and loyal audience, the team knew there was room to reach additional travelers who were browsing beyond traditional search. They also wanted more profitable, efficient ad campaigns that could ramp up quickly.

Since June 2025, Ice Travel Group has been running Performance Max on Microsoft Advertising to boost coverage, reach new vacationers, and drive incremental conversions across its package-holiday business.

Working with Microsoft Advertising, Ice Travel Group developed a strategy that allowed the team to take advantage of AI efficiencies. Defining conservative spend targets gave Performance Max the space to learn, adapt, and connect with new audiences exploring future trips.

Here’s what helped the campaign take flight...

• Realistic return on ad spend (ROAS) targets: By setting non-aggressive targets in the early phase, Performance Max learned faster and found profitable pathways sooner.
• Travel-specific in-market audiences: Expanding to a wider pool of people comparing destinations, browsing deals, or planning seasonal trips helped Ice Travel Group capture signals beyond Search ads alone.
• Continuous budget monitoring: By managing budget caps to keep the campaign running smoothly, the brand ensured the most effective pacing throughout peak planning periods.

Together, these steps created a campaign structure that grew with the company, evolving as demand, destinations, and traveler behaviors shifted.

Performance Max delivered profitable traffic within target ROAS goals, all with lower cost per click (CPC). Compared to traditional Search campaigns in the last six months, Ice Travel Group achieved 15% higher ROAS and 32% lower CPC, showing that the campaign was reaching more travelers and more efficiently.

Lower costs meant a larger share of the budget went back into the business, with Performance Max now representing 40% of the total search investment. Offering added visibility for key destinations and increased chances for travelers to find the perfect getaway through icelolly.com, Performance Max has since become a core part of Ice Travel Group’s search strategy.