How we invested in brand and drove 41,303 app installs in return

Betashares Direct is an investing platform designed to make investing simpler and more accessible for Australian investors.

With ambitious growth targets, Betashares needed to build awareness of Betashares Direct while turning that awareness into measurable customer acquisition.

Windsorborn was appointed to bring brand, creative and performance media together around a connected growth strategy.

We balanced Demand Generation with Demand Capture, building reach and consideration while converting existing intent efficiently across performance channels.

Alongside this, we introduced our Creative Labs model, creating a continuous cycle of creative development, in-market testing and optimisation based on real performance signals.

In six months, the approach increased brand awareness while exceeding acquisition targets and significantly reducing the cost of conversion.

• Build awareness of Betashares Direct in a competitive investment category
• Turn growing awareness into measurable acquisition/li>
• Balance brand and performance investment effectively
• Increase acquisition volume while improving efficiency
• Create a faster way to test and optimise creative
• Identify the audiences, propositions and formats with the greatest potential to drive growth

Balanced brand and performance

We built the media strategy around two connected jobs: generating demand and capturing it.

Demand Generation built awareness and consideration across channels including YouTube, OOH, programmatic and social, while Demand Capture converted existing intent through performance channels including Google, Meta, TikTok and Reddit.

This allowed Betashares to invest in building the brand without losing focus on the acquisition outcomes needed to drive growth.

Introduced the Creative Labs model

We introduced Creative Labs to create a faster, more systematic approach to creative development and optimisation.

Rather than relying on traditional campaign cycles, we continuously developed and tested new audiences, propositions, messages and formats in-market.

Performance signals determined what we scaled, evolved or replaced, creating a tighter feedback loop between creative and media.

The model uncovered clear opportunities, including stronger performance from relatable UGC, parents-focused messaging and propositions around $0 brokerage and long-term wealth building.

Optimised around what drove growth

We used performance data to continually refine channel investment, audiences, creative and conversion activity.

Audience segmentation helped uncover more efficient opportunities, while improvements to conversion tracking gave platforms stronger signals to optimise against.

Google became the strongest acquisition engine, with PMax driving significant conversion volume, while retargeting delivered some of the campaign’s lowest acquisition costs.

In just six months, the campaign delivered growth across both brand and performance.

Brand awareness increased 3 percentage points overall and 5 points among males, while the campaign delivered 68.3 million impressions against a target of 37.7 million.

At the same time, Demand Capture delivered 41,303 app installs and 73,724 conversions, both ahead of target, while achieving a $5.34 CPA against a $10 target, 47% below target.

Beyond the immediate results, Creative Labs gave Betashares a repeatable way to identify what resonates, respond faster to performance signals and continually improve creative effectiveness.